He had written his will at an early age, and his lawyer was in charge of it, but no one knew that he had kept some things out of the will, and those were the things he wanted to give to the one who would show him the utmost love and care in his last days.
"Hello, Lucas!" Johnson spoke into the phone.
He was slowly losing his touch with modern gadgets, so he would place the phone very close to his mouth and shout out whatever he had to say to his caller, and as he called for Lucas, his voice was so loud that Lucas' eardrums hurt a little.
"Dad, could you take the phone off your mouth? It's disturbing." Lucas complained.
"I'm sorry, my dear child." Johnson responded, trying hard to reduce his voice to a whisper.
"Why are you calling? Is everything okay with you?" Lucas asked him.
"Yeah, I was just wondering if I could come over to your place and spend the weekend with you and the kids. I feel so lonely here." His father replied.
Johnson could hear Lucas sigh over the phone. He had a hunch on what his response would be, but he hoped Lucas would surprise him.
"I'm sorry, Dad. The kids and my wife would be out of town by the weekend. Lucas said to him.
"Okay, so I'll be stuck with you then?" Johnson asked.
"No, not this weekend. I've got an important trip to make, and besides, you shouldn't be going out now. You're too old for that." Lucas responded, and with that, the call ended.
Johnson felt sad that his first son had denied him the opportunity to see his grandchildren before he passed. He dialed another number, and James, his second son, picked up.
"Hey, James, I hope my voice isn't too loud now. Lucas complained that it was." Johnson said over the phone to James.
"Dad, how are you doing?" He asked him.
"I'm good, but I think I'll be better if I leave the house a little bit and probably come over to your house." Johnson replied, and James laughed dryly.
"Coming to my place can't make you better, Dad. I'm rarely at home. I think you should take a long walk around the compound; you'll feel better after that." James advised.
Before Johnson could reply, the line went dead. He dialed another number still, for his third son, but he didn't pick up. He was directed to voicemail.
Johnson felt really sad that his children wanted nothing to do with him. It felt like they all wanted him to die so they could inherit his properties, as he had been a wealthy man during his time.
Johnson had a neighbor who always came to check on him at every single opportunity he got. He was a banker and was always busy with work, but still, he never failed to check on Johnson.
That evening, after the disappointment he had gotten from his sons, Johnson sat on the porch and looked into the distance. He was clearly worried about his children. Mike, the bank neighbor, came home and met him sitting there. He crossed the lawn and walked to Johnson.
"Why are you out here, sir?" Mike asked Johnson, who nearly forgot his surroundings.
"My children don't want me around them, and I'm tired of staying indoors. I want to see the world, even if it's for one last time.
"Why do you always sound like you're about to die?" Mike asked him.
"Well, I'm an old man, and at this rate, there's nothing to live for anymore." Johnson replied.
Mike felt moved by his words. He went back to his apartment and changed into another dress, then he came back to Johnson and proposed that they go out and have fun. Johnson was surprised that a stranger was willing to fulfill his wishes. He profusely thanked him.
That night was a good one for Johnson. He was overwhelmed with joy at the care Mike had shown him, and he was certain that if he was to die then, it would be a satisfactory death.
Some days later, Johnson passed, and his lawyer came with the will. His sons were happy at the enormous wealth he had left them.
"There's one more thing." The lawyer suddenly blurted out, stopping their celebration midway.
"What else have you not shared?" Lucas asked him.
The lawyer took out his phone and dialed Mike's number and asked him to come to the house. When Mike got there, the lawyer handed a box to him; inside it was a key and a note that said:
Thanks for fulfilling my dying wish. You'll never be poor again.
Mike was awed, and he stared at the lawyer, waiting for an explanation.
"The old man had a safe full of some gold iron bars. He didn't include it in the will." The lawyer started to speak, but Kelvin interrupted.
"Are you saying that what we got isn't all of my dad's property? Why would he leave his safe to a stranger?" Kelvin asked the lawyer. His eyes were bulging with shock.
"Well, this stranger fulfilled the man's wishes while you all decided to neglect him. He wanted one person only to have the safe; it's a sad thing that none of his children cared about him enough to get his secret gift, but this man here, he cared for your dad while you were busy doing nothing. Don't feel bad." The lawyer responded and stood to his feet.
"You can't let this happen!!!" Kelvin shouted at the lawyer.
"It was a fair play, Kev. No hard feelings, but this man deserves this. He fulfilled your dad's dying wish, and he got rewarded with your dad's secret gift." The lawyer said and walked out of the room.
Mike, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with joy. He took the key and left the house knowing that he would never have to worry about money again.
Thanks for reading.
