26/12/2024
I TOOK IN A YOUNG MAN FREEZING ON THE STREET ON CHRISTMAS EVE — LATER THAT NIGHT, I SCREAMED, "STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" AS HE CREPT TOWARD MY BED.
It was Christmas Eve, and snow fell heavily as I drove home from visiting my late husband's grave. Earlier, my son had called to say his family couldn't visit because my granddaughter was sick. I understood, but loneliness still crept in.
Then I saw him — a young man, barely in his twenties, huddled under a streetlamp, shivering in a thin jacket. I pulled over and called, "Are you alright?"
His blue eyes reminded me of my son's. "I have nowhere to go," he murmured. Without hesitation, I invited him home for the night — it was Christmas, after all.
At home, I gave him a blanket and my son's old clothes. He sat sipping hot cocoa, his cheeks flushed with gratitude. "You remind me of my son," I said softly. He smiled faintly. "Thank you. You didn't have to, but you did. I won't forget it."
I tried to ask why he was on the streets, but he avoided answering, his face clouded with something I couldn't place.
Later, just as I began to drift off, I heard the faint creak of the floorboards outside my door. My heart skipped a beat.
The young man was standing in the doorway, his face partially illuminated by the hallway light. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him take cautious steps toward my bed. Panic surged through me.
"STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I shouted, my voice shaking.⬇️
