A woman who has been living in seclusion since the death of her son is perplexed when she receives a letter 13 years later from a boy who addresses her as “mom” and invites her to his prom.
When Patricia Walker lost her 3 year-old-son Bobby to a fatal illness, she never envisioned her life would deteriorate further. But, alas, it did, and it didn’t take long for it to happen.
Because only two years after Bobby’s death, Patricia lost her significant other, Edward. He couldn’t bear the pain of losing their only child, and while he’d helped Patricia get through her grief after Bobby’s death, he was crumpled from the inside and ended up taking his life.
Poor Patricia, both childless and a widow now, didn’t have much hope left in her life. She’d turned into a robot, working nonstop day and night, waiting for God to call her home and reunite her with her son and husband.
But fate had other plans for her, and one day, her life changed forever….
It was 8:00 in the morning when Patricia heard her doorbell ring. She was a teacher at Sunrise Valley School in San Francisco, CA, and it was around the time she used to leave for school.
When the doorbell rang that day, Patricia had hoped that it wasn’t one of her nosy neighbors bothering her early in the morning. She needed to be at school by 8:30 a.m., and she didn’t want to waste any time with them. If it was a neighbor, she had already decided to avoid them, claiming that she was late for work.
So before heading to the door, she quickly organized her bag and grabbed her overcoat and car keys. However, when she answered the door, she didn’t see anyone at her doorstep.
“Did I just imagine the ring? Maybe it was a neighborhood kid,” she pondered, looking around to see if anyone was nearby. But there wasn’t a single soul in sight.
Convinced that the ring was a prank or just her suspicion, she turned around to lock the front door and leave, but then she felt something under her feet and noticed an envelope on her doormat.
“A letter?” Patricia wondered as she took it in her hands. She was an orphan with no living relatives. Who would write a letter to her? Was this a prank?
“From: Randy Wilson, PO Box 367, Atlanta, GA 30218-9997,” the sender’s address on top read. “To: Patricia Walker, 1234 E MAIN ST STE B6, San Francisco, CA 94104-1297. “
“A letter from Atlanta?!” She opened it and started reading, but by the time she was done, tears were streaming down her cheeks.
“Dear Mom,
I hope everything is going well for you. Hasn’t it been a long time since we last met? I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you these past few years, mom. 13 years is a long time, and I am looking forward to seeing you again soon.
I know you’re probably wondering why you’re getting this letter after such a long time, but I’ll tell you why when we meet. Please promise me that you will not decline my request.
We have a prom night this Saturday, mom, and I’d like to ask you to be my date. I know you’re blushing right now, haha. But make a promise to me that you’ll be there. I’ll be looking forward to meeting you there. The invitation is enclosed in the letter’s envelope. See you soon, mom! Love you!
Your loving son,
Randy Wilson.”
Patricia’s hands were shaking, and tears were streaming down her face as she finished reading the letter. At first, she thought it must have been a terrible prank, but after looking over the invitation in the letter’s envelope and checking it on Google, she discovered there was a prom night organized at Waterford High School in Atlanta to which the invitation was addressed.
Should I really go there? What if it turns out to be just a bogus letter and I don’t meet anyone? She wondered, but her heart suggested otherwise. She reread the sender’s name, and there was something….something….where had she seen this name before?
She resolved to find out as soon as possible, and on Saturday, she flew from San Francisco to Atlanta to meet the boy who had sent her the letter addressing her as his mother.
When she arrived at the school around 7:00 p.m., she spotted a young boy holding a placard that read, “Welcome, Patricia Walker.”
Patricia still couldn’t believe her eyes when she realized it was all legit. She was even more eager to learn who Randy Wilson was and why he contacted her. “Randy Wilson? Hi, I’m Patricia Walker!” she introduced herself as she approached him.
“Oh, Mrs. Wilson!” Randy’s face abruptly lit up. “I’m so glad you were able to make it tonight. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“I’m sorry, but have we met before?” Patricia hesitated. “How do you know me?”
Randy gave her a warm smile. “It all happened 13 years ago, Mrs. Wilson. Are you sure you don’t know me?” The boy asked before revealing the reason behind his invitation.
It turned out Randy’s mother Gracia died of cancer a few months after he entered eleventh grade. His aunt and uncle took him in after that, but they didn’t look after him properly, and the boy missed his mother constantly.
Randy recalled a story his mother had told him while sitting with her photograph one night. It had to do with a heart transplant he’d had as a child. The organ donation was only made possible because a generous mother offered to donate her late son’s organs to the hospital before his funeral. And that woman was none other than Patricia.
When Patricia learned the whole story, it hit her. When she had signed the forms agreeing to the organ donation, she had seen the name Randy in the hospital’s medical records.
“After my surgery, we moved from San Francisco to Atlanta because mom got a job here,” Randy explained. “Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with cancer three months ago. I felt very alone after she died, Mrs. Wilson. There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t missed her.
“If she were still alive today, I’d definitely invite her to my prom. So I dug through Mom’s closet for the medical documents to get your address and wrote you a letter, just like I would for my mother. Thank you for honoring that by coming here.”
Patricia couldn’t utter a word in return. Her eyes had welled up, she was constantly dabbing a hanky to keep her tears in check, her heart was pounding, and all she could think of was Bobby, her son, who was still alive in the form of Randy.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, Randy,” she finally said after a brief pause, her voice trembling. “But will you give me the opportunity to be your mother? My son Bobby is still alive within you. I’m a helpless mother pleading with you to please allow me to reunite with my son.”
At that point, Randy took a step forward and hugged the sobbing Patricia. “That’s the least I can do for you, Mrs. Wilson. You saved my life when I was in the ICU, battling between life and death. Mom never forgot how you were an angel in our lives. And honestly, I do feel you are like a second mother to me. So I would love to have a mother like you. “
With that, Patricia’s life got a ray of hope, and she decided to file for Randy’s guardianship. Of course, it wasn’t easy, considering it took a lot of paperwork, rounds in family court, and convincing the authorities that she could care for Randy on her own. But thankfully, things were finalized within three months, and Randy moved in with her.
It’s been 12 years since that fateful day. Randy is now 28 years old and works as a scientist in a San Francisco research lab. He had majored in science at university and has even received a national award for his scientific achievements.
Two years after joining the lab, he met another scientist named Laura, and the two got hitched soon after dating. They now have twin daughters, Patricia and Gracia, who are named after the two incredible women who raised Randy to be the man he is today — his biological mother and his adoptive mother.
What can we learn from this story?
God always gives something back when he takes something away. Patricia lost both her husband and her son but gained Randy as a son later on in life.
Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Patricia never imagined she’d be able to enjoy motherhood again, but thanks to Randy, who tracked her down and sent her a letter, a hopeless woman got a reason to live happily again.
