After years of resentment and hardship, Mike discovers that the Bible his late grandmother left him holds a shocking secret.
What starts as a reminder of their last fight soon becomes a lifeline.
Mike slumped behind the grocery store counter, his uniform wrinkled and his face weary.
The hum of scanners and chatter surrounded him, but his mind was miles away.
He absentmindedly bagged a customer’s groceries and forced a smile as they handed him a crumpled twenty.
“Thank you. Have a good day,” he said hoarsely, though his days rarely felt good anymore.
As the next customer stepped forward, Mike’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He already knew what it was.
A notification about another medical bill.
He’d seen one earlier that morning while pouring himself instant coffee, a reminder that his mother’s hospital visits were burying them under debt.
Mike worked six days a week, sometimes pulling double shifts, but the money barely kept them afloat.
His mother, Kaila, was getting worse, and her treatments, though necessary, felt like an anchor pulling them down.
By the end of his shift, Mike was exhausted, his feet aching as he stepped into the cold night air.
He trudged to the small, dimly lit apartment he shared with his mother.
The moment he walked in, he noticed her sitting on the couch, her frame small and fragile under a blanket.
“Hey, Mom,” Mike said softly as he set his bag on the table.
Kaila smiled faintly. “How was work, sweetheart?”
“It was fine.”
“Don’t work so hard, Mike. I hate that you’re carrying this all alone.”
Mike swallowed hard.
He couldn’t let her see the weight crushing him.
“It’s nothing, Mom,” he smiled. “I’ve got it under control.”
She nodded, though they both knew it wasn’t true.
Mike retreated to his room, where unopened envelopes were piled on his desk. Those were bills he was afraid to open.
He stood near the window, thinking about his life.
How was it this expensive just to stay alive?
He thought.
Even with insurance, the bills piled up faster than he could scrape money together.
He thought about the little savings he had left, which were barely enough to cover next month’s rent, let alone hospital visits.
That’s when his gaze drifted to a dusty box in the corner of the room. Inside, a Bible sat untouched for years.
“You had to be so petty, didn’t you, Grandma?” Mike muttered, shaking his head.
His grandmother, Grace, had been the matriarch of their family. Stubborn, devout, and unwavering in her faith.
She used to beg Mike to join her at church every Sunday when he was a teenager, but he never listened.
The memory of their last fight played in his mind, as clear as if it had happened yesterday.
It was six years ago.
Mike had just turned 18, and his focus was set on a fun weekend with his friends. He had no intention of spending another Sunday morning in the church.
“Michael,” Grace said sternly, standing in the doorway of his room. She was holding her oversized purse, Bible tucked under her arm, dressed in her Sunday best.
“It’s time for church.”
Mike didn’t even look up from his phone. “I’m not going, Grandma. I already made plans.”
“Plans?” Grace’s voice rose.
“What plans could be more important than spending time with the Lord?”
“I’m 18 now,” Mike said. “I can make my own decisions. I’m not spending another Sunday stuck in church listening to sermons.”
“That’s nonsense.
Get up, put on a clean shirt, and come with me,” Grace demanded, stepping into the room as if she would drag him out herself.
“No! I’m not going!” Mike snapped. “Why can’t you just let me live my life?
I’m tired of you acting like I’m the worst person in the world just because I don’t want to sit in church all day.”
“I’m trying to save your soul, Michael. One day you’ll thank me for this.”
“Yeah, well, I’m good,” Mike muttered. “I don’t need saving.
Just leave me alone!”
“Is that so?” Grace said quietly. “Fine. If this is how you feel, I won’t visit anymore.
I won’t speak to you again, Michael.”
Mike froze for a second, surprised. But in his teenage arrogance, he shrugged it off. “Great.
Then we both get what we want.”
She left without another word, slamming the door behind her.
Two months later, Grace passed away from natural causes.
The day of her funeral was cold, gray, and heavy. It was exactly like how Mike felt inside.
He stood near the back of the church, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as mourners filled the pews.
He watched the crowd shuffle in. Everyone was there including the neighbors, old friends, and members of the church she loved so much.
Mike felt out of place, like a stranger crashing a private gathering.
He barely looked at the casket as he passed by.
“She loved you, you know,” an older woman said softly as she placed a hand on his arm.
Mike turned his face to her.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
He didn’t know what else to say.
During the service, the priest talked about Grace’s dedication to the church, her strong faith, and her unwavering love for her family, even when it was tough.
Mike shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he realized what the universe was trying to tell him.
She loved you even when it was tough.
When the casket was lowered into the ground, Mike felt a knot in his stomach. He hadn’t spoken to her in months before she died, and now he never could.
“I should’ve just gone to church,” he muttered to himself as the mourners began to disperse.
Kaila overheard and squeezed his arm gently. “She knew you loved her, Mike.
She knew.”
But as Mike stared at the patch of earth where his grandmother now lay, all he could think was how he hadn’t been there when it
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