“Of course, Adam. I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it! I’m so proud of you!” She smiled. After ending the call, Diana proceeded to look for flights to New York. She was surprised to see how expensive the flights were, and she immediately realized she didn’t have enough money to purchase a round-trip ticket and a special graduation gift for Adam. She decided to take in some extra work as a babysitter to earn money. She babysat for long hours to earn her money faster. When she had enough savings, she excitedly purchased her ticket and went to the department store to buy Adam a gift. Diana circled the store for a couple of minutes before settling with a watch. She realized that any professional needed a nice and decent watch, so she wanted to give one to her son

“Please wrap it nicely with a ribbon,” she told the saleslady. “It’s a graduation gift for my son. He’s graduating from a top university in New York!” she gushed.“That’s awesome! You must be so proud. Congratulations!” the saleslady said, packing the watch. A couple of days later, Diana excitedly made her way to New York. Adam picked her up from the airport, and together they drove to his campus, where the graduation ceremony would start shortly. Diana excitedly pulled out her cellphone and started to snap pictures. When it was Adam’s turn to receive his diploma, she couldn’t help but stand and cheer her heart out. “That’s my son!” she exclaimed. After the ceremony, Adam met Diana and enveloped her in a hug. “Oh, son, congratulations!” she said as they embraced. “Thanks, mom. This is all because of you,” he smiled. “Let’s have a good dinner now,” he said, walking with his mom towards the university exit. Adam and Diana ate at a fancy New York steak restaurant and had a nice dinner together. At first, Diana was worried about the bill, until Adam told her not to. “I took a part-time job while studying, mom. This is my treat to you. Thank you for taking care of me all these years,” he said, squeezing her hand. Diana was in tears. She was so grateful that Adam grew up to be such a kind gentleman. “I’m proud of you, son,” she said. “I got you something, too. It’s nothing great, but I hope you like it.” She took out the gift box and handed it to Adam. “You really didn’t have to get me anything, mom,” he said as he opened it.When he saw that it was a watch, he was surprised. “This is beautiful, mom. Thank you,” he said with a big smile on his face. “I’m going to wear this to work every day. That way, I’ll always have you with me.”That night, the mother and son spent the night talking to one another, taking photos, and simply enjoying New York’s sights. After a couple more days in New York, Diana had to fly back to California. “Will you be visiting home soon, Adam?” she asked, suddenly remembering that she was back to living alone. “I’ll try, mom. I do have some job interviews lined up, so I’m not sure when I’ll get to. I promise to call, though,” he assured her. With that, Diana nodded contently. Unfortunately, that promise was short-lived. Adam used to call his mom every other day, but that slowly diminished until the calls just stopped coming. During one of their final calls, Diana showed signs of depression caused by her loneliness. “I’ve lost a lot of weight, and I don’t really have an appetite,” she would share. “You should eat, mom. Go out and talk to your neighbors and take walks in the park,” Adam said, shrugging off the signs she’d share. For years, Adam would check on his mother once in a while but he was busy working in Wall Street and maintaining his relationship with his model girlfriend that these calls became too few.One day, he decided to put up his own firm in New York. For that, he needed documents from California which he couldn’t ask his mom to simply mail. So at the last minute, he took a flight back home and traveled to their house without telling his mom. But when he got there, he was not expecting what he saw. Their house was torn down and filled with cobwebs. The fences were on the floor, and the grass lawn looked as if it hadn’t been trimmed in years. He looked inside and saw the house empty save for some ruined furniture.Adam proceeded to call his mother, but she was not answering, so he walked to the next-door neighbor’s house to ask him what happened.“Hi, Mr. Green,” he said as soon as their long-time neighbor answered the door. “Adam? Is that you?” he asked. “What are you doing here?” “It’s me, Mr. Green. Where’s mom? What happened to our house?” he said, feeling both guilty and scared. “Oh, well, remember that storm that hit California a couple of months ago? Our homes were severely damaged. Your mom didn’t have enough money to repair it, and she said she didn’t want to burden you, so she moved to a nursing home,” Mr. Green explained. “What? Why don’t I know any of this?” Adam said, shocked. “Where is her nursing home?” he asked. After getting the address, he quickly made his way there. When he arrived, he saw Diana, frail and in a wheelchair. “Mom,” he said, in tears, as soon as he saw her. “Adam? What are you doing here?” Diana asked. “Mom, I’m so sorry for not paying more attention to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me the most,” he said, on his knees in front of his mom’s wheelchair. He was sobbing, feeling guilty for having neglected his mother for years. “Adam, don’t be ridiculous. Get up from there,” she said, trying to raise her son. He shook his head and clung to her knees, and Diana couldn’t help but cry. She thought she would never see Adam again, and seeing him there, in the flesh, asking for forgiveness, made her feel both touched and relieved.“I’m so sorry, mom. You don’t have to be alone ever again,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m going to live with you, and I’m going to take care of you,” he promised. This time, Adam really kept his promise. He completely repaired their old home and took his mother out of the nursing home once it was completed. He also decided to start his business in California instead of New York and asked his girlfriend to move in with them. Since then, the three of them lived together happily. The couple took care of Diana and made sure she was happy again. Meanwhile, Diana helped out at home while both Adam and his girlfriend worked, by cooking them meals and helping out with house chores. What can we learn from this story? We should always make time for our loved ones. No matter how busy life gets, we should always take time to check on our loved ones no matter how far away they may be. A mother’s love is forever. Although she felt sad and abandoned, Diana never lost her love for Adam. Instead, she remained hopeful that one day they would reunite and see each other again.