It had been six months since I had lost my father, and while life went on, the sadness remained.
I found peace in visiting his tomb once a week and sharing with him things I could no longer say.
I stood by his grave with a bunch of white lilies, his favorite.
“Goodbye, Dad,” I muttered, wiping away a tear.
As I turned to go, I observed a thin figure standing a few rows away next to a recently dug grave. An elderly blind woman wearing a plain black outfit grasped a white cane.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” I said softly, approaching her. “Do you need help?”
She turned her head toward me, her lips curving into a slight smile. “Oh, thank you, dear. I’d appreciate it if you could walk me home. My sons were supposed to pick me up, but I think they’ve forgotten.”
“Of course,” I said. “I’d be happy to help.”
She introduced herself as Kira. Her husband, Samuel, had pa:ss:ed away just days before.
“They didn’t even wait with me at the cemetery,” she continued bitterly. “My sons, Ethan and Mark. They said they’d come back in half an hour, but I waited two hours. Samuel always said they’d be the death of me, but I didn’t want to believe him.”
We arrived at her modest home, a charming brick house encircled by a rose garden. “Would you like to come inside for tea?” she inquired.
The inside was warm and pleasant, with faded photos on the walls. One drew my attention: a younger Kira and a man I guessed was Samuel, their hands intertwined, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower.
“Samuel installed cameras all over the house,” Kira explained as she poured tea. “He did not trust the boys.
I had no idea how much that small act of kindness would change my life.
The next morning, I was startled awake by a banging on my door. My heart raced as I stumbled out of bed, still half sleepy.
I opened the door to discover two men looking at me, flanked by a police officer. One of the men, maybe 35, broad-shouldered and enraged, pointed at me. “That’s her! She was in our mother’s house yesterday!”
“I walked her home from the ce:m:etery yesterday.”
The younger of the two males, approximately 25, took a stride toward me, his face flushed with rage. “And then what? You decided to rob her blind?”
“Mom told us you were in her house. She said you stayed for tea. Who else would’ve taken the money and jewelry?”
“This has to be a mistake. I didn’t take anything!”
How had things gone so wrong?
Kira was already at the station, seated in a corner with her cane resting on her knee. Her face lit up when she spotted me.
“Thank goodness,” she said, reaching out for my hand. “I told them you didn’t do it.” “And because they’re greedy.”
“Samuel installed cameras in the house, remember? Officer, I told you to check the recordings.”
Ethan’s face became pallid. “Mom, you don’t have to do this.”
“Oh, I think I do,” Kira shot back. “I’m tired of covering for you boys.”
One hour later, the corps returned carrying a laptop. “See?” I said, relief washing over me. “I didn’t take anything!”
Moments after my leaving, Ethan and Mark arrived in the picture, digging through drawers and cabinets. They emptied jewelry cases and took cash from an envelope stashed in a cookie jar.
Ethan stammered, “We… we were looking for paperwork!”
The brothers were arrested on the scene and charged with larceny and making a fake report.
I was free to leave, but the encounter had left a bitter taste in my mouth. As I accompanied Kira home that evening, she opened up more about her family.
“Samuel adored them when they were younger,” she said. “But as they grew older, they changed. They became greedy, always asking for money, never giving back.”
In the weeks that followed the horrific incident, I found myself pulled to Kira’s house more frequently than I anticipated. Our original bond, formed in the most unlikely of circumstances, strengthened with each visit.
“Maybe Samuel sent you to me.” Kira said.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For being my light in a dark moment.”
“Sometimes, strangers become family in ways you never expect.”
He is a legendary musician, and we have all sung his songs, but he is currently ill and in suffering.
The renowned Genesis lead singer and drummer Phil Collins has enjoyed enormous success in the music business over his illustrious career.
Joining Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney as the only performers with over 100 million records sold through both solo and collaborative projects, he is one of three. Collins was exposed to music at a young age. He was born on January 30, 1951, in London, England, to parents who were artists.
The move that would define his sound came when he was five years old and received a homemade drum kit from his uncle. It included tambourines, triangles, cymbals, and miniature drums.
Key bands like The Shadows led the way as the English beat genre started to take shape. In addition to leading this movement, Collins would frequently perform at get-togethers thrown by his parents’ sailing club.
Collins was first exposed to rock and roll at the age of fourteen, when The Beatles motivated him to buy a record player and Please Please Me. He would put his drums in front of a mirror and turn up the record player’s volume so he wouldn’t have to look at what he was doing.
To learn how to read drum music, which was necessary if one wished to work in an orchestra pit or dance band, he decided to take drum lessons from a teacher. But Collins soon discovered that reading sheet music was not nearly as good as playing spontaneously.
In the 1970s, Collin’s life took an unexpected turn after he came upon an advertisement for Genesis’ drummer. Collins got in touch with them, and they were happy to have him on board, which launched his incredible musical career.
Many of the songs from The Beatles’ five albums went on to become timeless classics that we still love to this day. Due to a dearth of worthy contenders, Collins assumed the role of lead vocalist for the band quite quickly.
He took a while to get used to being a drummer as well as a voice, but he persisted and became one of the greatest musicians of our time.
As a solo artist and a member of the legendary band Genesis, Collins enjoyed enormous success in the music industry. Hits like “I Don’t Care Anymore,” “In The Air Tonight,” and “You Can’t Hurry Love” propelled him to the top of the music business.
After 25 years with Genesis, Collins made the decision to change directions in his career, concentrating on jazz ventures, movie soundtracks, and his solo endeavors. He said he hoped his old comrades would have a successful career, but when 2017 came around, he decided to go back on the road with them for their Last Domino tour.
Sadly, the pandemic forced a postponement of this tour, and shortly before it started, Phil spoke with BBC Breakfast, raising some concerns regarding his health. With Phil on vocals and Nicholas Collins on drums, the band plans to play live again despite this setback.
Nic is a fantastic drummer, but according to Tony Banks, he could add even more intensity to the already strong early Phil Collins tunes.
Speaking on his retirement from drumming, Phil remarked, “I’d like to, but I can scarcely grip a stick with this hand.” Despite the challenges that come with being physically limited, Phil has not allowed them to deter him from pursuing his love of music.
The storyteller, a man our age, spoke with a palpable sense of loss as he outlined his physical struggles. He bemoaned not being able to travel with his kid and hear about his travels.
He wasn’t sure if he wanted to carry on traveling because of his health. His remarks gave off a dejected vibe, as though he had accepted that he could no longer engage in some activities and that they were off-limits to him.
He felt pressured and faced with a difficult decision: stick on his current course or stop his travels. It dawned on him that either way, a physical constraint or a deliberate choice would force him to give up something he valued. He was troubled by this and felt as though he might miss out on a lot of opportunities in life as a result of this sudden change in his circumstances.
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