Boy Keeps Promise to Elderly Neighbor, But the Secret He Finds in Her Plants Stuns Him

When Daniel saw his elderly neighbor arguing with her son about her plants, he decided to help by volunteering to water her garden. Later, he discovered a note hidden in the soil that changed everything in a surprising way.

“I can’t believe you would ask that of me! I can’t come here every day to water your plants! If you gave me the house, I would do it!” Daniel heard someone shouting as he stopped his bike in front of a lovely little house with a beautiful garden. He knew that an older woman named Mrs. Carrino lived there, but he had never spoken to her and didn’t know who was yelling.

Suddenly, Daniel saw a man coming out of the house, still shouting, and the older woman was following him. “Arnold, I asked you to come and help me, and all you’ve talked about is getting this house! Are you crazy? Do you want me to die so you can have my house?”

Daniel’s eyebrows raised, and he thought about leaving, but he couldn’t move.

Suddenly, a loud noise made him jump. “What the—”
“You’re being dramatic, Mom. This house will be mine anyway. I can’t believe you’re giving me this attitude when I came to help you move!”

“Leave now if you’re going to act like that!” Mrs. Carrino shouted, which made Arnold stomp to his car and drive off angrily. They were so focused on their argument that they didn’t even notice Daniel standing there with his bike.

Finally, the older woman spotted him. “Oh, boy. What are you doing here? Do I know you?” she asked.

“I live two houses down the street. I’m Daniel, Caroline’s son,” he said, pointing back to his house. “I’m sorry, but I was biking and heard the yelling. Are you okay, Mrs. Carrino?”

“Oh, I remember you now. It’s nice that you know my name. Don’t worry; it was just my son being difficult,” she explained.

“Why?” Daniel asked.

“Well, I’m moving to a nursing home, and I asked him to come and help me. But he only came here to ask if I would give him the house. He said he would move in here. But I know he plans to sell it because he doesn’t appreciate it like I do. I worked hard to earn this place, and as long as I’m alive, I’m not selling it,” Mrs. Carrino shared. “But then he caused a scene after I asked him to water my plants. And I believe you saw the rest of the fight.”

“I can do that,” Daniel said, shrugging.

“Do what?” she asked.

“Water your plants.”

“I can’t pay you, dear,” Mrs. Carrino replied, her eyes apologetic.

“I know. But I live so close. It’s not a problem,” Daniel insisted, and the older woman smiled brightly at him.

A few days later, Mrs. Carrino moved to a nearby nursing home in Florida, and Daniel kept his promise. He visited her home almost every day to water her plants and enjoyed doing it. Soon, he began to love gardening and would visit Mrs. Carrino to ask about adding new plants.

“Of course! And make sure to check the soil,” she said with a wink, although Daniel had no idea why she was being cheeky.

Daniel started buying and adding new plants to the garden, thinking it would be great to start a gardening business in the future so his family wouldn’t have to struggle so much. His mother worked two jobs during the week and one on the weekends to support him and his siblings and pay rent. But it was still not enough.

He only had a bike because he had found an old one and took side gigs to repair it. But gardening provided an escape from money worries, and he felt amazing after planting something new and watching it grow. He never expected to find something special in the garden one day.

He had bought some azaleas, which he read thrived in Florida’s climate, and started digging in a specific spot of the grass. Suddenly, a loud noise made him flinch. “What the—”

Dropping the shovel, he used his hands to dig up a mason jar with a metal lid and found a note inside.

“Dear Daniel! Thank you for your help; this house is now yours! Go inside and find all the paperwork. You and your family can move in whenever you want!”

Daniel couldn’t believe his eyes, but he hurried inside, using the key Mrs. Carrino had given him. On the kitchen counter, he saw the title to the house. Even though he didn’t understand much of it, he saw his name at the bottom.

Still in shock, he called Mrs. Carrino, who confirmed everything. “You’ll need to sign it to complete the transfer. But I wanted you to find the note first!” she said.

His mother couldn’t believe it. They could move into the house and stop paying rent. There was no mortgage either, which would help his family a lot. They were so grateful for the older woman’s gift that his mother and siblings started visiting her often, thinking of her as a grandmother.

But while they were moving, Daniel found something even more surprising. In Mrs. Carrino’s old room, he discovered another note. It was the same as the first one, but it was addressed to “Arnold.” The older woman had actually planned to give her son the house if he helped her with her plants. But she changed her mind, and Daniel received a huge gift just for being kind.

It was a lesson he would never forget.