Police officer dies saving collie’s child. His wife didn’t expect this to happen soon. Miles was one of the bravest police officers in the New York crime department, and over the years, the man had received several accolades for his bravery. His wife, Victoria, had always feared him being in such a dangerous job, believing it would cost him his life and leave her alone. Unfortunately, her worst nightmare came true one unfaithful day when Ben’s daughter Charlotte was six months old.
Some people barged into his home and tried to abduct the young kid. Ben and Steve were at Ben’s house for lunch that afternoon, and one of the goons shot Steve when he tried to stop them. The man bled and died even before he made it to the hospital.
After Steven’s death, Victoria and their son Aiden were provided with some benefits as a part of the survivor’s beneficiary plan. Life in New York was far more expensive than the plan could cover, and Victoria had a growing child and a sick mother to look after.
Having left her job as an accountant a few years back and struggling through the trauma of losing her husband, Victoria struggled to find a job for several months and eventually ended up as a waitress at a restaurant. Sadly, the job wasn’t paying her well, and she barely made ends meet every month. One day, when Ben and his colleagues were returning from work, they stopped by a small restaurant for lunch. “Good afternoon, sir,” the waitress greeted them. “What would you like to have?
As Ben looked up from the menu, he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Victoria!” he exclaimed, taking aback. “Oh, Ben,” Victoria confessed shyly. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?
Is everything fine at home?” he inquired, worrying from Victoria’s tired eyes, thin body, and dark circles covering most of her face. Ben could guess something wasn’t right. “Everything’s fine, Ben. Would you like to order?
Victoria asked. When Ben and his friends finished ordering, he excused himself and went to talk to Victoria. He asked her if she needed help financially, but Victoria refused, claiming she didn’t want favors or to be portrayed in a pitiful light. “I can look after my family, Ben,” she stated emphatically. “I’m not blaming you or anyone else for what happened.
I don’t need anyone’s favors. I’m strong enough to support my family.” Ben didn’t try to persuade Victoria any further because he knew she never agreed to accept favors. But based on her dire state, he could tell that she’d been overworking herself and probably struggling financially as well. So that weekend, he and the other cops paid a visit to her house while she was away on duty.
But what they discovered at her home had them in tears. The house was disorganized and appeared to have not been cleaned in months. There was a small bed in the living room corner where Victoria’s mother lay with a saline tube attached to her arm. Aiden was playing with puzzle pieces on the filthy floor, and the boy looked like he hadn’t washed in a while. At this point, Ben knew he had to help, but he couldn’t come up with a plan to do so.
He called Victoria right away. “Hi, Victoria. If you don’t mind, can you please look after Charlotte after your shift? Melinda and I need to be somewhere, so could you please do us this favor?” “Sure, Ben, Victoria replied plainly.
“I’ll be done by seven. Is that okay?” “That’d be perfect, Victoria. I’ll drop off Charlotte at your place. Thanks,” Ben said and hung up.
When Victoria returned from work that night, she found Ben and the other cops at her home. Melinda was present too. “Sorry for bothering you, Victoria,” Melinda said. “We were supposed to meet at a nearby restaurant, but some urgent work came up, and I had to cancel it. Do you mind if I have dinner here?
I can help you with cooking.” “Great,” Victoria said. And that evening, while she and Melinda were busy cooking, the cops cleaned her house. Ben and Melinda did this every weekend and every weekend after that. Sometimes Melinda would make an excuse that she needed Victoria to look after Charlotte, and when Victoria did, she would help Victoria with chores and clean her house.
Moreover, during the weekdays, Ben and his friends would occasionally stop by the restaurant where she worked and leave huge tips with their help. Victoria’s condition gradually improved. She started stressing herself less at work, and she soon received a promotion due to the considerable tips she received. Even at home, she had Melinda and the other officers who would frequently drop by her house and assist her with house chores. One Sunday, when Victoria and Melinda were busy cooking lunch for them, Aiden came running towards Ben.
“Are you one of our relatives, officer?” he inquired in an assault voice. “Not really, Aiden,” Ben replied, lifting the boy in his arms. “But I am like a family to you guys. What about the officers who helped mom and Granny?
Aiden inquired. “Well, I’ll tell you a secret, Aiden, but you promised to keep it,” Ben said. “I will,” Aiden said. “You can trust me. I know some of my friends’ secrets.
“All right, Aiden,” Ben continued. “The secret is that other officers and I are assisting your mother in preserving her dignity. But if we told her that, she’d be upset. You don’t want to see her upset, do you?” “Dignity?
Aiden had a puzzled look. “What’s that?” “Well, you know when you grow up, there’ll be times when your friends won’t take help from you because they’ll feel embarrassed. So when that happens, you’ll have to come up with a smart idea to help them out.” “Oh, I see.
So what will you get in return if you keep her dignity?” Aiden smiled and nodded. “If you do something good, my mom gives me chocolate cookies. Will you get those too?” Ben burst out laughing.
“Not at all, Aiden. In some cases, you’ll be able to talk to a beautiful friend like you. That’s really cool, Uncle Ben.” “By the way, since you shared a secret, let me share one too. You know, last week, I took some cookies from the kitchen and didn’t tell Mom about it.
Don’t tell her, okay?” “I won’t,” Ben promised. “But don’t do it again, okay?” Aiden smiled and nodded.