After that, a lengthy process followed and I went from one family that treated me badly to the next. In my town, news like my parents' arrest spread like wildfire. And it wasn't long before it reached my school and the bullying started. My fellow students called me a criminal and said I should be locked up like my parents. I told myself that this was karma for keeping quiet about the abuse Alicia's parents had put her through for so long. Every single family I went to hated me and when I turned 18, I officially became homeless.
My grades at school had deteriorated too much and I left without graduating. And without a diploma, I couldn't find a job before the foster system threw me out. I went through all the stages of depression and considered committing suicide. I wondered what might have been if my parents had just treated Alicia well. For many years I lived on the streets. I lived on what other homeless people shared with me. But life as it was, was not worth living for me. I had never forgotten Alicia and hoped that she was at least doing well.
I had only one friend. Rick. He was an older homeless man who listened to me. I told him my story and he told me that unfortunately life doesn't always have a happy ending and that often the people who have a good soul have to suffer. I decided to end my life. I told him about my plans. He didn't try to stop me. He said he could understand me. He didn't know how much longer he could go on like this himself. The next morning I said goodbye to him and walked to the nearest bridge. It was very high and led over a railroad track. I knew that I wouldn't survive the fall. As I stood at the edge of the bridge, I thought about my life. Tears ran down my cheeks and I stepped over the railing. I took a deep breath and prepared myself mentally for what was to follow. But just as I raised one foot, I heard someone shout loudly.
"Jonathan! Don't do it!" It was a woman's voice. I looked back in surprise and saw a young woman running towards me, repeatedly asking me not to do it. I was confused. I didn't recognize her. Only when she came closer with tears in her eyes did it hit me.
"Alicia?!" I called out to her. She nodded. She had tears in her eyes and begged me not to do it. I looked down sheepishly and slowly climbed back onto the bridge.
"I don't believe it," I whispered. She had tears in her eyes and ran to hug me. She told me that she had missed me terribly. That not a day went by without her thinking about me. And that she had been looking for me for a long time. I asked how she had found me. She said that she followed various leads, all of which led nowhere, until she was lucky enough to meet Rick, who told her where she could find me.
"It breaks my heart to know that you've become homeless," she said. I looked at the ground and replied, 'I guess that was karma, because I looked away from you for too long.' She shook her head. "No, you helped me. You made the time bearable. I loved you like a brother and was devastated when my father told me that we couldn't take you in. Believe me, it wasn't your fault. On the contrary. By going against your own parents to help me, you showed incredible strength and courage. And without you, my father might never have found me."
I started to sob. I told her what I had been through since our last meeting, and when I got to the end, she hugged me again and whispered in my ear that the nightmare was over now. She held out her hand, and I asked her what she wanted. She just smiled and asked me to follow her. She pulled me to a large BMW. A man got out.
"Mrs. Thompson, did you find what you were looking for?" he asked. She nodded and said, 'Yes, Jacob. This is Jonathan. My brother, the one I've told you so much about.' I turned to her in puzzlement and asked, 'Is this your personal driver?' She nodded with a broad smile. 'I'll explain everything to you on the way,' she said in her gentle voice.
I didn't know where we were going. During the drive, she began to talk:
"Well, I should probably start at the beginning. After my father found me, I went to live with him again. By then, he had enough money to live in a big house. From that point on, my childhood was wonderful. I had many friends, a loving father and suddenly found myself living in abundance. But I could never forget your selfless act, to which I owed all of this. I begged my father to take you in. But he refused, saying that you were not his son and that he did not want to be responsible for you.
As my father's company grew and became more successful, he decided that I should follow in his footsteps. When he retired about a year ago, I took over his company. I thought that all the work would distract me, but it didn't. In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about you. With everything I had now, I couldn't wait to find you to show you my gratitude.
I searched and searched, but somehow all traces came to nothing. Until I found out that you were homeless. To be honest, that gave me a headache. I asked my way through a bunch of homeless people, hoping that someone could give me a clue, and then I met Rick. When he told me what you were up to, I knew I had no time to lose. And I'm so glad I finally found you."
A tear rolled down my cheek. "Thank you. But... What exactly are you planning to do? Now that you've found me? I'm just some homeless guy. And you don't owe me anything anyway." She smiled at me.
"You deserve the best. You're not just some homeless guy. You're the one I have to thank for all of this. So please accept it."
I just nodded, not knowing what to expect. That day, she asked me to move in with her at her estate. She wanted to help me sort out my life. And I was even to receive shares in her father's business from her. Since then, we have been practically inseparable. All of a sudden, I had a roof over my head, a family and money. I no longer had to worry about where my next meal was coming from. The memories of the most horrible and darkest years of my life slowly faded and were overshadowed by new memories. Memories of traveling together, spending time in the pool, playing sports, playing video games, laughing and having fun.
Rick has since also been employed by our company as a department manager. And yes, he was not completely wrong. Not everything in life has a happy ending. But I suspect that the only reason you won't have a happy ending is because you tell yourself you won't. To this day, I use the money and influence to help people in similar situations, because I learned that the kindness you put out in the world always finds a way to come back to you.