Sandra and Peter were a devoted couple of over 40 years. When Peter died, Sandra remembered what her husband said about his cellar, but she never had the key and didn’t know where to find it.
Sandra and Peter met and married while they were both 22 years old. They had three children who were all grown and out of the country. Peter had been recently diagnosed with a terminal illness and moved into a nursing facility. Sandra visited Peter every other day, and they constantly played games together.
One morning, Sandra visited Peter, but the mood in the nursing facility seemed different. The nursing staff wouldn’t look her in the eye. She was becoming worried until she saw Jeniffer, Peter’s nurse. “Hi Sandra, come with me to the dining room,” she said. Sandra immediately became suspicious but remained calm.
Jeniffer helped Sandra to her seat and softly explained that Peter’s health had taken a terrible turn over the previous 48 hours. “He won’t be with us very long, and it’s time to say your goodbyes,” Jeniffer added. Sandra tearfully walked to her husband and said her final goodbyes.
“Peter spoke so highly of you; he trusted you the most in this facility,” Sandra said. “Is there anything of his I need to get other than his clothes?” she asked.
Jeniffer gave Sandra phone numbers to Peter’s lawyer. “He was here yesterday; please call him, and he will explain everything you need to do from this point forward,” she said.
Sandra called Peter’s lawyer, who traveled to her house to explain her husband’s will. When the lawyer arrived, he said that Peter had left all his wealth in his cellar. Sandra smiled. “He always told me his cellar is his best safe,” she said. “So, do you know where the key is?”
“Unfortunately, Peter only had one copy, and he kept it to himself. Did you get the key from the nursing home when they gave you Peter’s possessions?” the lawyer asked.
“No, Jeniffer didn’t give me a key,” Sandra said.
“I advise you to go back to the nursing home tomorrow when you’re rested and ask them to search his rooms again,” he said as he left.
As Sandra was preparing for bed, she heard a strange noise in her backyard. When she rushed to see what was happening, she saw a silhouette running away from the house and jumping over the fence. Scared, she ran to get her phone but stopped when she saw that the cellar door was open.
She walked towards it and saw gold bars, jewelry, and a small wad of cash. She immediately got into her car and drove to the nursing home.
“Where is Jeniffer? I want to see her now!” Sandra shouted at the receptionist. As the staff calmed her down, they explained that Jeniffer had gone home for the day.
Sandra refused to leave and waited at the facility’s recreational room all night. As soon as Jeniffer arrived at work, Sandra began questioning her about Peter’s key. “How dare you lie to me? You knew about the cellar key, so you came to my house to steal from me?” Sandra shouted.
“Ma’am, I need to explain. Please calm down,” Jeniffer asked.
Sandra refused to listen. She threatened to call the police and Peter’s lawyer immediately. But before she could, a few other colleagues came to help Jeniffer calm Sandra down.
“Fine, I’m giving you all two minutes to explain yourself before I have this colleague of yours arrested for stealing from an old woman,” Sandra demanded.
“When we could see that Peter was nearing the end, all of us in the nursing home started gathering money. We gathered $15,000 dollars over a few months and told Peter our plans,” Jeniffer said.
“Continue explaining yourself, young lady,” Sandra said.
“When I told Peter what we as the staff planned, he advised me to keep this a secret from you because of how proud you are. He knew you wouldn’t accept the money, so he asked me to keep the key and place the money in the cellar after he died. I was supposed to call you today and give you the key like nothing happened, but clearly, I failed,” Jeniffer said.
“Your husband loved you, ma’am, and he thought of you till the very end,” one nurse said.
“He trusted Jeniffer because he knew that she would follow his wishes and place the money in the cellar for you,” another one explained.
“I’m sorry I caused so much distress for you, I tried to remain quiet, but I’m so bad at running,” Jeniffer joked.
When Sandra started laughing, Jeniffer realized that Sandra had forgiven her and was relieved. “I’m never doing that for any of our favorite patients,” Jeniffer added.
Sandra was grateful to hear the explanation. She hugged all the nurses who contributed their money. “I’m sorry for all the threats I made. I’ve been feeling so lonely and afraid since Peter got sick,” she explained.
Jeniffer welcomed Sandra to visit the nursing home as often she wanted. “I would love to spend some time with you, and you can eat all the pudding you want when you’re here,” Jeniffer said.
“Did Peter tell you how much I love pudding?” Sandra asked.
The nurses at Peter’s nursing home collected money before his death to give to his wife. | Source: Shutterstock
“Of course, he would always ask me to keep an extra portion for you on the days you came to visit,” Jeniffer said. “I have to go now; I’ll see you soon.”
Sandra kept her promise and visited Jeniffer three times a week. They played games together and spoke about their lives. Sandra learned that Jeniffer was an orphan who spent her teenage years in foster care. “I managed to study after receiving a scholarship; it saved my life,” Jeniffer said.
Sandra decided to give some of her money to Jeniffer. “I hope this will make your life a little easier, especially after you were so great with Peter,” she said.
Jeniffer was so grateful for her generosity that she spent time with Sandra many years after Peter died. They formed a close bond and remained loyal to one another.
What can we learn from this story?
Loyal partners are loyal to the end. Peter remained trustworthy to Sandra even after he died. He knew she wouldn’t take the money, so he asked the nurses to sneak it into his cellar.
Kindness can lead to our lives changing forever. Jeniffer’s compassion towards Peter and Sandra led her to have a much easier life after Sandra shared some of her inheritance with her.
Please share this story with your friends; it might inspire people to share their own stories or help someone else.
