A widowed man makes a long journey to retrieve his newborn baby, but when he tries to return home with the child, he is barred from boarding the plane.
Bob Hollis was running late. The forty-year-old had just received a call from a Florida hospital announcing the birth of a daughter, fathered by him.
He might have thought it was a prank, but he knew his wife was in Florida on a short vacation he’d arranged for her while he renovated their house—it was a surprise.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
They had no children of their own and had adopted three, as adoption was an area they both wanted to get involved in.
Of the two, Bob was more concerned about fostering a child because he had been one himself and had grown up promising himself that he would foster as many children as he could.
“If I can help these children grow up and be the best they can be, I’ll feel like I’ve made a huge difference,” he told his wife when they discussed it.
Bob was also the father of two adult children he conceived while with his former wife, Ellen. The two separated after the woman decided to cheat on him with the boy who looked after their pool, and she was caught in the act.
Two years later, he met his second wife, Mary, and after a few months of dating, they married. They tried to have children but were unsuccessful, which led them to consider adoption, but they never stopped trying.
One day, their perseverance paid off, and Marie became pregnant. In anticipation of the baby’s arrival, Bob decided to expand the house to include a nursery and an extra room.
After making this decision, he put Mary, who was due in two months, on a plane to Florida, a place she had always wanted to visit. But upon arrival in Florida, the woman immediately went into labor and was rushed to the hospital.
Sadly, she died during childbirth, so Bob packed his bags and flew to Florida to retrieve his daughter.
When his plane landed, he rented a car and drove to the hospital, where his wife had allegedly died.
The news of her death still gnaws at him, but he knows he’ll have time to grieve later. So, he’s focused on the most urgent thing: bringing their only child home.
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Upon arriving at the hospital, he meets the intensive care unit volunteer, an 82-year-old woman who has recently been widowed.
Her name was Mrs. Sticks and she had some things to say to Bob. “What happened?” he asked her as soon as he entered her office.
“Sit down, Mr. Hollis,” she said calmly.
“I prefer to stand,” he replied.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Hollis, but your wife suffered complications while giving birth to your child.”
Bob wept bitterly, and Mrs. Sticks looked at him quietly, choosing to let him cry. After a few minutes, she cleared her throat and spoke.
“If I understand correctly, you came for the child, but I need to make sure you have what it takes to take care of a child,” Mrs. Sticks said.
Bob let her know he was already a father, and Mrs. Meredith Sticks nodded in appreciation, as if to say, “You’ll make it,” but she gave him her phone number anyway.
“Call me if you need anything,” she told him. The kind woman also offered to drive her new acquaintance to the airport on the day of departure.
Things went smoothly for Bob until boarding time. When he arrived at the gate, the woman at the ticket counter refused to let him through.
“Is this your child, sir?” she asked him.
“Of course,” he replied.
“I’m sorry, but she looks too young to be flying. How old is she?”
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“She’s four days old. Can I come by?” Bob said.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to present her birth certificate and wait until she’s at least seven days old before traveling with her,” the woman said sternly.
“What!?” Bob asked furiously. “You mean I have to stay here for the next two days? I don’t have any family to stay with, that’s why I have to go home today.”
“I’m sorry, it’s policy,” the woman said, turning her attention to the next person in line.
Bob knew it would take time to get the document, but he had nowhere to go in Florida and no one to ask for help.
He was preparing to spend the night at the airport when he remembered Mrs. Sticks, the kind woman from the medical center. He would have preferred not to disturb her, but he had no choice, and night was fast approaching.
“Hello, Meredith,” he said. “I need your help.”
When Mrs. Sticks discovered Bob’s problem, she immediately promised to return to the airport and take them to her house—an offer that stunned Bob. He knew he probably would have refused to help her if he had been in her shoes.
“Compassion still exists in this world,” he said to himself.
Bob stayed with Mrs. Sticks for over a week before returning to Texas. This woman didn’t just welcome Bob and his daughter into her home. She helped him care for the newborn and cope with his wife’s death by talking to and comforting him. She even helped him arrange for the transport of his wife’s body, making his life easier.
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The man couldn’t believe her generosity and always called her a true angel. Even his daughter seemed to like the woman, as she would start beaming and giggling just by hearing her voice.
During his stay, Bob learned that the woman had four adult children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Together, they cared for the baby, went on relief walks, and even went to memorialize Mrs. Sticks’s late husband—activities that brought them even closer.
The man saw Mrs. Sticks as his long-dead mother, and he knew he would miss her dearly when he flew home.
After receiving his daughter’s birth certificate, he was allowed to return home, but Bob kept in touch with the old lady who had helped him.
He didn’t know how things would have turned out without her, and he never forgot her kindness. So he visited her every year with his granddaughter, until she died a few years later.
At her funeral, a lawyer contacted him and told him that Mrs. Sticks had left him part of her inheritance, as she had done for her children.
In honor of her kindness, Bob donated the money to a charity he founded with his four children, including his eldest daughter, Shirley, with whom he fell in love because he was constantly exposed to her charms. They later married, and she became the mother of his six children.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
What have we learned from this story?
- Kindness leaves an indelible mark. Bob could never forget Mrs. Sticks, who supported him through his difficult times. Her heart inspired him to found the charity as a way to share more kindness with those around him.
- Always help others. Bob adopted three children with his late wife because he himself came from foster care and wanted to find a way to improve the lives of children in orphanages. It’s an act worth emulating.
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Also read: Man swaps newborn baby girl in hospital; 20 years later, she appears on his doorstep — Story of the day
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