Old Man Comes to Store with Grocery List for Wife, Cashier Later Learns He Doesn’t Have a Wife at All — Story of the Day

Roger smiled. “She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I miss her every day. But you’re right, Emma. Maybe it’s time to snap out of my fantasy world and face the reality that she isn’t coming back.”

“She will always be with you, Roger. She might not be with you physically, but she will always be in your heart,” Emma assured him.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Roger nodded. “Thank you for making me realize that, Emma. Thank you, too, for checking up on me. I’ve been feeling ill for days now, and if you hadn’t come in to check on me, I don’t know how much longer I would have lived,” he admitted.

Emma promised Roger that she would always come by to help him. She found out that Roger would cook himself simple meals every day, but he could never get himself to make the chicken pot pie that his wife Lara used to make.

Knowing this, Emma made sure to cook him a variety of healthy meals every week, which he could reheat whenever he pleased. He started to become a lot healthier because of this, and he rarely got sick ever since Emma promised to take care of him.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Emma looked forward to spending time with Roger, seeing him as a father figure in her life. They became close friends, and Roger appreciated how Emma looked after him.

“You are the daughter I never had, Emma. Thank you for taking care of me,” Roger told Emma one day while they were eating dinner.

“Thank you for being my second dad, Roger. I enjoy spending time with you,” she replied.

What can we learn from this story?

• When you’re in the position to help someone, do it. You never know whose life you can save. Emma was not obligated to check on Roger, but she still did. She decided to visit him one day after work after he didn’t show up like he usually did, and it ended up saving his life.
• Everybody copes with loss differently. Roger struggled to accept that his wife was no longer alive. He coped by buying ingredients for the chicken pot pie she used to make him, conditioning himself to believe that she would one day come back. While other people might find this weird, Emma respected Roger’s coping mechanism and helped him through his grieving process by being there for him and taking care of him.

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If you liked this story, you might like this one about an old man who was banned from his granddaughter’s wedding after his kids found out he worked as a janitor.