Don’t worry. We just have to wait a while, and I’ll get all of her money,” Elizabeth overheard her son, Tony, mumble on the phone. She froze in the hallway, heartbroken.
After selling her house against her will to finance his business, Tony had moved her into his home and didn’t allow her to bring most of her belongings. Elizabeth realized he only cared about her savings and felt she needed to leave immediately.
She grabbed her bag and walked back to her house in South Carolina, only to find it had been demolished. Her entire life was gone, leaving her with nowhere to go. Desperate, she sat on a park bench and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, twin sisters Helga and Helena, raised in poverty, searched the park for cans to return for cash. When they spotted Elizabeth sleeping on a bench, they worried for her safety in the impending cold.
“She can’t stay here. It’ll freeze tonight,” Helga whispered. They decided to wake her, and after confirming she was okay, they helped her walk back to their shack.
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Once there, they covered her with a blanket and let her sleep. The next morning, Elizabeth awoke confused but grateful. “Thank you so much,” she said, sipping coffee the girls had offered her. Touched by their kindness, she felt an overwhelming urge to help them in return.
Realizing her son hadn’t even tried to contact her after she disappeared, Elizabeth decided she was done with him for good.
“I have to go do something right now, but I will return to repay your kindness,” she told Helga and Helena, who insisted they didn’t expect anything in return.
Elizabeth rented a two-bedroom apartment and furnished it, then invited the twins to move in with her. They hesitated at first but eventually accepted, and living together felt more natural than any of them had imagined.
When Tony eventually called, Elizabeth ignored his calls, sending him a message that she would not return home and he should forget about her money. She then changed her will, leaving her savings to Helga and Helena.
Over the years, Elizabeth thrived with the twins. They completed their GEDs, attended community college, and found decent jobs. Though they moved out after a few years, they frequently returned, cherishing Elizabeth as the grandmother they had never known.