Why did a father take in an abandoned elderly couple at a bus stop? What he does is moving. Marcus Thompson adjusted little Ethan in his arms while waiting for the bus that would take him back home. The three-month-old baby slept peacefully, unaware of the cold wind cutting through the deserted road on the outskirts of Richmond.
It was another difficult day in his new routine as a single father, trying to balance work at the accounting office with caring for his son. That’s when he heard the heart-wrenching sobs. He turned and saw an elderly couple embracing on the bus stop bench, crying as if the world had collapsed on them.
The woman, with greying hair and about sixty-five years old, had a face red from tears. The man beside her, slightly older, tried to comfort her but was visibly shaken too. Marcus hesitated for a moment. Since losing Emily during childbirth three months ago, he had avoided unnecessary contact with other people.
The pain was still very present, and caring for Ethan alone already demanded all his emotional energy. However, something about that scene touched him deeply.
«Excuse me, is everything okay?» he asked, approaching slowly.
The woman lifted her face and looked at him with tear-filled eyes. «Oh, my dear, sorry to bother you, it’s just—it’s just—»
She couldn’t finish the sentence, starting to cry again. The man cleared his throat and tried to speak more firmly, though his voice trembled.
«Our son brought us here, said he’d come back for us in an hour. That was six hours ago.»
Marcus felt his stomach tighten. He looked around at the empty road, with only a few cars passing occasionally. The bus stop was in a remote area between two towns, far from any stores or homes.
«Six hours? And have you tried calling him?» Marcus asked gently.
«Our phone doesn’t work anymore, dear, and we don’t have his number memorized,» the woman explained, composing herself a bit. «I’m Mrs. Dorothy, and this is my husband, Mr.—»
«Harold,» the man finished.
«Marcus,» he introduced himself. «And this is Ethan.»
Dorothy looked at the baby with tenderness even in her distress. «What a beautiful baby. Are you married, Marcus?»
The question hit Marcus hard. He swallowed before answering. «I’m a widower. I take care of him alone.»
«Oh, my God, what a difficult situation for such a young man!» Dorothy sighed. «And here we are, complaining.»
«No, please, don’t say that. You have every right to be worried,» Marcus said, looking at the sky that was beginning to darken. The last bus to the city had passed two hours ago. «Look, I can give you a ride. My car is right over there.»
Harold and Dorothy exchanged glances. «We don’t want to be a bother, son,» said Harold. «You already have your own worries.»
«It’s no bother at all. Where do you need to go?»
«Our son lives in the Acacia Gardens neighborhood in Fredericksburg,» Dorothy replied. «He moved us there today.»
Marcus knew the area. It was more than twenty-five miles away, and from what he knew, it was a neighborhood of simple but tidy houses. «That’s fine. I can take you there. Shall we?»
While walking to the car, Marcus noticed that the two elderly people were carrying only one small suitcase each and some old plastic bags. For a move, it seemed very little.
«Is this all the luggage you have?» he asked while securing Ethan in the car seat.
Dorothy lowered her head. «Brian said the new house already had everything, that we should only bring the basics.»
Something about that situation didn’t make sense to Marcus, but he chose not to press further. He put the suitcases in the trunk and set off toward Fredericksburg.
«Has it been long since you’ve seen Brian?» asked Marcus, trying to make conversation during the trip.
«About two months,» Harold replied, looking out the window. «He’s been very busy with his business.»
«What kind of work does he do?»
«He’s in sales, that kind of thing,» Dorothy answered vaguely. «We never really understood it well.»
Ethan started crying in the back seat, and Dorothy immediately offered to soothe him. «May I try rocking him?»
«Of course, Mrs. Dorothy.»
She picked up the baby with the care of someone experienced in child-rearing. Ethan stopped crying almost immediately, as if sensing the security of those practiced arms.
«You have such a wonderful way with babies,» commented Marcus, watching through the rearview mirror.
«I had four children. Brian is the youngest,» she said affectionately, gently rocking Ethan. «The other three live far away—one in New York, another in Pennsylvania, and the oldest in Los Angeles.»
«And they never considered living near any of the others?»
An awkward silence filled the car. Harold cleared his throat before answering. «Brian was the one who offered. He said he was doing well in life and wanted to give us comfort in our old age.»
Marcus sensed there was more to the story but respected the elderly couple’s silence. After twenty more minutes of travel, they arrived at the Acacia Gardens neighborhood.
«Do you know the exact address?» Marcus asked.
«Flower Street,» said Dorothy. «Number—oh, Harold, what was it again?»
«I forgot, Dorothy. Brian said it was easy to find, that it was the blue house on the street.»
Marcus drove around the entire neighborhood twice. There were three blue houses on Flower Street, but at none of them did anyone know Brian or expect a visit from an elderly couple.
«Are you sure it’s in this neighborhood?» asked Marcus, now worried.
«That’s what he said,» Dorothy began to get nervous again. «Acacia Gardens, Flower Street.»
Marcus stopped the car and thought for a moment. It was almost nine at night. Ethan was hungry and needed changing, and the two elderly people were visibly shaken.
«Look, how about you come to my house tonight? Tomorrow morning we’ll try to contact Brian and sort this out.»
«Oh, we can’t impose like that,» protested Harold.
«It’s no trouble. I live alone with Ethan, and honestly, you might even help me. I’m still learning to take care of him by myself.»
Dorothy looked at the baby in her arms, and then at her husband. It was clear they didn’t have many options. «If you’re sure it won’t be a problem?»
«I’m sure.»
Marcus’s house was in a middle-class neighborhood in Richmond, a simple three-bedroom home he had bought with Emily when they found out about the pregnancy. Upon entering, the elderly couple was impressed by the organization and cleanliness of the place.
«You take very good care of the house,» praised Dorothy.
«My mother-in-law helps me during the day. She comes in the morning and stays until I get back from work.»
Marcus prepared the guest room for the elderly couple and went to warm Ethan’s bottle. Meanwhile, Dorothy looked around the living room, noticing photos of Marcus with a beautiful, smiling woman.
«She was so young,» she commented softly.
«Twenty-six,» Marcus replied, trying to keep his voice steady. «Complications during childbirth.»
«I’m sorry, son. Thank you.»
After Ethan fell asleep and the elderly couple settled in their room, Marcus was alone in the living room, thinking about the situation. Something was very strange about their son’s story. What kind of person leaves their elderly parents waiting on a deserted road for six hours?
The next morning, Marcus woke to the sound of pots in the kitchen. He went down with Ethan in his arms and found Dorothy preparing coffee.
«Good morning, my son. I hope you don’t mind. I couldn’t stay idle.»
«Not at all, Mrs. Dorothy.»
«It’s been a while since I’ve smelled homemade coffee in the morning.»
Harold came down shortly after, already dressed and groomed. «Good morning, Marcus. We slept like kings. Thank you so much for your hospitality. How are you feeling today?»
«Better,» replied Dorothy, pouring the coffee. «Harold had the idea for us to try to remember better the things Brian said yesterday.»
«And did you manage to remember anything else?»
«He said the house was near a little market,» said Harold, «and that there was an elementary school on the same street.»
«I’ll try to search on the computer later. Maybe we’ll find some clue,» Marcus offered.
During breakfast, Dorothy told more about their life. They had lived for thirty years in their own small house in downtown Richmond, which Harold had bought with his work as a carpenter. It was a simple house, but it was theirs.
«Why did you decide to move?» asked Marcus.
The two exchanged glances again, and Marcus realized there was more to this story.
«Brian said our house was too old, that it wasn’t safe for us to live in,» explained Dorothy, «and he needed money for an investment that was going to make us rich.»
An alarm went off in Marcus’s mind. «Did he ask to borrow money?»
«Not borrowed,» said Harold, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. «He bought our house.»
«Bought it?»
«For two hundred thousand dollars,» continued Harold. «He said it was a good price, and that with the investment, he would give us back three hundred thousand in six months.»
