A grieving mother who visits her son’s cemetery virtually every day is taken aback when she discovers baby toys there and learns a terrible truth about his life.
“A MUSICIAN? Have you lost your mind, Leonard?” Kenneth snapped when his son declared his desire to pursue a career in music.
Leonard was 18 years old, just out of high school, and anxious to pursue what he enjoyed. However, Leonard’s parents wanted him to become a lawyer, something he didn’t want to do.
He’d taken a gap year after high school because he didn’t want to rush into professional selections, and he realized that music was something he truly wanted to pursue. However, when he expressed an interest in becoming a musician, his parents were unimpressed.
“But what’s wrong with becoming a musician, dad?” Leonard grumbled. “There are so many people who followed their passion and are very successful now. I want to be one of them! I don’t want to do a boring desk job!”
“Look, son,” his father continued. “I have made my decision quite clear, and I don’t want to repeat myself. You’re going to become a successful lawyer just like your grandfather and me. Is that clear?”
“There’s no way, Dad!” Leonard shot back. “You cannot force me to do something I don’t want to do! I want to pursue my passion, music, and that’s what I’ll do!”
“But honey,” his mother intervened. “Your father is not pressuring you. He just doesn’t want you to waste your time over something that’s not even certain. You see, so many people have big dreams, but only a handful achieves them. He’s just worried about you and doesn’t want you to suffer.”
“Oh really, mom?” Leonard snapped. “If he really cares about me, he should support me!”
“Calm down, Leonard. Don’t forget you are talking to your parents!” his father warned him. “If you want to make your own decisions, why don’t you pay for your university? If you stay with us, you have to listen to us and obey us. Otherwise, get lost!”
“Fine, dad!” Leonard said. “I’ll prove to you guys one day how wrong you are. I don’t want to be your obligation anyway. I’ll make money as well as a name for myself!” Leonard said and walked away to his room.
Leonard’s mother, Lily, told him to calm down and speak it out later, but he was furious. That evening, he packed his luggage and left the house, swearing never to return.
Lily continuously asking him not to do it. She even tried to persuade Kenneth to stop their son, but the guy was so firm in his beliefs that he refused to move. At the same time, Leonard didn’t seem to care. He was determined to prove his parents wrong, so he left the house that evening, cutting all links with them.
Leonard and his parents had no touch for three years. Lily was frequently anxious about her kid, so she tried phoning him a few times went to voicemail, and Leonard never returned them.
However, while Lily was making breakfast one morning, her phone rang. She hastily washed her hands and ran to answer it, but what she heard on the other end of the telephone left her feeling confused.
It was a phone call alerting her that her son Leonard had ᴅɪᴇᴅ. The little youngster was injured in a motorcycle ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ and ᴅɪᴇᴅ before arriving at the hospital.
Lily broke down in sobs, unable to accept the ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ of her darling son. “No way! That can’t happen! Nothing has happened to my son!” She sobbed loudly enough to wake Kenneth, who was taken aback when he spotted Lily on the living room floor, clutching her phone and bawling her eyes out.
“Honey, what’s the matter?” Kenneth asked worriedly. But Lily couldn’t respond.
Kenneth snatched the phone from Lily’s grasp at that point. “Hello? “Who is this?”
“This is Officer Duncan calling, sir. We regret to inform you that your son, Leonard Williams, ᴅɪᴇᴅ this morning in a motorcycle accident. We would appreciate it if you could come as soon as possible to confirm the boy’s body is Leonard’s. We found your phone number in his phone and called you.”
Kenneth couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Are you sure, officer, that’s our Leonard? This…this can’t be……”
“Look, sir. We found this contact on the victim’s phone. This number was listed as “mom.” Either way, you should come and confirm the body. Thank you,” Officer Duncan said before hanging up.
Kenneth and Lily were heartbroken. They traveled from Chicago to Milwaukee, where the officer claimed Leonard’s body was, hoping that all they had heard was a mistake or a bad dream that would pass fast.
When they arrived at the morgue, they couldn’t believe the lifeless boy with pale skin was their son. Lily cried on the floor, and Kenneth’s cheeks were dripping with tears.
Kenneth and Lily prepared their son’s burial in Milwaukee the next day, too distraught to bring him to their birthplace, which had marked the beginning of their separated relationship, and bid Leonard goodbye. However, the ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ of their son affected their relationship.
Kenneth became extremely quiet, drinking heavily and condemning himself deep down for being a bad father, while Lily continued to blame him for sending his kid out of the house.
Kenneth never bothered to accompany Lily to Leonard’s grave after that. He felt bad about facing his son, and he could never generate the confidence to do so. Lily, on the other hand, drove two hours to see her son’s grave every day.
One day, she had just arrived at Leonard’s grave when she discovered a little teddy bear nearby. She took it and laid it away, assuming someone must have left it there by accident, replaced it with the bouquet she’d bought, and sat there talking to her son for a while before leaving.
However, when she went to the grave the next day, the teddy bear was there again, this time with several toys.
She was concerned as to whether they had been placed there on purpose. She asked the caretaker if he knew anything, but he said that he did not.
Lily left the cemetery that day, perplexed as to who could be bringing toys to her son’s grave, but when she returned the next day, all of her concerns were dispelled.
Lily had just arrived at the cemetery when she saw a young woman standing in front of Leonard’s grave, holding a baby in her arms. The woman’s eyes were closed, as if she were praying. After a few minutes, she walked away, leaving a toy by Leonard’s grave.
Lily couldn’t contain her curiosity and decided to approach her. “Excuse me,” she said. “Do you know my son? I just noticed you placed a toy near his grave. Are you the one who has been doing it for days?”
The woman looked a little stunned. “Are you Lily Williams? Leonard’s mother?”
“You know me?” Lily’s eyes widened.
“Of course, Mrs. Williams,” the woman said, her eyes welling up. Lily sensed a strange fear and worry in her tears. “I’m Carrie. I’m Leonard’s girlfriend. And this baby is Henry, our son.”
Lily couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked at the child. The baby was an exact replica of her late son! “But Leonard, he never….”
“I never imagined we’d meet like this, Mrs. Williams,” Carrie stated. “Leonard missed you terribly. He was hoping to reconnect with you, but…” The woman almost burst into tears.
Lily consoled her, and the two went to a neighboring park. Carrie told Lily the entire story while she sat there wiping her eyes.
Leonard ended up meeting Carrie when he visited her town to pursue his aspirations. However, due to a lack of cash, he started working as a part-time waitress at a restaurant to supplement his income, and it was there he met Carrie.
Carrie became pregnant more than a year after they moved in together. Leonard was elated! He composed a song devoted to his future child, which was not a great hit but gained a lot of attention in various US areas.
That prompted him to take the next step in his career, and he began approaching several producers. Many even accepted to work with him. However, Carrie and Leonard were devastated when the man was involved in an accident.
Carrie was transported to the hospital with labor pains that morning. A neighbor had called an ambulance for her, and she had no idea Leonard had been involved in an accident. She remained comatose for a few days following the delivery, and when she awoke, she discovered Leonard had ᴅɪᴇᴅ.
The woman couldn’t stop grieving and began going to his cemetery virtually every day. Leonard had bought the toys for their child, and she had been abandoning them.
“I didn’t know what to do when I found out he had died,” Carrie went on. “The cops….they tracked my address through Leonard’s driver’s license, and that’s how I found out he was no longer alive. They also said that you and Mr. Williams had planned the funeral in Milwaukee. I contacted the cemeteries one by one and discovered Leonard was here.
“I wanted to meet you one day but didn’t know how to. Leonard loved you, and he promised that when he became famous, he’d call you and his father here, and all of us would live happily as a family. But sadly, that did not happen.”
Lily couldn’t hold back her tears when she heard that. She had already lost her son and did not want to lose her grandchild as well. So she encouraged Carrie and Henry to move in with her, insisting that they were just as much a part of her family as Leonard. The young lady was apprehensive at first, but accepted after Lily insisted.
That fateful day transformed Lily and Kenneth’s life for the better. Kenneth became a devoted grandfather to Henry, and witnessing him care for the youngster prompted Lily to become more patient and tolerant of him, so improving their relationship.
Carrie considers herself fortunate to have met Lily and Kenneth, who are great grandparents for Henry. They also helped her get Leonard’s song released by a well-known company.
Carrie adds Henry, who is now five years old, is very proud of his father’s job as a musician and desires to follow in his father’s footsteps, and Lily and Kenneth are very supportive of Henry.