Richard’s parents died in a car accident when he was a teenager, leaving him orphaned. Despite this tragic start to life, he worked tirelessly to build a business from scratch using the small inheritance he received.
With his hard work, he achieved everything he could ask for: a successful business, a comfortable home, nice cars, and good friends. However, the one thing missing from his life was family.
One snowy day, Richard’s car broke down, making him late for an important meeting. Stranded in the cold with a dead phone battery, he searched for a nearby cafe to warm up and charge his phone so he could call a cab.
Regrettably, Richard’s attempt to find a café or store was in vain due to the storm, forcing him to continue walking on the road. His coat was not suitable for the frigid weather, as it was meant for use in the car.
As he arrived at the sidewalk, he spotted an elderly lady walking towards him, though the snowfall initially concealed her presence. Despite his doubts, Richard decided to take a chance and inquire about her phone.
“Pardon me, ma’am. Do you have a phone I may use, please? My car is stuck in the snow and won’t start, and my phone has died,” he explained.
Richard did not anticipate her agreement, considering that most senior women are wary of strangers. Nevertheless, the old lady smiled and handed him her phone. “Here you are, dear,” she said.
“Thank you so much,” Richard responded, taking the phone and contacting his reliable driver. The woman patiently waited as he instructed the driver on where to pick him up.
Once he was done, the old lady also took a chance: “Excuse me, dear, do you happen to have any spare change? I’m very hungry, and I’ve run out of food at home,” she asked.
“Certainly, ma’am. Let me see how much I have,” Richard replied, retrieving his wallet. Inside, he saw several bills that totaled fifty dollars. Feeling sympathetic towards the old lady, he gave her all the money.
“This is much too generous, dear. Thank you so much for your kindness. May you be blessed even more,” she said, squeezing Richard’s hand as she received the money.
At that instant, a powerful gust of wind blew against her face, leaving the woman’s ears exposed. Suddenly, Richard’s attention was captivated by the old lady’s earrings.
The earrings were distinct, adorned with circular emerald stones that were encompassed by angelic wings. They were a unique pair that Richard believed he had seen before.
Before he could respond, a car honked, causing Donald, his company driver, to leap out of the vehicle and hurry Richard inside. “Thank you, ma’am,” he managed to say before Donald shut the door.
Following the chance encounter, Richard briefly disregarded it as he was consumed with a lot of work. Usually, after a long day of work, he would sleep soundly. However, on that day, he had a dream about his great-grandmother, whom he had only seen a few times in his life.
In his dream, she was wearing the same earrings as the ones he saw on the old lady earlier that day. “These earrings have been passed down in our family for generations, dear. They were eventually lost during the war,” she explained.
Richard woke up drenched in sweat, feeling disoriented. He tried to go back to sleep and eventually succeeded. He forgot about his dream until the same thing occurred a few days later.
“Why do I keep having the same dream?” he asked himself. Richard became restless and anxious, unable to comprehend why he kept dreaming about the earrings.
Being a superstitious individual, he decided to investigate further as he believed that his dreams had some significance. He searched through his family archives for any mention of the heirloom earrings but was unsuccessful.
However, he did discover his great-grandmother’s birth certificate, which revealed her name as Angela, along with an old photograph. Upon examining the picture, Richard noticed that his great-grandmother was wearing the same earrings he had been dreaming about, despite the photo being in black and white, the stones in wing-shaped enclosures were clearly visible.
The following day, Richard returned to the same street where he had met the elderly woman and waited in his car all day for her to appear. Finally, after several hours, he saw her walking towards him and approached her once again.
“Hi there ma’am,” he greeted her with a smile.
“Oh, hello dear. It’s lovely to see you again,” she responded.
“Would you have a few minutes to spare? Can I take you to the cafe over there?” Richard asked, gesturing towards a small cafe on the side of the road.
“Absolutely dear, as long as you treat me to a nice dinner,” she joked.
Once they arrived, Richard got straight to the point. “I hope this doesn’t come as a surprise, but for the past few days, I’ve been having dreams about my great-grandmother wearing your earrings. I saw your earrings briefly while talking to you the other day,” he explained.
“I came across an old photograph of her, and she was wearing the exact same earrings as you,” Richard added.
The elderly woman smiled and willingly took off the earrings from her ears. “It’s odd, isn’t it? I’ve had many dreams about my mother’s twin sister too. She told me that if a young man came looking for these earrings, I should give them to him,” she said.
“These earrings belonged to my mother’s twin sister, who was very dear to me. She said they were passed down from generation to generation. Sadly, I never got to meet her family because we were separated during the war,” she explained.
“What was your mother’s twin sister’s name?” Richard asked, before receiving the earrings.
“Her name was Angela. Does that name ring a bell?” the old woman asked.
Richard couldn’t help but smile. He took out a photo of his great-grandmother from his wallet and showed it to the elderly lady. “This is a picture of my great-grandmother, Angela,” he said, handing her the photo.
The elderly woman held the photo close to her chest. “This is my Aunt Angela. She looks exactly like my mother, Andie.”
Richard was relieved to have found a family member. He promised himself that he would take care of the woman for the rest of her life. He purchased an apartment for her in the city and visited her frequently. They enjoyed delicious meals together and went to church together.
After receiving the earrings, it seemed as though Richard’s great-grandmother was guiding his life as well. He eventually found love with a beautiful, young professional named Maggie.
When they got married, Richard gave Maggie the earrings as a gift and explained their story. A year later, Richard and Maggie welcomed twin girls, whom they named Angela, after Richard’s great-grandmother, and Evelin, after the elderly woman he had come to know as his grandmother.
