Everette’s son, Lucien, abandoned him during his most vulnerable time. Years later, he was shocked to discover his child among the homeless he was trying to help; then, he heard what Lucien had experienced.
“Lucien, please, we have to work together to make things better. If you get a part-time job and I work double shifts, we can save our house,” Everette told her son one night.
Unfortunately, life had not been kind or easy for the single father. The last few years had been harder than ever, and he was about to lose the house he had worked so hard to build. However, his son, Lucien, was 18 and could start helping out instead of staying home and playing video games after school.
“The house is not my problem, Dad,” Lucien retorted, continuing to play on his console.
“Where exactly will you live if we lose this house?” Everette asked, placing her hands on his waist.
The police wouldn’t do anything.
Lucien rolled his eyes. “You’re the father here. You have to find a solution. I’m still in high school. It’s not my responsibility!”
“Kid, I started working at 15 and I’ve provided you with everything for the last 18 years of your life, including that stupid video game that’s numbing your brain. Now it’s time to be an adult and work for what you’ve got! Do you want food? Do you want a roof over your head? You have to work!” Everette shouted after losing her temper.
He didn’t want his child to work as hard as he had since he was little. But the economy was tough now. It seemed like a single income could barely feed a person these days, and Lucien needed to start learning the value of hard work.
However, the 18-year-old also lost his cool. He threw his Playstation controller on the floor, grabbed his schoolbag and stormed out of his room. “Fine! I’m leaving!”
“You can’t leave!” Everette shouted, regretting her harsh attitude
“You said I was an adult now. Well, I can come and go as I please!” he yelled from the front door.
“Lucien, please. I need your help. I just needed you to help me get a part-time job so we don’t lose this house. After a few years of paying it off, it will be yours, and you will never have to worry about paying rent or anything. That’s all I want for you, my boy. I’m just struggling right now,” the father continued in a soft voice. His anger completely dissipated as he watched his son threaten to leave. “Please.”
Lucien pursed his lips, and there seemed to be an inner struggle in his eyes. But he lifted his chin and walked out, closing the door as he went. Everette closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. He would try to make things clearer to his son when he returned.
However, Lucien was gone for several days, and at one point, Everette returned from her double shift to find most of the teenager’s belongings missing, including his video console and clothes.
“Is he really gone?” the man wondered after seeing the emptiness in his son’s room. “No note or anything?”
Everette tried to contact some of her son’s friends, but no one would tell her anything about the kid. The police did nothing because Lucien was already 18. However, the father later found out that his son had apparently dropped out of school, and the principal was unable to stop him because Lucien no longer needed parental permission for anything.
Everette cried profusely that night, thinking of all the things he could have done differently for his son. He worried about the child he had tried so hard to raise. As a child, Lucien had been adventurous and curious about life, but his teenage years were difficult. His friends were not the best influences, and Everette had to work even longer hours as the economy deteriorated.
He hoped Lucien would recover, but he didn’t.
Everette felt like she had failed at everything.
After Lucien’s mother disappeared, he thought he could do things on his own. Maybe that was his first mistake. Maybe he should have married a charming woman who could have been a mother figure to his son. But he had also been very busy.
There was no point in thinking about such things, though, because the damage was done. Her son had dropped out of high school, and Everette had no idea where he was. Besides, Everette would probably lose her home without her child’s help.
He was behind on his mortgage payments because many things had taken precedence, like food, car repairs, and new shoes for Lucien for soccer practice. The father had tried to sell some of their things. Most of their stuff was second-hand and worthless now. So he begged his son to help him, but the boy was gone and Everette’s world fell apart even more.
The only good thing about tough times is that they teach you a lot about yourself. I never thought I had resilience until I lost my house. Everette thought back to that moment several years ago when the bank foreclosed on his house and he was left with the clothes on his back and his car dented.
He had too much to handle at the time, but he had to bounce back somehow. He knew what hard work meant and that he could get back on track. But Everette was also depressed about his child’s final departure. Still, life had to go on.
Once his house was paid for, Everette decided to follow his childhood dream.
He spent a few nights in his car, at a friend’s house, and in shelters while he interviewed for better jobs, and finally, something clicked. A career in construction was a lot better than his hourly wage at a canning factory, so he jumped right in, learning as much as he could, volunteering to help everyone he worked for, and adding more and more hours to his schedule.
Everette saved up enough money to rent an apartment and started saving. Unfortunately, the bank sold his old house when prices went through the roof in his old neighborhood, but he found a new, smaller house. His credit was terrible, but he managed to get a mortgage again and pay it off within a few years.
He lost hope that Lucien would come back or communicate with him over time. None of his friends in town really knew where he had gone, but Everette hoped that her son had at least graduated from high school and started working for his future. He hoped that Lucien would not end up in a worse situation or fall for the easy money.
Once her house was paid for, Everette decided to fulfill her childhood dream and opened a small movie theater in their small town.
Most people had to drive a half-hour into town to see a movie, and he wanted to give people something. It wasn’t a big entertainment venue. There were never going to be big movie premieres there, but people loved it.
There were all the typical concession stands and a bit of technology, but with a vintage touch that everyone in the neighborhood appreciated. So, for once, Everette’s life seemed to be going well. He could only hope his son was happy too.
However, Everette immediately understood that many people were not doing well. The economic crisis had hit many people; unlike him, many never recovered. Some people who had lost their homes were still living on the streets, and a bitter winter was coming.
One night, he closed his movie theater for the night and saw a man standing outside, rubbing his hand and trying to shake off the cold. “Sir, are you okay?” Everette asked, concerned.
“Actually, you’re the owner here, aren’t you? I was wondering if you had any coffee left from the day’s work?” he asked.
“I don’t sell coffee here, but can I get you a glass of hot water?” Everette offered, feeling useless and pathetic.
“That would be great too. Anything helps,” the man replied. “I’m Roger, by the way.”
“Everette,” he replied. “Follow me.”
They went inside and Everette got some hot water from the water fountain and gave it to Roger.
“Thanks, man. This cold is crazy, isn’t it?” Roger commented, finishing his drink and tightening his jacket.
“Hey, do you have a place to stay tonight?” Everette wondered before Roger could leave.
“Well… no. I’ve been on the streets for a while,” Roger said reluctantly.
Everette thought for a second. “Well, you know it’s not the warmest place in the world, but it’s better than over there. Do you want to stay here?”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Everette said, looking around. “You can also get food from the stand, but just write down what you ate for inventory purposes.”
“Thank you,” Roger said, out of breath.
Everette walked away, not knowing what he would find the next day. But Roger slept on one of the comfortable couches in the waiting room and ate only a chocolate bar. They talked for a while and Roger helped him open the shop.
“Do you need help here?” Roger asked.
“Actually, yes. Do you want to work here? I can offer you a storage room in the back because I can’t pay that much since it’s still a new business,” Everette replied, feeling bad.
“This is better than anything I’ve been offered in years,” Roger said, and he got to work immediately. Roger has proven to be a fantastic addition to his team and a hard worker.
That winter, Everette let other homeless people into his store. The city heard about his kind gesture and people offered to help him with blankets, food and more. All Everette asked was that the place be kept spotless for the public. But it was wonderful to help people who had been through what he had at one time. He never imagined that his kind gesture would bring Lucien back.
“Okay, Roger. I’m going out. Is everyone inside yet?” Everette asked as she put on her jacket.
“Yeah, and there’s a new person. I hate that so many young people don’t have a future these days,” Roger replied as he continued to sweep.
Everette agreed, but at least they were helping a little. However, he walked past the crowd and saw a man sitting on the ground with his arms wrapped around himself. He was wearing a bright red winter jacket that Everette had never seen before. He must be the new guy, and he was clearly cold.
“My life changed after that…”
“Hey, man. Do you need anything?” Everette asked, just like he had done a while ago with Roger, but this time… everything changed. Because the man looking at him was… Lucien.
“Dad?” he said softly, and tears gathered in his eyes.
“Son! Son! Oh, my God!” Everette repeated, almost singing as he knelt down and took his son into his arms. “How? Why? What’s happening?”
Lucien didn’t answer. He cried into his father’s shoulder, his body sobbing from time to time. A few minutes later, Roger approached them, not knowing the whole situation. But he helped Lucien get up and walk towards Everette’s car.
The owner quietly told Roger that the new boy was his son, and then he took Lucien home. Lucien took a long bath and his father made him some hot soup and sandwiches, which he quickly devoured. The old man almost died thinking that his son might not have eaten for a long time, slept on a bed, or taken a shower.
But he avoided talking about serious things and encouraged him to relax that night. He wanted to be patient – as he should have been years ago. Maybe his son wouldn’t have run away if he hadn’t pushed him to work like that.
The next day, Lucien finally opened up, beginning with these words: “I’m so sorry, Dad. I didn’t realize how good I was with you.”
He then explained how he had been couch-hopping for a few days until one of his buddies – from a dangerous group – offered him a job and a room in a nearby town. That’s when he dropped out of school and left for good.
“My life turned upside down after that, and I wanted to come back so many times, but I couldn’t. I mean… I didn’t know if you were in a worse situation,” Lucien muttered, his frustration showing.
“I…I just wish I wasn’t so stupid.”
The boyfriend eventually kicked him out after stealing the few dollars Lucien had managed to save, and he had been on the streets ever since. He returned to their town that year, hoping to pluck up the courage to find his father. But he stumbled upon the movie theater that welcomed the homeless, and he decided to start staying there during that harsh winter.
“I had no idea it was yours. How did you get it? I thought… I thought you’d be worse than me,” Lucien said, his head hanging.
“Well, it’s a long story,” Everette began and told her son everything. Lucien cried again, and so did his father.
Afterward, the young man promised to work hard, and he kept his word, landing a job at the same construction company and moonlighting at his father’s movie theater. He had learned his lesson, even if it had taken years.