Losing her husband and only child at the same time was a big blow for Nancy. They had been the perfect family before the cold hands of death took them away from her. Every night, Nancy had nightmares of that fateful day when her husband, Kevin, 34, and their daughter, Bethenny, 4, died.
It began like just another day. Kevin wanted to go and watch the local soccer team’s football game at the township stadium, and Bethenny, who had developed a soft spot for the sport, wanted to tag along.
Kevin and Nancy agreed that their daughter should go. Nancy would have gone with them but needed to finish a dress she was making for a customer.
“Bethenny, make sure you take care of dada,” Nancy said as she bade her daughter goodbye.
She kissed Kevin on the cheek and hugged him warmly before saying goodbye to him too. He started the car engine and wound down the passenger door glass so Bethenny could say her special goodbye to her mom.
“Bye, mom. Don’t miss me and dada much. We’ll be back soon. I love you,” said the sweet Bethenny and her dad drove off.
Many hours after the game ended, Nancy still had not heard a word from her husband and daughter. Later, she got a call from a hospital. Kevin and Bethenny had been involved in an accident and were in the intensive care unit.
With her heart racing, Nancy drove to the hospital in her sedan. When she got there, the doctor broke the sad news that her husband and daughter had died.
Nancy could not hold back the tears. She heard Kevin and Bethenny were hit by a speeding vehicle while driving to the stadium. The collision forced them into a fence that fell on their car, fatally wounding them.
The driver of the vehicle that collided with Kevin and Bethenny was arrested, but Nancy did not even want to see him. All she wanted was to have her husband and daughter back. However, that was not to be.
After Kevin and Bethenny’s funeral, Nancy visited their graves frequently to talk to them. She missed them so much and had nightmares of their accident every night.
She spoke to a therapist about her nightmares and was told she was still struggling with her grief and needed time to come out of it. “I wish it would all stop,” Nancy said. “I don’t know how long I can cope with this.”
Nancy’s nightmares continued, and she eventually found a way to live with them. Gradually, she began to pick up the pieces of her life.
One night, she was sleeping when she had another nightmare. This time, Bethenny and Kevin called out to her and asked her to come to the cemetery where they were buried.
Nancy jumped out of her bed and washed her face. It was 3 a.m. but she did not care about that. She drove to the cemetery and ran to her late husband and daughter’s graves.
“Dada and Bethenny. What is the matter? I can hear your cries and I have come,” Nancy said, panting. While at Kevin and Bethenny’s graves, she heard the sound of a child crying and followed the sound to know who or what it was.
Nancy was scared but walked in the direction the sound was coming from until she saw a young boy who looked like a 10-year-old.
She walked up to him and held his hand. Nancy dried the boy’s tears and asked him why he was sobbing and alone at the cemetery at that time. “I am crying because my mom is late and my stepfather kicked me out,” the boy said.
“My name is Oliver. My father died in military service. Also, my grandparents are dead,” he revealed while struggling to hold back the tears.
The boy revealed his stepfather had been mean to him since his mom died and eventually sent him away two nights before. “I had no place to go. So I came here to be with my mom since she was buried here,” Oliver said.
Oliver pleaded with Nancy not to tell the police about him. She hugged him and drove him to her house, where she cooked him a delicious meal. After eating, Oliver slept peacefully.
Nancy was thinking about Oliver when she dozed off too. When she woke up the following day, she saw that he had cleaned the house and was seated quietly in the living room.
She loved that about him and made breakfast for them to eat. However, she knew she could not keep him because of the circumstances surrounding how she discovered him.
Nancy called the police to report Oliver’s stepdad. She also contacted social services about the boy, and they came and took him away. When Oliver was leaving, he felt sad and looked longingly at Nancy.
After he left, she continued thinking about him. One day, she visited him at the foster care where he was taken to. Oliver was delighted when he saw Nancy.
“Look, my MOM is here!” he screamed.
When Nancy heard this, she cried. Then she understood she had to become Oliver’s foster mom and took the necessary steps to adopt him.
The adoption process went well, and Oliver became her son. They shared a close bond and always spent time together. Nancy loved Oliver so much and was always there for him. Through him, she found happiness again and never had nightmares.
One day, she visited Bethenny and Kevin’s graves.”Thank you, Dada and Bethenny for bringing Oliver to me. He is the best gift ever,” she admitted. Nancy never remarried but raised Oliver and remained in his life as his mother until she died.
What can we learn from this story?
Always help others. Nancy was within her rights to not help Oliver when she saw him at the cemetery but chose to do so anyway. By helping him, she became happy again and found a purpose to live.
Don’t be mean to children. Oliver’s stepfather chased him out of the house despite the poor child being unable to fend for himself. Parents and guardians must take care of their kids and ensure they are well taken care of.
