It was a beautiful sunny morning, and Richard was busy mopping the bus station floors, as he’d done every day for the past ten years. He had his headphones on, humming softly to the music, when he heard a gentle voice behind him.
“Excuse me.”
Startled, Richard turned around and saw a woman standing there. She looked exhausted, her face pale and her eyes red and puffy from crying. In her arms, she held a baby, and beside her stood two small children clinging to her skirt.
“Can I help you?” Richard asked, taking off his headphones.
The woman hesitated, shifting nervously on her feet. “I…I need to get to New York. Could you help me buy a ticket?” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
Richard frowned. “You seem upset. Is something wrong?”
Her lower lip trembled as she explained. “I shouldn’t be telling a stranger this, but…I have to leave my husband. He’s a cruel man. I haven’t heard from him in days, but when I did… the things he said scared me. My sister lives in New York, and I need to get there. But I lost my wallet, and now…” Her voice trailed off as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Richard’s heart ached for her. He thought about his daughter, Amanda, and how he’d want someone to help her if she were ever in such a situation. Without hesitation, he walked over to the ticket counter and purchased a ticket with the last of his money.
When he handed it to the woman, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you,” she said, her voice shaking. “You have no idea what this means to me.”
Richard smiled softly. “Just take care of your kids.”
The woman hesitated again. “Could I have your address? Please? I want to repay you one day.”
Richard was caught off guard by the request but finally agreed, scribbling his address on a piece of paper. A few minutes later, he watched her and her children board the bus, disappearing down the road.
That evening, Richard returned home to his small house, where his ten-year-old daughter, Amanda, greeted him with a warm hug. Amanda was the light of his life. After his wife had left years ago, it had been just the two of them. Amanda had grown up fast, helping around the house and taking on responsibilities beyond her years. They often spent their evenings cooking together and sharing stories.
The next morning started like any other until Amanda burst into his room, shaking him awake.
“Dad, wake up! You have to see this!” she shouted, tugging at his arm.
“What is it?” Richard asked groggily.
“Just come on!” Amanda insisted, dragging him out of bed.
When Richard stepped outside, his jaw dropped. Sitting in their front yard were at least a dozen large boxes. Each one was sealed tightly, and on top of the stack was an envelope. He opened it and read the note inside:
“Dear Richard,
I’m the woman you helped yesterday. Thank you for your kindness. These boxes are my possessions, but I’ve decided to leave them with you. Sell them if you’d like; I hope they bring you some financial relief. Best wishes.”
Richard was stunned. He barely had time to process what was happening when he heard a loud crash. He turned to see Amanda standing over a broken vase, her face pale.
“I didn’t mean to drop it!” she said, looking panicked.
“It’s okay,” Richard said, kneeling to pick up the pieces. But as he cleaned, something shiny caught his eye. His breath hitched when he realized what it was: a diamond.
“Amanda, this is…real!” he whispered, holding it up to the light.
“We can’t keep it, Dad!” Amanda said firmly. She had found a return address on one of the boxes. “We need to send everything back.”
But Richard hesitated. “Do you know how much this could change our lives, Amanda? I could give you a better future, a good school, everything you deserve.”
Amanda shook her head. “It doesn’t belong to us, Dad. We have to do the right thing.”
Still, Richard couldn’t let go of the diamond. He took it to an antique shop to get it appraised.
“This is incredible,” the jeweler, Mr. Lambert, said after examining it. “This piece could fetch $100,000.”
Richard’s heart raced. “Would you buy it?”
Mr. Lambert nodded but offered only $10,000. “Without proper documentation, that’s the best I can do.”
Frustrated, Richard left with the diamond. He thought about selling it elsewhere but couldn’t shake Amanda’s words. When he returned home, he found the door ajar and a note on the counter:
“We have your daughter. If you want her back, bring the diamond to the address below. No police.”
Panic surged through Richard. He raced to the address, where a scar-faced man holding a gun greeted him.
“Where’s Amanda?” Richard demanded.
“Hand over the diamond,” the man snarled.
Richard did as he was told, but the man’s face twisted in rage. “This is fake! Where’s the real one?”
Confused, Richard realized the jeweler must have swapped it. The man gave him an ultimatum: $10,000 in two days, or Amanda would never return.
Desperate, Richard confronted Mr. Lambert, who admitted he and the kidnapper were working together. The diamond was stolen, and they had used Richard as a pawn.
Determined to save Amanda, Richard lured the kidnapper into a trap, leading him straight into the hands of the police. Amanda was rescued, shaken but unharmed.
“Dad, did you hurt anyone?” Amanda asked, her voice small.
“No, sweetheart,” Richard said, pulling her close. “I just did what I had to do to bring you home.”
In the end, both criminals were arrested, and Richard and Amanda returned to their modest life. They didn’t keep the diamond, but Richard knew he had something far more valuable: his daughter.
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