As he sobbed, memories came flooding back.
He thought about Grace’s gentle hands, her warm smile, and her voice singing hymns on Sunday mornings. He remembered how she used to read Bible verses to him when he was little and how he would grumble about it as a teenager.
He thought about the fight, and about the years he spent resenting her.
“I’m sorry, Grandma,” he choked out.
“I’m so sorry.”
The money was more than enough to cover his mother’s treatment. Mike gathered the bills and hurried to Kaila’s room at the hospital.
Kaila’s room was quiet, save for the beeping of machines and the faint hum of fluorescent lights.
She turned her head slowly as Mike burst in, his face flushed.
“Mike?” she murmured, startled. “What’s wrong?”
He dropped onto the chair beside her bed, clutching her hand tightly.
“Mom, you’re not gonna believe this,” he said, grinning through tears.
“Grandma saved us.”
“What?”
“Her Bible—it wasn’t just a Bible. She… she hid money in it. Thousands of dollars, Mom!”
Kaila’s eyes widened.
“Thousands of dollars?”
Mike nodded.
“She left it for us.
For me. She knew I’d need it someday.” His voice broke, and he glanced at the ceiling.
“That stubborn old woman saved us.”
Kaila let out a soft laugh, her pale face lighting up. “That sounds exactly like Grace,” she said fondly.
“She always knew what she was doing.”
Mike blinked back tears.
“I didn’t deserve it, Mom. I treated her like crap, and she still—”
Kaila squeezed his hand. “Your grandma’s love was unconditional, Mike.
That’s what real love is.”
“I don’t know if I can ever make it up to her,” he said quietly.
“You already are, sweetheart.
You’re here, doing everything you can for me. Grace would be proud.”
Over the next few months, Kaila’s treatment began to work.
Mike paid off the looming hospital bills and even managed to cut back on his grueling hours.
With less stress on his shoulders, he started thinking about his future.
Soon, he found a part-time course in accounting. It was something he’d always wanted to pursue but never could afford.
And for the first time, life felt possible.
Mike was finally about to live the peaceful and meaningful life he’d always wanted to live.
And that was all because of his loving grandmother.
