When Rose saw snow starting to fall, she took a homeless girl, Sarah, home for the night. However, the older woman woke up to some noise and shouts. Then she saw the girl shaking and holding a frying pan in her hands. That’s when Rose knew she had to do more for Sarah.
“Come on, girl. It’s going to start snowing pretty heavy soon. Come with me,” Ms. Rose Walton insisted, pulling the homeless girl up from the floor outside the local bakery. “I can’t in good conscience leave a girl like you out stranded like this.”
“I’m not exactly a girl, ma’am. I’m 18 already,” the girl responded with a twisted grin but followed the old woman.
“Please, girl. You might be 18, but when you’re as old as I am, you see everyone under 20 as a little girl. Although, you definitely look way younger than 18. Now, let’s talk while we walk to my house. I’m Rose Walton. What’s your name?” the older woman asked sternly as she continued to trek with her cane.
“I’m Sarah, Ms. Walton, and you really don’t have to do this. I can go back to the shelter…” Sarah trailed off.
“What happened at the shelter?”
“Let’s just say that there are some bad people there, and those that run it are no better either,” she revealed to the older woman.
“See? That’s the thing. All our tax money is filling people’s pockets instead of changing lives. But you’re coming home with me tonight, and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow,” Ms. Walton comforted the young woman.
They finally reached her house, which sat in a suburban area of Jackson, Wyoming. Sarah looked at it in marvel, as it seemed out of a Christmas movie with tons of decorations and a homey feel.
“You’ll have to forgive me. I love Christmas, and I have collected tons of decorations in my long lifetime,” Ms. Walton said humorously as she opened her door and ushered Sarah inside.
“Oh, no, Ms. Walton. I love Christmas too. I just haven’t enjoyed it in a long time since my mother died,” Sarah replied. Rose looked at her tenderly and insisted on getting her a cup of hot chocolate as well as her recently-baked Christmas cookies.
Sarah sipped from the cup and ate her cookies with delight. They talked about her hard life too. The young woman’s mother died when she was 14, and she had to move in with her aunt, who was a terrible person.
“I tried to keep away from that house as much as possible. I’ve been out on the streets for over a year now and I don’t have any family left,” she explained, still enjoying the cookies.
Meanwhile, Rose told her about her life, which was vastly different. She had a wonderful family growing up, but she decided that marriage was not for her after several failed relationships. Instead, she spent her time building a career and volunteering at several charities.
“Now, I’m just trying to enjoy life since I can’t work anymore. Aging is a pain. I can’t even volunteer as I did before because I have this stupid cane. But I still feel like a 20-year-old. Isn’t that funny?” Rose laughed, and Sarah joined in.
They continued gabbing like old girlfriends until Rose brought out a comfy blanket when it was time for bed. Sarah would be sleeping on the couch that night because her spare room didn’t have any furniture.
“I’m sorry I don’t have a bed for you, but my spare bedroom has been my storage room for years. I recently sold a bunch of stuff, and I was planning on turning it into a craft room. Maybe it’ll be a guest bedroom now,” the older woman said as she arranged everything on the living room sofa. Sarah took over when she saw Rose struggling and thanked her for everything before saying goodnight.
Rose went to sleep with a smile on her face and the faint sounds of the TV while Sarah was watching. However, a loud bang woke her up a few hours later, and there was some sort of scuffle coming from the living room.
Oh, no! Did I make a mistake inviting Sarah to my house? Is she robbing me? Rose wondered to herself while getting up and putting on a robe over her pajamas.
Finally, she heard the front door close with a loud bang and was brave enough to venture into the living room. Once there, Rose spotted Sarah on the floor with her back resting on the front door. She was shaking and holding her cast iron skillet in one hand.
“Sarah! Oh my god! What happened?” Rose yelled, trying to rush to her with her cane.
“Ms. Walton! I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have come here!” Sarah cried, and sobs wracked her body.
“What? Calm down, girl. Tell me what happened,” the older woman urged, looking down at the girl because she couldn’t kneel.
“Some women tried to break into the house. I mean, they opened your front door like it was nothing. But I hit one of them with your pan. I hope that’s ok,” Sarah explained through her tears, lifting the cast iron skillet to get her point across.
“Well, it’s ok by me. But that pan is pretty heavy-duty. No wonder you scared them away,” Rose commented and laughed. One good thing about being old is that you didn’t get fazed by much. She could find humor in everything.
“It’s not funny, Ms. Walton. This was my fault. I think they followed me here and waited until we were both asleep to steal something from you. Those are only a few of the bad people in the shelter,” Sarah scolded, wiping her tears and standing up from the floor.
Rose held her arm and led her back to the couch. She comforted the young woman, assuring her that this was not her fault. “In fact, you protected me and my house from any harm. You’re my hero. Now, we should still call 911, and you can tell them everything you know,” Rose added once they sat down.
The officers showed up a few minutes later, and Sarah explained everything that happened, describing the women who tried to get in.
The following day, Rose told her that she could stay in her house permanently to reward her bravery. But it was a ploy because she actually enjoyed Sarah’s company. She also found the young woman a decent entry-level job and helped her enroll in community college classes later.
Sarah lived with her after graduation and became like the granddaughter Ms. Walton never had.
What can we learn from this story?
One kind gesture can change someone’s life. Rose saved Sarah from being on the streets and helped her.
A stranger can easily become your family in the blink of an eye. Rose and Sarah became family quicker than they expected after a kind gesture and a robbery scare.
