The arrival of a single mother and her two children next door marked a startling new chapter in the life of Colin, a cranky widower whose life had descended into a lonely hole. She tried to demonstrate to him that even in the face of severe loss, life could go on.
An old man named Colin had lost his loving wife, and since then, his world has been clouded by grief. He had lost all joy in life because she had been everything to him. The vibrant love and laughter that had once filled his home had given way to a numbing silence that dominated his days. He turned inward, avoiding people and everything that reminded him of his former existence.
One day, while Colin was sitting at the window, as he usually did, a moving truck pulled up to the house next door, breaking his moment of calm observation. Peering through the glass, he witnessed a pregnant lady emerge with her two small children playing around her. Colin felt his heart sink; the disturbance of youthful excitement was the last thing he wanted. The commotion and intensity were too much for him to handle; they were like an attack on his already thin calm.
Grunting, Colin determined to take quick action and lay down the law. He tiptoed to the front door, steeling himself to face the jolly mayhem that had invaded his haven.
With a grimace on his face, he observed the new neighbors as he opened the door. Amidst the chaos of movement, he yelled, “Ma’am!” in an attempt to get the woman’s attention.
The woman turned, a soft smile spreading across her face. “Oh! You are our neighbor, then! Good to meet you! With a warmth that felt foreign to Colin, Samantha said, “My name is Samantha, and these are my sons, Toby and Carl.”
Colin scowled even more and told her up front, “Ma’am, if your children bother me, I’ll call the police!”
Samantha kept her cool even though her smile wavered a little. “My kids are really calm and well-behaved! She reassured him, “They won’t bother you,” as Colin turned and slammed the door behind him to withdraw back into the chilly emptiness of his house.
Colin was surprised later that night by a knock at his door. When he opened it, Samantha was standing there with a pie. She smiled and said, “I brought you a pie because I thought since we’re now neighbors, it would be nice to get to know each other better.”
Colin gave her a long, hard look while the quiet lingered before he slammed the door in her face. Samantha knocked again, unfazed.
“Leave! I’m not in need of your pies. Colin’s loud voice was muted by the door’s barrier.
Then he heard muffled weeping. Colin glanced through the peephole out of curiosity and saw Samantha sobbing on his doorstep.
He sighed with resignation and opened the door. How come you’re crying on my footsteps? “Don’t you have your own house?” he said in a harsh voice.
Samantha continued to cry as she looked up. “Yes,” she muttered.
“Go cry there after that. Allow your spouse to console you,” Colin shot back angrily.
Samantha answered more forcefully through tears, “I don’t have a husband anymore. After he was killed in an automobile accident, everything has gone wrong. I’m unable to handle it. The kids are always screaming for their dad, the house we moved into is practically falling apart, and I will soon give birth. Her voice broke with passion, “My husband bought this house; we were supposed to live here together.”
With the weight of her words bearing down on him, Colin remained silent. “I thought I would have nice neighbors, but it appears I was mistaken,” Samantha remarked as she got up and cautiously made her way back to her home, discarding the pie.
Colin felt a strange sensation pull at his heart as he watched her go. He carried the pie inside after picking it up. The scent took him back to happier days spent with his wife baking. Warmth briefly crept through the fissures in his toughened skin, but it was soon eclipsed by the customary icy loneliness.
Feeling guilty about his harshness, Colin went to Samantha’s house the following morning to offer his assistance. As he mended her fence and took care of other household repairs, he found her shocked but appreciative. She said, “Good morning,” to him. “What are you doing?”
“Mending your fence. What more assistance do you need? Colin answered, startling even himself with his actions.
Surprised by his abrupt change of heart, Samantha made a list of a few more things to do. Colin got to work repairing a leaking faucet, oiling creaky doors, and rebuilding damaged floors. Unexpected labor filled his day, yet while he toiled, something inside of him started to change.
After finishing, he cleaned his hands and turned to face Samantha, who gave him a heartfelt thank you. She uttered, “I’m not even sure how to thank you.”
Colin answered, “You don’t need to,” with a gentleness in his voice that had not been heard in a while. He told her that he saw that there was no cot.
Samantha sighed, sorrow in her eyes. Yes, it has been difficult to handle anything since my husband’s passing. I hadn’t given purchasing a crib any thought.
Colin could relate to her grief and could feel sympathy for her situation. “I understand. My wife passed away six months ago. I wake up every day wishing I had joined her when I woke up. With real agony in his voice, he admitted, “I can’t wait to be with her again.”
Samantha’s expression became more sympathetic. “Please, don’t talk like that,” she pleaded.
“Martha was the one who brought me joy,” Colin murmured. “The reason I get out of bed each morning. Everything lost its hue when she died.
“I comprehend,” Samantha softly answered. But for the sake of the kids, I have to persevere.
Colin acknowledged with a nod that it required strength to continue. I’m grateful, Colin. Really?,” Samantha said, her smile turning melancholy.
It was a rare moment for Colin to grin back, so he did, and headed back home with a lighter heart than he had in months.
A few days later, Toby and Carl answered his door, carrying a stray cat. “Hi Mr. Colin,” Toby murmured. “This cat was found, and she’s depressed and extremely hungry.”
Carl said, “Mom will have a baby soon, so we can’t keep her.”
With hope, Toby said, “We want you to take her and look after her.”
Colin noticed the sincerity in their features and at first hesitated. “Okay, let me have her,” he eventually said, making sure the boys would come every day.
I’m grateful, Mr. Colin. The kids cheered, their happiness obvious. Their embrace surprised Colin and warmed him more than he thought it would.
Colin glanced at the cat, who was purring in his arms, as the boys took off. His lips pursed in a smirk, he mumbled, “And what am I supposed to do with you now?”
Samantha came by afterwards to express her regret for the imposition. As she stood awkwardly at his door, she murmured, “I hope the cat wasn’t too much trouble.”
It’s alright. What is required of you? Sensing there was more, Colin enquired.
“I need someone to watch the kids for a few hours while I go to the doctor. Could you assist me in that way? With hesitation, Samantha enquired.
Colin nodded after pausing. “All right, let them come over.”
When the kids got there, the normally quiet house was suddenly alive with commotion and laughter. Colin ended up teaching them chess and, after a moment of hesitation, letting them experiment with the piano, a treasured artifact of his late wife’s love of music.
Upon her return, Samantha discovered that the kids were occupied in quiet and that Colin had a newfound tenderness in his eyes. With a tone full of relief, she said, “Thank you for watching them.”
Colin nodded, intuitively feeling that the home was less empty. “It’s okay,” he answered, his heart feeling at ease once again.
Weeks passed, and Colin and Samantha’s bond became stronger. They spoke, ate, and fixed things together. Colin, who had withdrawn from society, was now comforted by the family who lived next door. Old memories started to permeate his home, which had been a tomb of his former life.
Colin thought about how his life had taken an unexpected turn one evening as he sat and watched the sunset. Although he will always feel his wife’s absence, Samantha and her kids offered him a fresh type of happiness he hadn’t expected.
Then he saw that life does truly move on—rather than being a betrayal of what was lost, but rather a celebration of it. And as the sky darkened, Colin was filled with a deep sense of appreciation for the family next door, who had shown him that the heart could find way for fresh beginnings even in the face of loss.