“You are my favorite person in the world. The only one who loved me when no one else did.”
Before I could respond, he gently placed a set of keys in my hand.
He told me that he was an adult now—free to choose where to live.
And he wanted to come home.
To our home.
But then he revealed something extraordinary:
He had rented a beautiful, spacious house with an elevator, remembering how difficult it used to be for me to climb the stairs in the old building. He had saved every cent his mother ever gave him, carefully putting it aside for this moment.
For the day he could finally return to me.
Now, we are dedicating this precious year before he leaves for university to reclaiming everything life stole from us: cooking together, watching old cartoons, talking late into the night—just like we used to.
And every time I look at him—this gentle, loyal, exceptional young man—I know one thing for certain:
Distance can pull people apart.
Time can change them.
But nothing can ever break the bond between a grandmother and the child she raised with all her heart.
Note: This story is a work of fiction inspired by real events. Names, characters, and circumstances have been altered. Any resemblance to real individuals or situations is purely coincidental.
