Homeless Man Recognizes Little Boy Begging for Alms to Pay For His Mom’s Funeral

Eight-year-old David was begging for money outside a mall when he noticed a homeless man staring at him for a long time. He ran away thinking this person was dangerous, but he caught him and explained something shocking about the boy’s past.

David Donaldson stood outside International Plaza and Bay Street in Tampa, Florida, and couldn’t hold back his tears. His face was covered in wet streaks, and most people only looked at him for a second before they continued walking. He was there to try to raise money for his mother’s funeral.

David’s mother died after a long battle with cancer, and the funeral home was waiting for the money to pay for everything. The manager was worried about the kid, but David had lied to him, explaining that his uncle was coming soon and would be paying for everything.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Sadly, David didn’t have any family left. He was staying at the apartment, but the rent was due soon. He would not be able to pay, and others would soon discover what was going on. They would call CPS, and he would go into the system.

He hated that idea. That’s why he was at the mall, begging people for money. Some shoppers were familiar with the little boy because he also tried to raise funds throughout his mother’s treatment. They would give him a dollar or two before calling the cops. Luckily, David was able to get away from them.

But now, his mother was finally gone, and she deserved to have a nice service. So, once again, he stood outside there with a sign where he wrote what he needed.

After a long sniffle, David dried his tears, thinking that people might be avoiding him because of his crying. He needed that money, so he had to be brave and stop. But once he cleared his eyes using his hands, David saw someone strange. A man was looking at him from the other side of the street. His stare was unnerving.

The man was dressed in tattered clothing, and it was clear he was homeless. David feared he would become like him soon. But an even scarier thought crossed his mind. What if he wants to steal my money? No! My mom needs it!

David gathered his hat from the floor where people had thrown some extra change and started counting. He placed them inside his pocket quickly and raised his head just to see the man cross the street and walk directly toward him.

The boy’s blood went cold, but he had to think fast. That’s when he stood and raced out of there. He could hear the heavy footsteps of the man running after him, and the man yelled, “Wait boy, I want to talk to you!”

“No! This is my mother’s money! Go away!” David screamed back but didn’t slow his pace.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“I don’t want your money, boy! Please, stop!”

The boy didn’t listen, but unfortunately, he entered a dead-end alley and couldn’t escape. “Please, sir. This money is very important. My mother just died, and I need to pay for the funeral,” David pleaded with the man, clutching his right hand over his right pocket where he kept the cash.

The man stopped and approached him slowly now. David could see his unclean state and ragged shirt, but there was something familiar about his face. He also had kind eyes. Maybe he wasn’t lying.

“Again, I don’t want your money, boy. I read your sign. You said your mother died? Can you tell me her name?” the man asked, smiling slightly.

“Maria,” David answered shyly.

“What about you? What’s your name?”

“David Donaldson.”

The man closed his eyes and nodded. Then he looked at the ground, and David could hear his heavy breathing.“Oh, man,” the man whispered and started crying.

“Sir, are you ok? Did you know my mother?” David asked, taking a small step towards the man.

“Yes. I knew her,” the man replied. “But I can’t believe she’s gone. I’m a horrible man.”

“What?”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“Maria… I mean, your mother was my girlfriend around nine years ago. My name is Charlie Donaldson,” the man answered and looked up at him. David could see the tears in his eyes and the sadness in his expression.

“Why do you have my last name?” David questioned, although the eight-year-old was no fool. He already guessed the reason.

“I’m pretty sure I’m your father, kid,” the man revealed.

The boy had no idea what to say, but it was probably true. The man’s face had looked familiar because they shared the same green eyes.

“Ok, so you don’t want to take my money,” David added, just to confirm.

Charlie laughed bitterly. “No, David. I would never do that. I fell on hard times, and that’s why I’m homeless, but I would not take money from a child. Besides, you need to pay for Maria’s funeral, right? That’s what your sign said.”

“Yeah. It’s expensive,” the boy said, scratching the back of his head with one hand.

“Let me ask you something else. Who are you staying with? An aunt or an uncle?”

“No one.”

“Maria told me she had a sister,” Charlie stated with a frown. He wiped the tears that had streaked his face and looked straight at the boy.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“No. I never met anyone, or maybe, they don’t know Mom died,” David continued, not knowing what else to say. It was the truth. It had always been just the two of them.

“And why are you on the streets? Shouldn’t CPS have taken you in?”

“I lied to some people. I told them my uncle was coming soon. I guess they didn’t call anyone,” David answered. But suddenly, he was curious about something. “If you’re my father, why weren’t you in my life?”

“That’s a long story,” Charlie began and said that he had run away as soon as Maria told him she was pregnant. He didn’t want the responsibility. “But in the end, it was the worst thing I ever did. Karma got to me, and I got mixed up with some bad people. I should’ve stayed with your mother and been a father to you.”

They talked more in that dead-end alley and even had a few laughs despite their sad circumstances. Finally, David had an idea. “Why don’t you come live with me so that I won’t be taken away? But on the condition that you will get a job and help me out. I’m a kid. I can’t do anything without an adult without raising suspicion.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“Are you sure? Do you have a house?”

“An apartment. But rent is due at the end of the month. I don’t have the money. I still have to pay for Mom’s funeral,” David continued.

Charlie thought about it for several minutes. He didn’t have a home and had no idea how to raise a kid. But it was a deal he couldn’t pass up. So he moved in with David, and now that he had an address, he could apply for jobs.

Together, they raised enough for a simple funeral for Maria, and they bonded when Charlie told him stories of their time together. David reciprocated and recounted all the things they did together. Eventually, Charlie found a job at Target and paid rent a few weeks later, as the landlord gave them an extension.

David was able to go back to school instead of begging for alms every day. In the end, they thought of each other as family even if they met under the oddest of circumstances.

What can we learn from this story?

Don’t run from your responsibilities. Not everyone is ready to have kids, but you can’t run away from your duties.
It’s never too late to do the right thing. Charlie moved in with David and paid for everything he could, so the kid would not have to be alone.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

This Is How I Won a Prank War My Neighbor and I Had Going for the past Year

his Is How I Won a Prank War My Neighbor and I Had Going for the past Year

It started off innocently enough. Selene parked her car in the wrong parking spot, fueling a prank war with Paul, the real owner of the parking spot. As the months went by, the pair continued their prank war, but Selen started to wonder about the future of these seemingly innocent practical jokes. She took matters into her own hands and asked Paul out for dinner, under the guise of someone else. Will it be the ultimate prank or something more?

It all began with a parking mishap. It was just one innocent mistake that spiraled into a year-long prank war with my neighbor, Paul.

An apartment building parking lot | Source: Unsplash

One evening, I accidentally parked in Paul’s parking spot in our apartment building’s lot. It was late, I was exhausted, and I just wanted to crawl into bed.

I didn’t think much of it until the next morning when I was on my way to the office. There, on my car, on an empty takeaway cup, a note was scrawled in messy handwriting.

A woman sleeping in bed | Source: Pexels

Thanks for ruining my day.

“Oh, crap,” I said to myself when I sat in the car. I needed to make amends.

A woman sitting in a car | Source: Pexels

The following morning, I left a warm cup of coffee on Paul’s car roof with a note that read:

Sorry for the mix-up. I hope this makes up for it.

A person holding a cup of coffee | Source: Pexels

If you’re wondering, Paul and I didn’t know each other. We just lived in the same apartment block and knew everyone’s names and door numbers.

A few days later, I found a bill from a car-washing service under my windshield wiper. It seemed that Paul didn’t notice the coffee that I left and spilled it all over his car when he drove off.

A car in a car wash | Source: Pexels

I refused to pay the bill, and thus, the little war began.

“I think that you and this mysterious Paul are either going to fall in love or end up despising each other,” my friend Daphne said at work.

A smiling woman holding a folder | Source: Pexels

“Probably the latter,” I said. “It was all fine until he gave me a bill.”

“Selene,” she said knowingly, “I’m telling you, this is just the beginning.”

The next day, I left my work phone number on his car.

Call me regarding the payment.

A piece of paper on a car | Source: Midjourney

Paul called me later that evening.

“Really? You thought that leaving coffee on the roof of a car was a good idea?” he asked, going straight into it.

“How was I supposed to know that you’d drive off without looking? Besides, it was a peace offering!”

A man using a phone | Source: Unsplash

“More like a disaster,” he said. “It was all over my window. Pay the car wash bill, please.”

“I’m not paying for it,” I said, hanging up.

After that, the pranks escalated quickly.

Spilled coffee in the air | Source: Pexels

“I told you,” Daphne said when she came home with me one evening. “It’s going to get more intense. You need to listen to me. Trust me on this, you and this guy are going to get under each other’s skin.”

“I don’t know about that, Daph,” I said, dishing out the curry we had bought for dinner.

Bowls of curry and rice | Source: Unsplash

“But you’re having fun?” she asked, tearing into a piece of bread.

“I am!” I said. “Mainly because it’s nothing serious.”

Flatbread on a board | Source: Pexels

One day, I found my car doors wrapped in plastic wrap.

The next week, I retaliated by covering Paul’s car in sticky notes, each one asking him to fix his parking.

A person tearing through plastic wrap | Source: Pexels

“If it rains tonight,” Paul said, immediately calling me after seeing the sticky notes, “you’ll have a mushy mess of paper to clean up.”

“I think you’ll figure it out for yourself,” I said, hiding behind my curtain.

A car covered in sticky notes | Source: Midjourney

I had to admit, I was attracted to him. I didn’t know if Paul knew who I was, but it was easier for me to watch him from my apartment. I had gotten used to watching him wash his car.

It turned out that it was comforting. There was a sense of intimacy that we had built up.

A person hiding behind blinds | Source: Unsplash

After months of back-and-forth pranks, ranging from balloons tied onto car handles and window wipers, to fake parking tickets, I decided that it was time to end the war.

“But you need a grand finale,” Daphne said as we sat in our office, trying to work through month-end reports.

A woman using a laptop | Source: Pexels

“Like what?” I asked, typing away at my keyboard.

“You’re into him, right?” she asked, sipping her coffee.

“I think so,” I said. “But I don’t know much about him.”

A woman drinking coffee | Source: Pexels

“Then get to know him,” my friend pressed on. “There’s something there; if not, this would have ended a long time ago.”

“Fine,” I said. “But you write the note. He knows my handwriting now.”

We intended to write a note from a secret admirer.

A person writing a note | Source: Pexels

“She can just be someone from your apartment,” Daphne said. “And it’s not like you and Paul have even interacted in person, Selene. To be honest, I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay anonymous for so long.”

“It’s the thrill of it,” I said.

A smiling woman | Source: Unsplash

Early the next morning, I left the note that Daphne had written on Paul’s car.

Hey, I saw you leaving your car and couldn’t help but notice how handsome you are. Let’s have dinner?

I added my personal number that he wouldn’t recognize at the bottom.

A folded piece of paper | Source: Midjourney

To my surprise, Paul called me later that morning.

“Selene, you’ll never guess what happened!” he said excitedly. “Some woman left me a note on my car.”

“Really?” I asked, feigning surprise. “What did it say?”

A woman on the phone | Source: Pexels

“She said that I was handsome and she wanted to have dinner. She left her number, too. So, I’m going to text her and go.”

Paul took the bait and texted me. We set up a date, and I, still pretending to be someone else, agreed to meet him at a local restaurant.

A table at a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

I was already seated, suddenly nervous. We had been at this for so long; what if everything blew up in my face?

What if I was living in a romantic comedy and Paul actually couldn’t stand me?

Almost ready to leave, Paul walked into the restaurant.

A man in a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

“Hey, you’re here! You look familiar,” he said. “But I suppose I have seen you around the building.”

He spoke quickly, as though he was just as nervous.

“I’m sure that’s exactly it,” I said, smiling.

A smiling man | Source: Pexels

“Your voice reminds me of my neighbor, Selene. I’m sure you’ve seen us pranking each other recently,” he chuckled, his eyes glazing over as if lost in a memory.

“What’s that been like?” I asked.

A smiling woman at a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

“Well, Daphne,” he said, as I had introduced myself over text, “it’s been hilarious. It’s been the best few months of my life.”

“It sounds like she’s grown on you,” I said, smiling.

“She’s feisty, all right,” he said, ordering himself a whiskey.

A man holding a glass of whiskey | Source: Pexels

The rest of the evening went by smoothly, but the more Paul spoke, the more I found myself genuinely enjoying his company. He was charming, funny, and surprisingly sweet.

By the time our meals arrived, I couldn’t keep the truth from him any longer.

Plates of food at a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

“Paul,” I said, picking up my cocktail, “there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What’s that?” he asked, looking me in the eye.

“I haven’t been very honest about this date,” I said slowly. “I’m Selene.”

A cocktail on a table | Source: Pexels

Paul’s jaw dropped.

“Wait, really?” he asked. “Why did you want to meet like this?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “Call it insecurity? Daphne is my best friend; I asked her to write the note, and I used her name. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have deceived you.”

A shocked man | Source: Pexels

“No, no,” he said, a large smile forming on his face. “I’ve never had this much fun with anyone. I’m glad we got to meet. Finally.”

The rest of the evening went much smoother, knowing that we had something in common. It was something to bond over. And more than that, there was chemistry between us. It wasn’t just me.

“I’m glad we did this,” Paul said as we went our separate ways in the parking lot. “It needed to happen.”