Amanda turned to the monitor, confused. Was that the inside of her own home on the screen? Three strange men appeared. Feeling a mixture of fear, shame, and indignation, she watched the camera move over her untidy kitchen. She just knew this had something to do with him. Then, one of the men strode over to her oven and opened the door. When she saw what was inside, she shrieked.
Amanda never imagined arriving at such a low point in her life. She had a beautiful house in a great neighborhood and a husband she loved with her whole heart. When she finally felt pregnant with their first child after years of trying, she couldn’t have been happier. All signs pointed to a beautiful life ahead, full of love and everything she’d ever wanted.
Then one day, she woke up, and everything was gone. For three long years, Amanda and her husband were trying to get pregnant. They went through a lot together, and Amanda thought that it only made them stronger. But she was very wrong. The house they had been renovating for the past two years was finally done, and with a baby on the way, the timing couldn’t have been better.
Amanda couldn’t contain her happiness as her life moved forward. Or so she thought. When Anna got the call from her best friend, she immediately walked up to Amanda’s house. She noticed the flower beds that Amanda had tended to so lovingly were withered and dead. Had someone ruined the garden? She knocked on the door six times in their secret rhythm.
When Amanda finally answered the door, Anna took a step back. Amanda had always kept her makeup pristine, even throughout her pregnancy. There was never a fleck out of place. But today, mascara had been pushed from her eyes to her temples. Her nose was red, and there were dark circles around her eyes. Something had happened.
She retired to the couch. Anna ran to the kitchen to run a cloth under the sink. “What happened?” she returned to her best friend’s side and gently patted her face.
“Amanda, where’s John?” Anna asked.
“You know how we’ve been trying for three years now,” and Amanda choked. She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. A stream cascaded down her cheeks and onto her neck. “Well, it’s all over,” she sighed. Her sleeve was drenched from wiping her eyes.
“I don’t know what to do.”
Totally unexpectedly and completely out of the blue, Amanda’s husband had suddenly and matter-of-factly informed her that he was leaving. Without any hesitation, he followed through. Amanda was left utterly confused and broken as he disappeared out the door and out of her life. Like waking up from a nightmare, Amanda was all alone, 36 weeks pregnant, and buried in the bills that were quickly piling up from their house renovations.
Amanda had put her life savings into their house, the one that they had chosen and renovated together. They’d even picked out all the new fittings together to build their dream home. She didn’t understand, struggling to process the fact that her husband callously left her for a younger woman and also left her with a mountain of debt.
She desperately tried to come to grips with her situation. It was very fortunate that Amanda had her friend Anna for emotional support. Anna was there for Amanda every step of the way. Anna decided to do something rather underhanded and devious, but she knew it would be worth it in the end.
Suddenly, a bewildered Amanda found herself in a room full of strangers, numbly broadcasting her pain and feelings of betrayal to the world on live television. Then, Anna told Amanda to turn around, gesturing to the monitor behind her. She watched the screen, trying to figure out what was happening.
They were entering a house. With horror, she realized it was her house. The men boldly opened the front door and began to walk down the hallway, documenting the disarray for everyone to see. The camera panned over the mattress leaning up against the wall and across the boxes scattered all over the floor of every room. She had been so devastated when her husband had walked out that she hadn’t been able to bring herself to unpack her things in the home they’d bought together.
Then one of the men walked over to her oven and audaciously opened the door. When she saw what the camera revealed inside, she suddenly knew exactly what was happening, and she couldn’t contain her tears. Sitting right in the middle of the oven, neatly bound together, lay a great wad of cash. Amanda almost fell off her chair.
But what was going on, and who had hidden the cash inside her oven? And why did this have anything to do with him? Anna smiled shrewdly when she saw Amanda’s reaction. Her plan had worked.
It was Anna who came up with the idea to write to the local radio station KISS 1065 and ask the presenters Kyle and Jackie O if they would possibly give Amanda a chance to appear on their give-back segment. Learning about Amanda’s story, the radio show had decided to get involved and help.
To Amanda’s relief, it had nothing to do with the man that devastated her life. Of course, Amanda had been oblivious. Amanda and Anna were invited to their studio to be guests on the show, but Amanda had no idea about what was about to happen.
Upon arriving, the host announced that they have a special give-back segment, which Amanda was unaware of. Her friend Anna was welcomed and introduced as the one who wrote to them and had made this possible. Amanda was given the opportunity to tell her story, and as she spoke to Jackie O and Kyle, she told them that the worst part was the total uncertainty of it all.
Amanda said, “It’s been about five weeks since it happened,” referring to her husband leaving her. “And the biggest thing is just the shock, I guess, because it wasn’t really what we planned or what I planned.”
Jackie’s words were a godsend to Amanda, who had suffered such a horrible trauma so late in her pregnancy. “I really want to keep the place and raise my child there,” but Amanda had said, the ‘but’ indicating to the host that she wouldn’t be able to afford the house on her own.
It was a heartbreaking situation. The radio hosts had realized that on their own, it would be hard to help Amanda. So, they had approached local businesses to contribute and make this seemingly disastrous situation a little easier to handle.
What followed made this amazing show possible. It turns out that the Middlesex Academy Learning Center generously gifted $10,000 towards Amanda’s mortgage. To Amanda’s total surprise, they entered the front door, and Amanda was presented with a vacuum cleaner sponsored by Scrub Online Cleaning Service. This symbolized the cleaning of her house, and they had set up to keep the house cleaned for the next six months.
Continuing through the house, they went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. To her amazement, the fridge was stocked with meals provided by EatFit Foods, who would thankfully be supplying and delivering fresh meals daily for the next three months.
Continuing with their tour, Amanda was surprised with a table stacked with baby
gear. It was $4,000 worth of goods, including a stroller, car seat, change table, baby monitor – the works. As if that wasn’t enough, Baby Village even threw in a $1,000 voucher for a baby photography session.
By this time, Amanda was totally speechless and sat with a huge smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. Overwhelmed with emotion and with great big tears rolling down her face, the only words Amanda could muster were, “I can’t tell you how much this means to me. This means I don’t have to move,” Amanda managed to exclaim through sobs.
This is definitely not the year that Amanda had imagined for herself or even hoped for. However, with the help and generosity of complete strangers, this young mother-to-be had a new and bright future ahead of her.
At the end of the day, a little human kindness, generosity, and paying it forward can make all parties feel just that bit more human. You never know what someone else could be thankful for. It goes without saying that good friends are worth their weight in gold, and that was certainly the case for Amanda.
Amanda’s best friend Anna was so determined to do something amazing to support her in her time of need that she made it happen. Nobody ever expects to be left high and dry in their time of need or when they are most vulnerable. As much as we all wish it wouldn’t happen, we all need to stand together and form a support group from those around us and for people in need. One day, we may find ourselves in a difficult place and needing help from our community.
