Caitlin often found herself informally supervising her neighbor Stacy’s young son, Nate, providing him some stability while his mom sought time for herself. However, when Nate decorated the hallway walls with doodles during Caitlin’s absence, she was unjustly slapped with a $500 fine. Determined to set things right, Caitlin devised a plan for retribution.
Stacy had become accustomed to letting her young son, Nate, roam the hallway as a play area.
“It’s safe, Caitlin,” she’d assure me. “Plus, it’s their version of outdoor play.”
She would then retreat behind her door, leaving Nate to his devices, often while she entertained guests.
“I just need some downtime,” she confessed to me once in the laundry room. “I’m a grown woman with needs, you know. Being a single mom, you must get it.”
I understood her need for personal space, but I could never imagine letting my own son, Jackson, wander the hallways alone. Despite our general familiarity with the neighbors, the corridors didn’t feel completely secure.
Jackson, slightly older than Nate, seemed concerned about the younger boy, who often loitered alone, clutching his tattered teddy bear.
“Mom,” Jackson would say during his playtime, “maybe we should invite him over.”
Grateful for my son’s compassion, I agreed. It was better to keep both children within sight, ensuring their safety.
Thus, we began having Nate over for snacks, toys, and movies—a simple arrangement that brought him noticeable joy.
“He mentioned he likes playing with others,” Jackson noted one day. “I don’t think his mom spends much time with him.”
And interestingly, Stacy hardly acknowledged this setup. Once she realized Nate was safe with us, she seemed to extend her leisure time even more.
Eventually, it became routine for Nate to knock on our door whenever his mother let him out.
“Hello,” he’d say, teddy in hand. “I’m here to play.”
However, one day, we were away at my parents’ house for my mom’s birthday.
“I hope Nate will be okay,” Jackson expressed concern as we drove.
“Oh, honey,” I responded. “His mom is there. She’s responsible for his safety too.”
Upon our return, we were greeted by hallway walls covered in childish drawings—a colorful chaos of stick figures and squiggles.
“Nate must have had fun,” I remarked, searching for my keys.
“Isn’t he going to be in trouble?” Jackson asked, eyeing the artwork
Millionaire Pretends to Be Poor Meeting the Parents of His Son’s Fiancee — Story of the Day
A girl’s parents don’t want her to marry a young man they think is poor, so his millionaire father pretends to be broke and teaches them a lesson.
When Sam Sutton invented a highly sought-after engine sealant, his wealth grew quickly, but his happiness was cut short when his wife Rain fell ill and passed away. Raising his son Will alone, Sam showered him with everything money could buy. However, Will soon realized that people were drawn to him only for his father’s money.
Determined to find genuine friends, Will devised a plan to appear poor while at Yale. It worked, and he met Eddy, a girl who loved him for who he was. When Will proposed, Eddy’s wealthy parents were horrified by his apparent poverty and treated him and Sam poorly.
At Christmas, Sam played along, dressing in shabby clothes and taking the bus to visit Eddy’s family. After they flaunted their wealth by gifting Will a Porsche, Sam handed Eddy the deed to a brownstone in Tribeca. Shocked, her parents realized Sam was actually a millionaire.
In the end, they accepted Will and treated Sam with newfound respect. Will and Eddy married, and Sam stayed close to his family.
The story teaches that money can’t buy love or health, and judging people by appearances can lead to embarrassment.
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