One day the son decided to kick his elderly mother out of his own home, forcing her to live in a nursing home. A cab driver came to pick her up, and the interaction with him changed her son’s life forever.
Jack was tired of caring for his mother, Annabelle, as she grew older and required more attention. He was about to propose to his girlfriend, he did not want to take on the extra responsibility of caring for his mother, and he also wanted the house to belong to him alone.
One day his mother accidentally dropped a cup of hot tea on the floor. Jack was furious and used it as an excuse to finally do what he had always wanted to do: kick her out of the house.
“I can’t stand you anymore, Mom! I’ve got enough to do!” – he shouted.
Annabel’s heart clenched. She didn’t want to be a burden on her son. She quickly apologized, hoping Jack would feel better. “I’m sorry, son. The cup slipped out of my hands. I’ll clean it up, don’t worry,” she told him.
Jack, however, could not settle down. He insisted that his mother needed help and that she would be better off in a nursing home.
“Is that what you want, son?” – Annabelle asked. Although she was sad, she wished she could make his life easier. If it meant they wouldn’t live together anymore, she would accept it.
He shouted “YES!” before leaving the room.
Annabelle cried, resigned to her fate. She was afraid to live with strangers and afraid she would never see her son again.
The next day, Jack informs her of her new home by handing her a flyer. “This is where you’re going to live,” he tells her nonchalantly. “I have to work, so I can’t take you there. I called a cab to take you there,” he says.
Annabelle sighed and nodded. “It’s all right, son. Will you come to me? Please tell me you’ll come often,” she pleaded.
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll do my best to visit you. I have so much to do these days, but I suppose I could make time for it,” he replied.
“Are you going to take me to a nursing home?”, Annabelle asked her son.
Jack shook his head. “I have a lot of work to do here at home. I called you a cab,” he replied.
Annabelle sighed. She dragged her small suitcase to the front door while Jack worked on something in the living room. Jack enlisted the help of Tom, a cab driver whose information he had found on the Internet. He asks Tom to pick up his mother, which Tom gladly does.
When Tom arrives at the address, he notices that the house looks old and eerily quiet. He goes to the front door and knocks. “Hello, this is Tom. I’ve been hired to take you to the nursing home,” he says.
After a few seconds, Tom heard the faint voice of an older woman coming from inside. “Just a minute, please,” she said, before opening the door.
“Jack, I’m leaving. Goodbye, son. I love you,” she said with tears in her eyes. Hearing this, Jack walked to the door and waved goodbye.
Annabelle opened the door; she was dressed in an old shabby coat and hat, dragging a small suitcase behind her. “Good morning, dear,” she greeted Tom.
“Good morning, madam, let me take this from you,” said Tom, taking the suitcase. He held out his hand to Annabel to escort her to the cab.
“Thank you. You are so kind and gracious,” Annabel told him. Tom smiled and shook his head.
“That’s all right. I try to treat my elderly passengers the way I wish my mother had been treated,” he replied.
Annabel’s heart melted when she heard this, and she remembered her son, who wanted nothing to do with her. “That’s very sweet,” she said to Tom. “Your mother is lucky to have you. You’re a good man.”
Jack watched as the young driver helped his mother get into the car. He partly felt guilty for kicking his mother out, but selfish desires took over the guilt.
The driver closed the car door and Jack took one last look at his mother through the car window before they drove off.
Annabel handed Tom a flyer from the nursing home. He immediately recognised the address, saying that his late mother had lived here.
“This place brings back bad memories,” he admitted. “My only regret in life is that I sent my mother to a nursing home,” Tom added. “I can’t forgive myself for leaving her there.”
Annabel could not say the same about her son, for she was sure Jack was glad to be rid of her. She sighed as they drove down the road.
“Tom, darling,” Annabel said suddenly. “Would you mind driving through the centre of town?”
Tom was puzzled, as it would make the journey much longer. “We might get stuck in traffic if we go downtown,” he said.
Annabelle shrugged her shoulders. “I’m in no hurry to go to a nursing home. My son kicked me out of the house and I’m about to be sent to a place full of strangers for the rest of my life. This may be my last breath of freedom,” she admitted sadly.
Tom noticed that Annabel had tears in her eyes, and he immediately felt sorry for her. He agreed to take her to town, where she showed him all the places that had once been important to her.
Annabelle showed him the building where she worked as a secretary, the first house she lived in with her husband, the church where she was married and many other things important to her. “See that warehouse down the next street? That was the ballroom. I used to go dancing there when I was a teenager,” she laughs.
After an hour on the road, the old lady sighs. “I think it’s over. I’m very tired. We should go,” she said to Tom. He sensed Annabel’s sadness and wished he could do something about it.
When they arrived at the nursing home, they were met by two nurses. They looked concerned for her and surprised that she had arrived hours later than expected.
Tom took Annabel’s suitcase and handed it to the nurse. Meanwhile another nurse helped her get into her wheelchair.
“Thank you, Tom. It’s been a lovely day – one of the best in a long time,” she smiled sadly. “Tell me, how much do I owe you?”
Tom shook his head and spread his hands. “You don’t owe me anything, ma’am. Don’t worry about it. I had a good time,” he replied.
Embarrassed, Annabel insists that she pay him, after all, she has taken up so much of his time.
“Don’t worry, madam. The other passengers will be after you. Please take care,” he said, hugging her.
Annabelle hugged him tightly and didn’t let go for several seconds. “Thank you, darling,” she said, her voice trailing off. “Thank you for giving me these last moments of joy.”
At that moment she let go of his arms and she was slowly wheeled into the nursing home. Tom watched her go in, and as soon as he heard the door close he thought it was the sound of another person’s life ending.
***
“It is not good when children leave their parents to die in nursing homes. I have learnt this from my own experience and regret it every day,” he says.
That night, as Tom lay in bed, he could not sleep. He wanted to correct the mistake he had made.
The next day he went back to the nursing home and asked to call Annabel. He informed her that he wanted to take over her guardianship and invited her to live with him in his home.
Annabel gratefully agrees, and Tom takes care of her as he would take care of his own mother. Eventually Annabel and Tom became a family, and they enjoyed every moment together.
When Annabel falls ill, she decides to call her lawyer to change her will. She puts all her assets, including the old house, in Tom’s name instead of Jack’s.
Discouraged by this decision, Jack blames himself, realising what a mistake he has made. By neglecting his own mother, he has lost the house he selfishly wanted for himself and all other chances of inheriting from her.
