I spent years of my life wanting to take revenge on my father because he abandoned me when I needed him the most. When life gave me the chance to do it, I thought twice.
One day I opened the door and I saw someone I didn’t expect. It was my dad. I hadn’t seen him for ages. In fact, I didn’t want to.
“Hi, son. I’m sorry to come like this. I tried to call you but you didn’t answer your phone,” he told me.
“Yeah, what do you want?”
“I was wondering if maybe I could stay with you… I don’t have a place right now, so…”
I found my dad sleeping on the streets. | Source: Pexel
“You can stay. But you have to pay rent.”
“But I don’t have any money at all… and you’re the only person who can help me.”
“I don’t care,” I said, feeling my heart tighten. “You can live on the street. I wish God had taken you instead of mom!”
I slammed the door and my wife was just behind me. She was pissed with what just happened but she had no idea what I went through with this man. She pushed me to tell her, so I did.
It all started when I turned 18. My mom had passed away 2 years before that, so I think my dad was still adapting to taking both roles. He prepared a surprise birthday party and everything. After we celebrated, he asked me what I was planning to do with my living situation and I was like, what the heck?
He told me I was an adult and if I wanted to stay with him in the house, I needed to pay some kind of rent. I was so angry. Pay rent? To my own father?! What’s wrong with him?
My dad prepared a surprise birthday party for me. | Source: Pexel
He continued with his argument saying that was normal and I had to grow up. When I told him I’d rather live in a dorm in college than pay him rent, he said he couldn’t afford college and I had to pay for it myself. That I should either get a job or a loan.
“I felt betrayed, Julie. I didn’t expect that. That’s why I left,” I told my wife.
Julie said my father reached out to her a few days earlier and that she gave him our address. That’s right, she didn’t tell me anything either…
I got into an argument with my wife because of my dad. | Source: Pexel
And then, she suggested I forgive my father. “It’s been years,” she said.
But no. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to forgive him. He was the one who threw me out like some kind of stray dog. “No, Julie, I work 24/7 to at least, eat normally. And he? He just abandoned me! No forgiveness!” I told her.
“Come on, honey, he’s your father!”
“So what? You don’t know! You don’t understand… Only my mom truly loved me. And she would have never allowed him to kick me out of my own house and…”
In the heat of our fight, I stepped out and went for a walk. | Source: Pexel
“Nick,” Julie interrupted me, “do you know your father’s side of the story? I mean you lost your mom but he lost his wife… Have you thought about how this affected him as well?”
“You know what? THAT’S ENOUGH!” I shouted, “I don’t want to hear it!! I’m done…”
Julie almost burst into tears. We barely fought and I knew she was trying to help me. I decided to get some fresh air and went for a walk.
I saw a man sleeping on a bench and I recognized him. | Source: Pexel
When I passed by some benches, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I spotted a man sleeping on one but I thought it was a hobo. But I looked a second time and I knew I knew him from somewhere… it was my dad!
“Dad, wake up! Are you OK?”
He woke up straight away, “Nick, is that you?!”
“Yes, dad, I’m really sorry! I just…”
“I just wanted you to do good in life and…”
“Shh, easy dad, that’s okay, that’s okay.”
He burst into tears. “I thought if you had to pay rent then maybe… maybe you would move on. I wanted to help you, son. You were just sitting on the couch. You weren’t doing anything.” He continued, visibly emotional, “I wanted to motivate you to get a job and live your life.”
My dad got emotional when I found him. | Source: Pexel
“I know I couldn’t pay for your college because I invested the money into my business and… I was gonna give the business to you. But I lost everything, Nick.”
I finally understood what Julie meant. His part of the story. Everything he did was with good intentions. So I couldn’t leave him like that. I knew I was the only person he had left.
“No, dad,” I replied. “If it wasn’t for you, I would have stayed on the couch and achieved nothing. You pushed me for good and I needed to get out of my comfort zone.”
“Yes, that’s what I wanted, Nick.”
“I know, dad. But I didn’t see it that way. I thought you betrayed me. But because you did what you did, now I have a great job and a beloved family. And that’s all thanks to you!”
He was so happy when we decided to forgive each other. | Source: Pexel
“I know I did a lot of things… I know I hurt you, son. Can you forgive me?”
“No, it’s you who should forgive me, dad!” Suddenly, I felt something shifting inside of me. I had been practicing meditation a lot and one of them was about forgiveness. I could never truly forgive my father before, but that day, I did it. Finally.
I started to practice meditation to forgive my father. | Source: Pexel
“I’ve held this anger for so many years… And I’ve tried different things to get rid of it. But now I understand… I was wrong.” I stood up and took him by the hand. “Let’s go home, dad. We have a lot to talk about…”
“Thank you, son. I love you! I’ve always loved you!”
“You’ll be a grandfather!”
“Wait, what? Is Julie pregnant?!”
My dad would soon become a grandfather. | Source: Unsplash
What can we learn from this story?
- We should always appreciate our parents. We are all humans and we make mistakes. We never know what kind of sacrifices they went through for us.
- Forgiveness can set one free. Nick was holding grudges against his father for so many years and he felt free when he forgave the man.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire good deeds.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who forced her stepdaughter to become a golddigger.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
This Girl Tragically Lost Her Famous Father at Just 15 & Her Mother Struggled with Addiction – What Happened to Her?
A young girl faced a difficult childhood marked by her mother’s struggles with alcohol and her famous father dying in a devastating car crash when she was just a teenager. However, she found a way forward, honoring her father’s legacy while creating her own. Here’s her inspiring journey.
Onscreen, he was known as a fearless driver and an icon of the “Fast & Furious franchise. Behind the scenes, however, this Hollywood star took on an even more cherished role: a devoted father to his only daughter.
But tragedy struck when he passed away, leaving her to face life without his steady presence. Since then, she’s navigated a path marked by both the heartbreak of his absence and her mother’s long battle with addiction. Take a look at what happened to the little girl he left behind and where she is today.
A Father’s Heartfelt Bond with His Only Daughter
This actor, renowned for his role as Brian O’Conner in the blockbuster “Fast & Furious” franchise, captivated audiences with his charisma, baby blues, and passion for high-octane action. With a career that spanned over a decade, he became one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars.
However, he found his most cherished role off-screen: being a father. On November 4, 1998, he welcomed a daughter, his only child, with his then-girlfriend, Rebecca Soteros, whom he met in California in early 1998.
Rebecca McBrain worked as a primary school teacher and led a private life with her daughter in Hawaii. However, the actor, who had shared custody, remained closely involved in his little girl’s life, visiting regularly and even teaching her to surf at just seven.
“She really loves it,” the Hollywood star shared. By the time she was 14, Meadow lived with her dad full-time.
The “Fast and Furious” star spoke openly about the impact of this change, revealing, “My heart was desperate for so many years with the situation with my daughter […] She’s the best partner I’ve ever had. It’s so nuts. I’ve never had anything like this in my life.”
His mother had told him that little girls had a way of softening their father’s hearts, and his daughter proved it true. “She’s a bit more like her mother, but she’s also how I am innately,” the proud father beamed.
A Devastating Loss
Tragedy struck in November 2013 when this beloved actor lost his life in a devastating car accident in Southern California. He was riding as a passenger in a Porsche Carrera GT when the driver lost control, crashing into what was believed to be a post or tree trunk and igniting a deadly fire.
The news shocked fans and loved ones alike, and at just 15 years old, his daughter faced the unimaginable loss of her father. According to reports, just hours before the crash, the actor had reached out to his mother, sharing his worries about not being able to properly care for his daughter amid his busy work schedule.
He expressed the need for his mom to become a full-time guardian, saying he was overwhelmed and could no longer manage the demands of parenting alongside his career.
Sources close to the “Fast and Furious” star’s family revealed that he approached his mother, Cheryl, on the day of his passing and asked her to retire from her nursing job to take care of his daughter full-time.
Allegedly, the young girl moved in with her grandmother only three months before her father died when Cherly was still working as a nurse. However, after an unsuccessful search for nannies and child care, he turned to his mother to be her granddaughter’s full-time guardian.
On the morning of his death, after his mother agreed to look after her granddaughter, the actor called his loved one to let them know.
The young girl’s biological mother had long struggled with alcohol issues, which made her father hesitant to consider her as a primary caregiver. Following the actor’s passing, her grandmother filed to become his daughter’s legal guardian.
Her mother, who was arrested for a DUI in 2014, had previous run-ins with the law due to drinking-related offenses. Her first arrest, dating back to 2003 in Orange County, led to a guilty plea and three years’ probation.
Unfortunately, the issue resurfaced when she faced another DUI charge in Hawaii the previous year, a case that remained unresolved. Family sources indicated that Rebecca’s alcohol problems had been ongoing, leading to numerous conflicts between both parents.
In addition to her grandmother, the young girl’s bond with her Godfather, actor and “Fast and Furious” co-star Vin Diesel, became a crucial source of support during this difficult time. “She counts Vin and his kids as family and will talk to them on days she’s struggling, and she has their backs too,” an insider revealed.
Keeping His Legacy Alive
This famous actor is none other than Paul Walker, and following his death, his daughter, Meadow Rain Walker, has embraced her father’s legacy while forging her own path.
She founded the Paul Walker Foundation, dedicated to ocean conservation and humanitarian aid — causes her father passionately supported during his life.
After Haiti’s catastrophic 2010 earthquake, Paul founded Reach Out World Wide (ROWW), a non-profit focused on transporting first responders to disaster-stricken regions to strengthen local relief efforts.
Rather than simply donating money, he was passionate about working directly in the field. Cody recalled his brother’s words, “No, I want to get in there and I want to help. I don’t want to be part of some big old PR campaign or anything like that. I want to go to Haiti.”
Cody further shared how proud his brother would be of his Meadow, who now heads the Paul Walker Foundation, a charitable organization that supports ocean conservation efforts. He remarked, “I would tell him that his daughter has done a wonderful job creating her foundation in honor of him in preserving our oceans.”
Vin Diesel also opened up about keeping Paul’s memory alive, revealing during an interview that it was “very important” to him to do so. He also shed light on his relationship with Meadow, revealing that in addition to taking care of her, she also takes care of him.
In October 2021, when Meadow married her partner, Louis Thornton-Allan, her Godfather lovingly stepped in to walk her down the aisle in her father’s place. This moment exemplified the close relationship they shared, especially after her father’s passing.
Meadow and her husband eventually separated two years later, parting on amicable terms. “After three wonderful years of marriage, we have come to the agreement to amicably separate. This is truly a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy,” they shared in part on Instagram.
As for her professional life, Meadow has made significant strides in modeling. In 2023, she became the face of Givenchy Beauty, exclaiming on Instagram, “WOW! Another dream come true!!”
Reflecting on her journey, she humorously recalled her tomboy upbringing with her dad, “We would do boys’ activities, roll around in the mud, play soccer, and just be crazy. So, it wasn’t until I was a bit older that I discovered magazines, fashion, and seeing models such as Kate Moss, and being like, She’s really beautiful.'”
Following her transformation into a fashion icon, Meadow was 22 when she opened the Fall 2021 Givenchy show. She had amassed four million followers on Instagram at the time of writing and continued to make waves in her industry.
Meadow Rain Walker has continued her father’s legacy, honoring his passion for helping others and his love for the ocean. As she builds a life in his memory, she embodies the spirit of the man who cherished being her father.
Leave a Reply