A single mother of four young children decided to buy a used car to get to work. The car’s old owner asked her to open the trunk when she got home. What she finds in the trunk would be life-changing.
Jennifer was a single mother of four young kids after her husband Adam left when he found out she was pregnant with their fourth child. “Another child to feed? No way! I’ve had enough!” he said one day, leaving their trailer and filing for divorce.
Jennifer was devastated. She and Adam did not plan the pregnancy, but she thought she would have his support through such a challenging time, especially since they were already facing financial difficulties at the time.
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After their separation, Adam stopped giving her money for their children. He claimed he had no job and that no one would take him in because he did not graduate college.
Shortly after giving birth, Jennifer had no choice but to look for a job, as she was running short on cash for food, diapers, and milk. Jennifer would walk through strips of restaurants and shops, only to be rejected by owners because she had four small children.
“It’s difficult to hire mothers with young children because something always comes up. It’s either your child is sick, or you have no one to leave them with, so you have to miss work. I’m sorry, it’s too much for us to handle,” one employer outright told her.
As no one in their neighborhood would take her in for a job, Jennifer started searching in a nearby city. With the bit of money she had left, she took a cab ride and asked her neighbors to look after her children for the afternoon.
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When she got there, she saw an opening for a housekeeping job at a local hotel. She walked in, applied, and was hired immediately. “We badly need staff around here, especially with the summer season. We will be fully booked in a couple of weeks,” the HR manager told her.
Desperate for a job, Jennifer accepted it even if it meant traveling to a different city every day. She thanked the HR manager and made her way back home, where she told her kids she had finally landed a job.
After spending almost $30 on cab fare, Jennifer realized she couldn’t afford to commute to work every day. It would be better for her to take her own car, but she had no money for one. She realized her best hope was to purchase a second-hand car.
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She found one but she wondered whether the owner would agree to sell it for a lower price. “By any chance, would you be able to give me this car for $5000? You see, I’m a single mom of four, and it’s been difficult for me to earn money. I was hoping to get a car to take a job in a nearby city,” she admitted.
When the owner found out that she was raising four young children on her own, he agreed to sell the car for $5000. “If you can buy the car by tomorrow, I can give this to you for $5000,” he told her.
Jennifer couldn’t be more grateful to the owner for agreeing to sell at a lower price. She took her chances and applied for a loan at the bank so she could get the car the following day. Unfortunately, because of her bad credit, the loan was rejected immediately.
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As she was running out of options, Jennifer thought deeply about what to do next. She could not move to a new city because her eldest child, Ethan, had just started school near the trailer park they lived in.
Rent in the nearby city was also a lot more expensive, and she wouldn’t be able to take the trailer with her. She really needed a car to take her to and from work and fetch her children from school and the daycare.
Then she remembered the family heirloom her late mother had left her – a gold chain necklace that had been in her family for generations. She teared up at the thought of having to sell it so she could buy a car, but she desperately needed it to provide for her children in the long run.
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Jennifer took the gold chain necklace from her trinket box and walked toward a nearby pawnshop. “I’m sorry, mom. I really need to do this right now,” she said aloud.
When she got to the pawnshop, the necklace was valued at $5500. Jennifer was delighted. The amount was enough to buy the car and she would have some left for their daily needs.
The following day, she went back to the used car dealership and handed the owner an envelope filled with $5000. “Thank you for agreeing to sell this to me, sir. You have no idea how much this will help my children and I,” she said and handed the man the envelope.
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The owner, who introduced himself as Jeff, smiled. “Congratulations on your car. This is an excellent purchase,” he told her.
While Jennifer signed the paperwork for the purchase, Jeff discreetly placed something in the trunk of the car, and ss Jennifer prepared to drive home, he called out after her.
“By the way, check the car’s trunk when you get home. I left something for your children inside,” he said, waving at Jennifer before she drove away.
Since buying the car, Jennifer became busy commuting to work and taking her children to school and daycare that she completely forgot about checking the trunk, until she found a note in the car’s glove compartment.
“I hope you and your children liked the gift I left inside the trunk. May it be of great help to you.” Surprised, she decided to open the trunk to search for the gift.
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At first, Jennifer was confused when she saw nothing but a white envelope on one side of the trunk. Then she realized it was the same white envelope she used to put her payment for the car. She opened it and saw her $5000 untouched.
Jennifer couldn’t help but cry at that moment, surprised at the man’s kind gesture. She drove straight to the used car dealership after work, where she thanked Jeff for his generosity.
“The world throws challenges at you, and it’s up to you to either rise from these challenges or succumb to them. I am proud of you for staying strong for your children, and I thought you could use the money more than I. Just don’t forget to pay it forward,” Jeff told her.
What can we learn from this story?
- Compassion goes a long way. Jeff owned a used car dealership that earned a lot of money, while Jennifer was a struggling single mom to four young children. After Jeff found out about this, he decided to pay it forward and help Jennifer in a way he knew he could.
- If there’s a will, there’s a way. Jennifer was determined to work hard so she could support her children. She did everything she could to make this happen, even after countless rejections and roadblocks along the way.
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