A wealthy man in a suit was approached by an elderly woman pleading for handouts, but he almost passed out when he noticed her earrings.
An old woman was standing at the sidewalk’s edge on a busy street, pleading:
Her voice faltered and her eyes were watering. “Son, please spare something for bread, I have nothing to feed my granddaughter…” she said.
A forty-five-year-old man passed by. He ignored her and was ready to continue walking while wearing a pricey suit, a confident gait, and a little cocky squint. But he stopped for whatever reason. Inadvertently, his eyes landed on the old woman’s emerald, antique earrings that were elegantly encased in gold in the shape of a maple leaf.
As though hit by lightning, he froze and stared at the earrings.
He said softly, “Ma’am, where did you get those earrings?”
The elderly woman gave him a dejected expression and answered:
I got them from a friend a long time ago. Just a good person.
However, the man was unable to look away from them. Their appearance was disturbingly familiar. His heart tightened. He remembered his lovely, expectant wife, whom he had lost during childbirth over five years prior.
At that point, the earrings that his wife had treasured greatly—a protection charm and a gift from his late mother—also vanished.
His chest started to swell with wrath and anxiety. He made the decision to go further and asked thoughtfully:
— Have you ever held a job at a medical facility? Perhaps as a helper or cleaner?
With a silent nod, the woman lowered her gaze.
Indeed. She muttered, “I had a period like that.”
The man said tensely, “Then tell me how you got those earrings.”
With a sigh, the woman clutched her hands and admitted:
– They belonged to a laboring woman in my care. When she died I… I took them. I was embarrassed, but I was afraid my granddaughter would go hungry since life was difficult.
The man gazed at her with a range of feelings, including grief at the loss, rage at betrayal, and an awareness of how life may push individuals to make last-ditch decisions.
Softly, he remarked, “Those earrings are her memory.” Return them. And perhaps we can work together to find a method to support your granddaughter.
The elderly woman took off the earrings and gave them to the man without saying anything.
