Beggar Pays for Old Lady’s Food with Last $12, Next Day Gets Text ‘Your Reward Arrives Today’’ — Story of the Day

All light and hope was lost for Derek, who became homeless soon after his beloved wife died. When he noticed another lost soul, he acted in kindness, not knowing that a life-changing surprise would await him a day later.

Derek wasn’t always the tired homeless man begging on the street across the busy cafe.

His life had always been hard, but until a few months ago, there was still something worth living for. Clarice, the love and light of his life, was still alive…

The couple had been married for barely a year, and they made their paradise inside an old trailer behind the neighborhood park. They’d often look outside, gazing at people walking by, imagining the fascinating fictional life stories of those strangers…in their minds, Derek and Clarice had lived a thousand vivid lives together, filled with luxury, love, and laughter.

All that changed when Clarice got diagnosed with cancer. There was only a small chance that it could still be contained with treatment, only a sliver of hope.

And that was all Derek needed. He sold everything in his house worth selling, borrowed from every friend, and picked up every odd job he could, all in an effort to raise enough money for his beloved wife’s treatment.

When he was still running short of funds, Derek sold the last thing he could: the trailer that he and Clarice had called home.

“We can always build another home together,” Derek told himself and happily slept in waiting rooms and cafeterias while his wife underwent treatment at the hospital.

He had done his part, but fate didn’t. Even after the expensive treatment, Clarice’s condition kept worsening; her laughter became rarer and rarer, and her eyes opened lesser and lesser. Until one day, they didn’t open at all…

Derek was with her in those last few moments, her head rested on his chest, and he could feel the pull of her last fading breath.

Everything warm and beautiful had died along with Clarice. There was no love left in the world, no kindness, and no home.

Without a roof over his head, Derek began living on the street. He still tried to find work, but he found himself struggling in a cold world, and he was lucky if he found a one-off job or two a week.

The past few weeks had been unlucky in that sense. Derek only had $12 left, and he would have to make do with it for the rest of the month somehow.

It was a little past noon, and Derek was getting ready to finally get up from his spot and buy a sandwich from the cafe.

“A grilled chicken sandwich with extra cheese,” Derek decided as he crossed the road to get to the cafe. It was Clarice’s favorite kind of sandwich, and the thought of her made Derek’s heart sink again.

“I’m the most pathetic, alone, and helpless man in the city,” Derek thought until he saw...