An Unlikely Match
A grumpy old man and a playful little rat. It was an unlikely match from the very start, but one that would save both their lives.
He needed help but he couldn’t afford it. He had no friends or family close by to look after him. He lived alone, kept company only by his little rescue rat.
Vincent Hayes
Vincent Hayes lived alone in a two-bedroom bungalow on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. He lived in a nice neighborhood but he didn’t know his neighbors much.
Vincent liked to keep to himself. He was quiet and not much of a people person. He never was. Even when he was younger, he preferred the company of animals over people.
Life Of Solitude
Vincent had just turned 88 years old and lived a life of solitude. He had no friends and no family to call his own. He never married and never wanted kids.
He was still at peace with his decision to live a lonesome lifestyle but that didn’t mean he never felt lonely or that life didn't get hard.
Cat And Mouse
The first time he heard the little squeal, he shrugged it off and continued to watch TV. But when the noise persisted, Vincent slowly rose from his armchair and opened his door to see what all the fuss was about.
Just outside his door, he saw a cat play with a rat. The rat looked like it was on its last legs but when Vincent got closer to save it, the cat swooped up the rat and left. But not before it left something behind for Vincent.
Baby Rat
There, where the mouse was lying just seconds before, lay a tiny pink-skinned baby rat, shivering alone in the cold. Its eyes were still closed as it let out a high-pitched squeal for its mom.
Vincent looked at the vulnerable creature with pity. There was only one thing he could do; save it.
A Drastic Turn
Vincent was living on his retirement funds which were barely enough to get by after paying his rent. He fed the baby rat milk and crumbs and gave it all the attention and care it needed to grow.
As it got older, he taught it tricks and began to cherish its company. Soon, all his loneliness subsided but things were about to take a drastic turn…
Alone Again
Vincent was becoming ill. What started as a bad cough, turned into a fever, and before he knew it he was bedridden with a bad chest infection.
He didn’t have enough money to get medical help and spent his days in bed, unable to muster the energy or will to eat. But with no food, his little furry friend was becoming hungry. After 2 days, the little rat disappeared.
No Luck
Vincent tried calling him. He got up and walked around the house but there was no sign of him. The realization that he must have left pierced through Vincent’s lonely heart.
Now, feeling sick and alone, Vincent had no choice but to rest and hope he got better by himself. But things went from bad to worse.
Deteriorating
Days past and Vincent wasn’t improving. He needed to seek medical help but he couldn’t afford it. His situation was quickly becoming desperate.
But just before he began to lose all hope, he heard a familiar squeak echo through his bedroom. He looked down to see his rat reappear before him as if by magic. But he carried something shiny in his mouth.
Making Money
It was a dollar coin. Vincent’s jaw dropped as he dropped the coin and scattered away, only to return with more coins. In the space of a week, the rat had brought Vincent enough money to pay for a doctor and antibiotics.
Among the coins, he also brought 20, 50, and 100 dollar notes. How was this possible?
Getting Better
Vincent took the money his rat brought him to seek the medical attention he needed and then waited until he was better to understand where his little life-saving buddy got the money.
Even while Vincent recovered, the rat was still bringing coins and notes to him. Almost every day, he’d find something shiny on his bedroom floor. Was he stealing someone’s wallet? Did he understand that Vincent needed money?
Search For Answers
Vincent decided to follow his rat secretly one day as he made his daily excursions outside. He followed him out of the house, down the neighborhood until suddenly, he disappeared.
Vincent slowly walked up to the spot where he disappeared and realized there was a drain in the road. The drain connected to a long and complex road drainage system that connected to every street and road nearby.
Bingo!
There was no way Vincent could follow him now. Disappointed, he slowly bent down and peaked into the drain for a glimpse of him but instead, he saw a huge clue that solved the mystery of his money-stealing rat.
Down in the drain and nestled into the right, was a shiny pile of coins and a note or two.
Intelligence
Vincent’s rat seemed to have been collecting lost coins within the drainage system and bringing them back to him.
Rats have been known to collect shiny objects and leave gifts for their owners but were that really all it was or was Vincent’s rat behaving in a more intelligent manner, understanding his plight?
Grateful Rat!
Although rats are very intelligent creatures, it’s highly unlikely that he really understood that Vincent had money troubles. However, a rat would be able to be taught how to trade an object for food.
Perhaps he knew that money meant food? Most likely, however, he probably just loved to collect shiny things while expressing his gratitude to Vincent for saving his life too!