He saw a girl begging on the sidewalk and somehow couldn’t help but think of her face. He had to know her story.
Wealthy businessman Roger Landers was often annoyed by the sight of homeless people begging on the street outside his office building. They seemed to be growing in number every year, he reflected.
One day, as he walked past a young woman huddled against a wall, a kind soul dropped a coin into her cup. The woman looked up and smiled at the person, and that smile pierced Roger right to the heart. In a second, this huddled homeless woman transformed into a charming, radiant woman.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Roger entered the building. But the moment when the young woman’s face had transformed thanks to her smile kept coming back to his mind.
Indeed, for the rest of the week, Roger was almost obsessed with the homeless girl. And once, when he dropped a coin into her cup, he looked very closely at her beautiful face.
Love sometimes hides in the most unexpected places.
Roger often thought about the young homeless woman. Sometimes he even invented stories about her, in which he discovered that she was actually a journalist writing about the homeless, or a deeply committed actress preparing for a role…
Finally, on Friday afternoon, after finishing his work for the day, Roger did what he had wanted to do all week. He approached the young woman sitting on the sidewalk and spoke to her.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
“Hello,” he said awkwardly. “Can I get you a cup of coffee? You really look cold.” The girl raised her face and smiled at him.
“Thank you,” she said kindly. “I’d be delighted.” Roger was struck by her deep, educated voice and the grace with which she stood. He then realized she was short.
He walked her to a nearby café and ordered a hot meal to go with her coffee. Once again, Roger was surprised by her delicate gestures and manners. She was an educated girl. How could she have ended up on the street?
When Roger saw that the young woman had finished her hot soup, toasted sandwich, and coffee, he asked her exactly that question: “How did you end up living on the streets?”
The young woman looked him straight in the eyes. A wry smile played on her lips. “I was foolish and trusting,” she said. “This isn’t an original story. I was in love with this man in my hometown of Idaho, if you can believe it.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
“My parents disapproved of him, which made him even more romantic and attractive to me… Long story short, he convinced me to withdraw my college funds and run away with him to L.A. He was going to be a movie star, and I was going to be a screenwriter…”
Roger shook his head sadly. “Many people come here every year, but few make it out alive,” he commented.
“Well, I’ll never know,” the young woman said with a hint of bitterness in her voice. “The first night in Los Angeles, we booked into a motel. When I woke up in the morning, Kevin was gone, along with my money and everything I owned.”
Roger jumped. “Did you go to the police? Did you call your family?” The girl shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
“I was too ashamed. I made a deal with the motel manager. She let me sleep in the storage room and I cleaned the rooms. Some guests tipped me and I managed to eat. But her husband started trying…” The young woman shook her head. “You know what I mean. I left the motel and ended up here on the street.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pixabay
“What’s your name?” Roger asked gently.
“Emma,” the young woman said with a beaming smile. “Emma Sinclair from Preston, Idaho!
“Emma Sinclair from Preston, Idaho,” Roger replied with a smile. “I’m Roger Landers from Los Angeles, California, and I’m going to help you get home.”
Roger took Emma to a nearby mall and bought her several outfits and a suitcase. He waited in the food court while she changed and emerged from the restroom transformed.
He then drove the young woman to the bus station and bought her a bus ticket home. He also slipped a $100 bill into her hand. “Listen,” he told her. “Don’t let anyone convince you to come to Los Angeles again, okay?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Emma was crying and smiling at the same time. She stood up and hugged Roger. “Thank you, thank you, and God bless you!
Roger watched her board the bus, his heart sinking. Why did he feel like this was a mistake? He wanted to run after the bus, beg Emma to stay… What was happening to him?
That evening, Roger realized that the little woman with the bright smile had stolen his heart. “If I let her go, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,” he told himself. “She’s special, and I love her.”
Two days later, Roger was driving to Preston, Idaho. He stopped at the police station and asked where he could find Emma Sinclair. “Emma?” one of the deputies asked suspiciously. “What do you want with Emma?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
Roger blushed. “Well, you see, I met her in Los Angeles, and I wanted to see if she was okay…”
The deputy looked him up and down. “You’ll find Emma at her mother’s laundromat, two doors down. I’ll come with you. I don’t want any more trouble for Emma!”
Roger’s heart was pounding when he walked into the laundromat and saw Emma. She looked up and her face lit up. At that moment, Roger knew she’d felt the same way: they were meant to be!
Three weeks after her return, Emma returned to Los Angeles, but this time with a man who loved and cherished her. By the end of the year, Roger and Emma were married, and Emma enrolled in a program to help runaways find their way home.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
What can we learn from this story?
- Helping others can be a transformative experience. Roger helped Emma, and what he did was help her find her own path to happiness.
- Love can sometimes hide in the most unexpected places. Roger found love with a homeless woman when everyone expected him to marry a woman from his world.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
This story is inspired by the daily lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to real names or places is purely coincidental. All images are used for illustrative purposes only. Share your story with us; it might just change someone’s life. If you’d like to share your story, email us at info@amomama.com.
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