Adam and Peter, two young boys, would see an old man sitting on a chair by the beach every day.
The man seemed to never spoke to anyone – at least that’s what their mom Alice told them. “Boys, don’t bother him. He’s been sitting there every day for as long as I can remember,” she would say.
But both Adam and Peter were curious to learn more about the old man.
One day, while playing catch with their frisbee, the boys threw it right at the old man’s feet, trying to approach him.
The old man took the frisbee in his hands and said, “You are very good at throwing,” pointing at Adam, “and you are the greatest catcher,” he turned to Peter, “so I know you threw it right here on purpose.”
The boys were surprised. They had no idea the old man was observing them too. What’s most, he spoke to them, and they were told he never spoke to anyone.
After chatting about the beach and the weather, the boys couldn’t help but ask what they were curious about, why he stood there every single day.
“You see, boys,” the old man started his story, “my brother and I were in the war together, and when I returned to the States, I lost contact with him. But we made a promise to meet each other again here one day.”
“But how do you know his coming?” Adam asked. “That’s the thing. I don’t,” the old man said and explained that he had lived in another country for many years, but for the last ten, he returned to his hometown and the beach where his brother was supposed to meet him one day. All he had from his brother was his army dog’s tag.
“So you’ve been here each day for ten years?” the boys asked, confused.
“Yes, I have,” the old man, who introduced himself as Walter said. “And you know why?” he asked the boys, “because brotherly love is the greatest strength in the world.”
In the days to come, the boys and Walter became sort of friends.
They would bring drinks and sandwiches and he would wait for them with his stories about his brother, the war, his job, and his life.
One day, Adam and Peter decided to share Walter’s story on the social media, hoping someone who knew his brother would see it. They even posted photos of Walter and his brother from the time they were kids. Walter gave them when they visited him in his home, which happened to be just a few houses down from theirs.
It was their surprise for the old man, and they couldn’t wait to tell him about that after the trip they took with their mom.
When Peter and Adam returned home after two weeks of visiting their grandma, they went straight to the beach. But Walter was nowhere to be seen.
Peter, frowning, looked out toward the waves. “This doesn’t make sense. Something must have happened to him. We need to go to his house,” he said.
The boys and their mom went straight to Walter’s home. When they knocked on the door, he greeted them with a huge smile on his face. Behind him stood a man who resembled the old man.
“Boys, this is my brother. He found me thanks to whatever you posted on your computer,” he said laughingly.
Peter and Adam couldn’t believe their eyes.
“But how could this be?” the asked, wanting to learn more.
It turned out that Walter’s brother was diagnosed with dissociative amnesia and struggled to remember aspects from his past. In recent years, there was improvement of his condition. But it was when he saw the boys’ post, which went viral, that he remembered everything.
Thanks to Adam and Peter, the two man found each other after forty-four long years.
This story serves as a reminder that we should never lose hope.
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Bored Daddy
Love and Peace
