Mom collapses at son’s funeral: wakes up near her baby, who she knew nothing about – Story of the day

Shannon walked into her small apartment and collapsed on the couch. She was exhausted and only had an hour before she had to leave for her second job.

“Mommy, look what I made today!”

Shannon’s son, Billy, ran up to her and presented her with a guitar made from strings and an old cereal box.

“That’s wonderful,” Shannon said, with a big smile.

“Someday I will be a famous musician,” the boy said with conviction.

Shannon shook her head.

“Music is a great hobby, Billy, but it doesn’t pay the bills. You’re going to be a lawyer. That’s a better profession.”

Billy frowned. Shannon moved closer to wrap him in a hug.

“You’re too young to understand these things right now, honey, but it’s important to get a job that will earn you a good living.”

“It’s okay, Mom.”

He ruffled Billy’s hair. “Let’s take care of dinner.”

Shannon made Billy a grilled cheese sandwich and sat next to him while he ate. Although he was hungry too, they didn’t have enough food for two.

Since her husband had left them, Shannon worked very hard to make sure that Billy would one day go to college and become a lawyer. She saved as much money as possible, even if it meant going hungry some days.

She was determined to make sure Billy did well in life. It wasn’t easy, but she felt like all her suffering had been worth it when the best university in the state offered her a scholarship. She was very proud of her son until the first time he came to visit her.

Billy walked through the door carrying two guitar cases. His hair had grown too long for a law student, and he gave her a shy smile.

“What’s that?” Shannon pointed at the guitar cases. “You should be spending your money on haircuts, not frivolous hobbies.”

“It’s not a hobby.” Billy rubbed the back of his neck. “I was meaning to tell you… the law doesn’t work for me, Mom. I’m studying music now.”

“I hope you’re joking, William. I didn’t work two jobs and starve so you could be a vagabond musician.”

Billy’s expression turned stern. “It’s not a joke. Music is my passion and I know I will succeed because it’s something I love to do with all my heart.”

“Are you kidding me?” Shannon yelled. “You think busking on street corners is going to make you a millionaire? I can’t believe you did that! You’re going back to law school as soon as you get back to college!”

“No, I won’t. This is what I have to do, Mom. I’m sorry with every fiber of my being.”

“I sacrificed so much for you, and this is how you repay me.” She pointed to the door. “Get out! You’re not welcome here until you come to your senses. You act just like your father, and you’ll end up just as bad if you don’t get your act together.”

“I’m not like him! And I’ll prove it to you.” Billy shouldered his luggage and headed out the door.

Shannon was sure that Billy would eventually come back and apologize. He would go back to law school and they could forget about this mess.

However, Billy did not return that night or the next day. She tried to call him, but he wouldn’t pick up. As the days turned into weeks, Shannon began to feel completely desperate.

She looked up her old school friends and found out that Billy had transferred to a college in a different state. He still hung up every time Shannon tried to call him.

Anger and disbelief boiled in Shannon’s veins. How could Billy do this to her? She thought she had done an excellent job raising him despite all the challenges she had to face.

These feelings faded after a few months. Shannon began to worry about how Billy was doing. She tried to call him again as the Christmas holidays approached, but received a message that the number no longer existed.

Shannon panicked. She turned to Billy’s friends again, who had helped her before, and found out her son’s new number. She dialed it immediately.

“Hello, who’s speaking?” Billy replied.

“Billy! Please don’t hang up. I’ve been so worried about you.”

“Mother?”.

“Yes, it’s me.” Shannon felt overwhelmed with emotion and was on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry I fought with you, honey.”

“I’m sorry too, Mom. I love you and I’ve missed you so much, but I had to do what was right for me.” Billy cleared his throat. “I’m glad you called, because I have some important news to tell you.”

“Really? Tell me!” Shannon sat up straight. Could Billy have gone back to law school? She wondered.

“I’m getting married. Her name is Teresa.”

“That’s wonderful! Did you meet her in college?”

“Not exactly. Teresa was a waitress at a coffee shop near the university. That’s how we met, but she doesn’t work there anymore.”

A barista? Shannon was confident Billy could get someone better, but maybe she was being too quick to judge.

“And where does he work now?” Shannon asked.

“She’s devoting her time to her art. Her work is amazing.”

Shannon’s heart skipped a beat. “Art? She’s a painter?”

“Teresa is a digital artist.”

“My God! Billy, how the hell is this going to work? Artists and musicians don’t make money. How are they going to live?”

“And here we go again,” Billy complained. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that I can succeed doing something I love?”

“Because I know what the real world is like, Billy. Right now, your head is full of dreams. You think you can make anything happen, but life isn’t like that. All I’ve done is try to save you the suffering of living in poverty.”

“I wish you could be happy for me. Goodbye, Mom.”

And that was it. Shannon regretted that her son insisted on making such hasty and careless decisions with his life, but she knew there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Several years passed without hearing a word from Billy. One day, Shannon stopped at the store to buy milk and heard some children playing a cheerful song in their car. She heard the same catchy tune the next day from her neighbors.

Wherever Shannon went, she heard the same song playing everywhere. It stuck in her mind. She had stopped listening to the radio years ago because it reminded her of Billy, but now she turned it back on to listen to that song.

Shannon nodded as the familiar tune came over the speaker. She was washing dishes, and when the radio host announced the singer’s name, she dropped what she was holding.

After all, Billy had succeeded. Shannon wiped her hands and hurried to call him.

“This is Officer Campos,” said the woman who answered the phone. “Who’s calling?”

“I’m Billy’s mom. Why are you answering your phone?”

“My apologies, ma’am. I am very sorry to inform you that your son was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. He did not survive.”

The officer continued talking, but Shannon heard nothing but a ringing in her ears. Billy was gone. She would never see her son again, and she would never have the chance to apologize to him.

Shannon found out that Billy was going to be buried in her hometown. She went through his childhood possessions and decided to take the cereal box guitar he had made to place on his coffin.

When she arrived at the funeral, Shannon broke down. After all the years of effort, it seemed so unfair that her son was in her coffin in the prime of his life. He had grown a beard. It looked good on him, but she could never tell him that.

Her sobs turned into moans. Someone grabbed her by the elbow, but Shannon pulled away. She screamed at the person to leave her alone and begged Billy to forgive her for being so rigid and critical.

The more she cried, the more the world spun around her. She put her hand on the coffin to help keep her balance. Suddenly, she started seeing black spots and the last thing Shannon was aware of was collapsing on top of her dead son.

He woke up to the sounds of a baby. He opened his eyes and thought he must be in heaven. The little boy strapped into the car seat next to him had the same brown eyes as Billy!

“Who are you, little baby?” Shannon asked. The baby smiled at her and waved his hands. He had Billy’s dimples!

Then an unknown young woman behind the wheel of the car caught his attention: “That’s your grandson.”

Shannon straightened up. The person speaking to her was a woman dressed in black with her hair neatly combed.

“My grandson? Are you Teresa?”

The woman looked at her through the rearview mirror. “You seem to know more than I do. Billy told me his parents were dead. Imagine my surprise when the paramedics found your ID and told me you were his mother.”

Shannon frowned. “Billy was really mad at me the last few years. We never spoke again, so I guess it was easier for him to tell everyone I was dead.”

Teresa sighed. “Well, we can’t change the past, but we can do something different starting today. The paramedics said that you should rest in a quiet environment. I don’t know where you live, so let’s go to the hotel where little Santiago and I are staying.”

Shannon looked at the baby. This was her grandson, Santiago.

“He looks so much like Billy,” Shannon said.

“I know”.

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Shannon was surprised that Teresa and the baby were staying at a luxury hotel. She realized that Billy had been right about being successful at doing something she loved.

She spent most of the night talking to Teresa. Shannon explained how she and Billy had grown apart.

“I see now that I was wrong to doubt him, and I was wrong to judge you.”

Teresa shook her head. “I understand, Shannon. As one mother to another, I understand that you were just trying to take care of Billy. But he was very stubborn and knew what he wanted in life. Unfortunately, I think he got that stubbornness from you and that’s why neither of you gave in.”

Shannon nodded sadly. “I heard your song on the radio. Everyone’s playing it,” she said.

“He’s been number one in the entire country for two weeks,” Teresa said. “He was on his way to meet some friends to celebrate when he crashed. A drunk driver ran an intersection.”

Her voice broke and Shannon moved closer to comfort her. When Teresa began to cry, she did too, and the two women embraced each other. They shared a deep pain.

They became friends after that, and it wasn’t long before Teresa asked her to help raise Santiago. She was getting a lot of commissions for her digital art and thought it would be better for her to spend more time with her grandmother instead of hiring babysitters.

Shannon immediately agreed. She adored Santiago and made sure not to repeat the same mistakes she had made with Billy. When the boy asked her to buy him a guitar for his twelfth birthday, she agreed without hesitation.

Shannon was very proud when she and Teresa watched Santiago perform at his school concert. He had inherited his father’s talent and Shannon encouraged him to practice every day.

Santiago grew up to become a famous musician. Whenever an interviewer asked him about his path to success, he always mentioned the love and constant support of his grandmother.

What can we learn from this story?

• Respect your children’s life choices: Shannon’s fixation on Billy becoming a lawyer caused a lot of damage to their relationship, and it could all have been avoided if she had trusted his calling and his decisions.

• You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it: We all make mistakes, but as long as we are willing to learn from them and forgive each other, there is always a way forward.

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This story is inspired by the everyday lives of our readers and has been written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to real names or locations is purely coincidental. All images shown are for illustrative purposes only. Share your story with us, it could change someone’s life. If you want to share your story, send it to info@amomama.com .