A Tight Position To Be In
He sat quietly beside his four daughters as they watched TV, wondering why life was as cruel as it was. His wife left two nights prior, and if he didn’t have work and their remaining kids to look after, he’d have followed her.
His phone beeped with a text, pulling him from his thoughts. He slowly reached for the phone, not knowing how much his life was about to change.
A Happy Life
Adam Woodsworth had been a happy man for most of his married life. When he met Lucy in college, he knew he’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
For Adam, Lucy embodied everything he wanted in a life partner. She didn’t only share his likes and beliefs but radiated love that he’d never encountered before. So when the text pinged into his phone, he knew replying to it might end his marriage.
A Perfect Family
Adam and Lucy’s married life was nothing if not perfect. The universe blessed them with stable jobs, a beautiful expansive home, and five beautiful kids.
Among their kids, the first two were teenage girls, and the remaining three were little triplets consisting of a boy and two girls. As far as everything was concerned, the Woodsworths were a happy family. But then disaster struck.
The Call That Started It All
Adam was at work when he got a call from Lucy. The school had sent Robby, their son, home after he complained of a nagging fever and pain in his ear.
What was supposed to be a simple issue derailed Adam and Lucy’s life. It hurled them into three years of medical procedures for little Robby, who’d only been seven then. But what was wrong with him?
Not An Ear Infection
When Lucy called Adam with news about Robby, she’d already taken him to the emergency room. Although the doctors couldn’t ascertain what was wrong with the seven-year-old, they alluded to the problem being more significant than an ear infection.
The hospital admitted Robby that same day. Although he’d be released on occasion to see his family and friends, he’d never really know another place as much as he did the hospital.
The Doctor’s Diagnosis
A week after Robby was admitted to the hospital, his doctor presented Adam and Lucy with the boy’s diagnosis. “Leukemia,” the doctor said, and a sharp pain shot through Adam’s heart.
He stood at Robby’s door as the doctor continued talking, his sight hazy with dammed tears. Lucy was by Robby’s side, tuckered out from running the day’s errands and spending the evening with Robby. Adam knew their lives would be nothing but.
A Change Of Pace
Robby’s diagnosis brought a lot of change to the Woodsworth family. For starters, they designated a massive percentage of their income to Robby’s treatment. Adam and Lucy also took second jobs to sustain their family.
When the text beeped into Adam’s phone, he’d just received news from Lucy that the cash they had left wouldn’t be enough to cover Robby’s subsequent treatment. Adam had been deep in thought when his phone pinged.
Working As A Team
Adam had been on home duty for the past month while Lucy spent time with Robby. This arrangement allowed the couple to work, take care of their daughters, and ensure that one of them was by Robby’s side.
The text found Adam wishing he was next to his wife and son. If only he could take his daughters and go to them. Stressed and missing his wife and son, Adam heard his phone beep on the table.
The Text
Adam reached for his phone and clicked it open. He stared at it for a minute, wondering why an unknown number had texted him.
Adam opened the text, thinking maybe it was one of Robby’s doctors or Lucy contacting him through someone else’s phone. His head cocked back at what he found. The message wasn’t meant for him.
Further Inspection
The text was from a young woman that Adam had never met. She’d attached two photos to her message, images that piqued Adam’s interest.
In the photos, the lady was in an elegant navy blue gown. She’d taken one of the photos from the front and another from the back. Although Adam found everything that was happening as odd, he scrolled down to read the lady’s text.
He Reads The Message
The lady was asking for the recipient’s opinion on the gown. Adam stared at the picture for a while, realizing that the girl was probably searching for the perfect prom dress.
He set his phone aside to ponder the matter. The text wasn’t meant for him, and he had other things to worry about. Would he go out of his way to reply to something that had nothing to do with him?
Reinforcements
Adam called his daughters, explaining the situation before asking them what they thought about the dress. His eldest daughters deemed it one of the best gowns they’d ever seen.
The little ones graded it as pretty, a grade they rarely gave out as per Adam’s experience. With his answers in tow, Adam quickly drafted his response, not knowing his family lay in the balance.
His Response
Adam sent his answer, telling the lady that though she’d sent her text to the wrong number, he and his daughters thought the dress was perfect, and she should pick it.
He went to sleep that night, but when he woke up in the morning, his life was no longer his. Adam was trending on Facebook and Twitter, with his reply on full display. But that wasn’t the most unbelievable part.
The Power Of The Internet
Through the power of the internet, people worldwide dug through Adam’s social network profiles, learning about his family. They noted his wins and losses, praising him for taking the time to reply to the girl’s text.
People opened an account for donations meant for little Robby. They vowed to put a smile on the Woodsworth family as they had done the stranger who sent the text. But it didn’t stop there.
A Good Deed Deserves Another
The donations came in heaps, surpassing what the Woodsworth's needed for Robby. Looking to honor such an uplifting venture, Adam turned the donation account into a charity for kids who needed cancer treatment in his state.
The donations kept coming in. With Robby on his way to recovery, the cash helped hundreds of kids all over the state. To think it all started with a wholesome response to a random text.