A Devastating Loss
His father was his hero, and he wanted nothing more than to follow in his footsteps. However, when his father unexpectedly passed away, his whole world came crumbling down.
He was kicked out of his family home by his brothers, and he only received a derelict car in the garage as a reward from his dad’s multi-million dollar estate. His late father’s intentions were unclear to him.
Ignorance Is Bliss
No words could explain the pain Tommy experienced when he learned of his father’s sudden death. The following weeks blurred into one excruciating anguish, but it would only worsen.
His father was his closest friend, number one fan, and mentor. His father taught him everything he knew and was the one constant in his life. However, when he received the heartbreaking news, Tommy’s life took a turn for the worse.
The Man Who Did It All
As a child, you believe that your parents will live forever. As you get older, you begin considering the possibility; however, you still choose to remain ignorant of the truth.
Tommy Hawthorne idolized his father, and not only did he lose a parent, but he also lost his best friend. The following events would leave him even more in tears. What kind of father would do such a thing to his son?
Playing Favorites
Tommy and his brother did not have a mom growing up. They had been nurtured entirely by their father, a successful novelist who lived in England and had given them all they needed.
Even though his father never admitted it, Tommy knew he held a special place in his father’s heart. This was due to a rather adorable fact.
The Brightest Son
Tommy’s father had a special place for him due to the fact that his mother passed during his birth. Tommy’s father frequently remarked that he was the final present his wife gave him before being welcomed to the afterlife.
He showered Tommy with love and kindness, which often caused his brothers to be filled with jealousy. Tommy couldn’t understand why the dad had given him a rust bucket of a car after his death while giving his brothers a boatload of cash and their family home.
He Felt Lost
Tommy had always been a special child. He was the only one among his siblings who graduated from college, whereas his brothers left high school to pursue a luxurious lifestyle sponsored by their father’s money.
Their father was a wealthy man, and they always got whatever they wanted. It was a weekly occurrence to see women streaming in and out of each of their apartments. The situation would change soon, however.
Old And Rusted
Tommy was almost done with his master’s degree when he unexpectedly lost his father. The news took Tommy by surprise, and even after putting his father to rest, he still felt lost and heartbroken.
When the family attorney gathered his brothers and him to hear his father’s will, that is when his mind abruptly returned to reality. He had anticipated receiving some money from his father to help pay for his final year of school and perhaps the house, but he received virtually nothing.
Why?
Tommy’s father bequeathed his brothers a huge portion of his wealth, including the house. He gave Tommy an old abandoned car that had been collecting dust in the garage.
Despite Tommy’s brothers’ inability to notice it until they were old enough to see it, the Shelby Cobra had been in the garage for decades. In addition to being chipped and rusted, most of its interior was missing. Then why would Tommy’s father do such a thing to him?
They Were Cold
Why would his father do such a thing to him? He’d always put forth a lot of effort to make his father proud, even adopting his career path by becoming an author.
But perhaps Tommy had viewed his father’s relationship incorrectly. Still, he made an effort to understand everything. Maybe one of his siblings was aware of something he wasn’t.
The New Favorites
Tommy went home with his brothers to chat after the meeting with the attorney. He hoped that at least one of them would volunteer to pay for his tuition while he sought to solve the rest of his issues.
He did, however, observe as he followed his brothers into the house that they appeared distant. Naturally, Tommy didn’t think about it too much. However, his brothers would reveal the truth to him.
A Wet Dirt Party
Tommy tried to sit on his favorite seat in the living room, but his brothers told him to stand. They had expressed their distaste for him for the longest while.
Now that the house was in their name and they had 99% of their dad’s fortune, they kicked him out, calling a tow truck to help him move his junk out of their garage.
Get Out!
If Tommy had been heartbroken when he learned of his dad’s passing, now he was furious. Standing outside his childhood home, he watched as a stream of young, attractive women and men walked up the drive away.
The dirt on his dad’s grave was not even dry, and his brothers were already throwing a party. Tommy rushed back in to scold them, immediately regretting the decision.
They Laugh At It
One of his brothers saw him from the top of the stairs, shouting at him to leave their house. The other brother, who was entertaining the guests, heard the commotion.
He came out with a hunting rifle, training it on Tommy before asking him to leave. “Dad’s no longer here to play favourites,” he said with a hiccup, wobbling about as he struggled to keep the rifle on Tommy. “Get out!”
Men Cry Too
Tommy backstepped out of the house. Everyone was laughing at him. Sad and alone, he walked to the garage to look at what his old man had left him.
The tow truck his brothers called found him at the garage door, unable to take the first step in. His anger had changed into loss again, as he couldn’t believe that his dad was truly gone. Stepping into the garage and seeing the car would make everything real. Tommy wasn’t ready for any of it.
Alone Again
He let his tears flow freely without crying or sobbing. If this were what his dad wanted him to have, he would take it with both arms open.
The tow truck came and took the derelict car away. The process was so impromptu that Tommy had to hire a garage while on the road. He needed to know what was so special about this old piece of junk.
An Envelope
The tow truck dumped the car onto Tommy’s hired garage. The driver helped him move it inside and left. Alone again, Tommy sat in the driver’s seat with his hands on the steering wheel.
His eyes blurred with tears again as loss clouded his mind and heart. He couldn’t believe his brothers had kicked him out of their house twice. He mourned for his dad, praying the pain would relent sometime soon. It was then that something in the glove box caught his eye.
An Old Letter
The sheet was a whitish piece of paper. It had dog-collared ends and seemed old: an envelope. Curious, Tommy opened the glove box and fished it out.
The day had been difficult for him, and any distraction that would make him forget his pain was welcome. He ripped the letter open, wiping his tears before reading.
Call This Number
The letter was a few years old, judging from its date. It was also written in his dad’s hand. It detailed how much Tommy’s dad loved him and his brothers.
But it also relayed the old man’s fears over Tommy’s brothers’ futures because of their dangerous lifestyle. But there was more toward the end of the letter, words that would make Tommy hunch forward.
What He Needs
The letter’s last paragraph stated that Tommy’s dad had left him sixty thousand dollars sealed in the car’s trunk. He also left a few plans alongside the money and wanted Tommy to take on a project of his own.
“Fix this beauty up,” the letter read. “There is a private auction in London. Take it there when you are done, and call this number.”
Setting Up
Tommy scratched his head while reading. His dad wanted him to repair an almost unrepairable car and take it to London.
He took a deep breath, seeing it as doable since he was done with his school’s fieldwork. He also needed something to take his mind off what he was going through. Perhaps this project was what he needed.
Getting To Work
Tommy went to school and ensured all his affairs were in order. He deferred from the rest of his classes to focus entirely on fixing the car and got to work.
The first thing he did was hire experts who knew their way around such a vintage model. He also paid the garage he was keeping the car in to host him for a few more months. He hoped he would honor his dad’s last wish.
Two Years Down The Line
The weeks began flying by, with Tommy’s brothers coming to the motel room he lived in to mock him. But he never cursed them out, only welcomed them with a cup of coffee and returned to work.
He’d also divided the sixty thousand his dad left him between school fees, the car repairs, and the transport money he’d need to take the vehicle to London. But he had no clue how long it would take to finish everything.
A Showstopper
Two years passed, with Tommy’s still fixing the car. His brothers had put their childhood home on the market and left the country to chase whatever adventure their hearts desired.
Of course, Tommy had tried to dissuade them from the endeavor, but they called security on him, forcing him to leave their premises. But now, he was putting the last finishes on the car.
Going To London
One look at the Shelby, and Tommy knew what his dad had been thinking. What was once an old derelict had transformed into a beauty that turned heads everywhere Tommy drove.
After spending an additional month ensuring the car was running great, and each part was working, Tommy began planning for the trip to London.
The Least Beautiful Thing
Tommy cleared his motel room and found a transporter truck to get him and his car to London. His brothers had long stopped visiting, and they’d chase him away each time he went to their respective apartments.
They’d sent security after him once and even called the police occasionally. It was clear that they wanted nothing to do with him even though he was their blood and flesh.
The Price
Throughout the two years that Tommy had spent rebuilding the car, he’d learned to appreciate the little things in life. He wasn’t rich and had many problems that kept him up at night.
He learned the value of money, planning, and hard work and understood the need to see things through. By the end of it all, the car was the least of the most beautiful things the experience had given him. But now that he was finished, he didn’t know what to expect next.
All Eyes On Me
According to the letter from Tommy’s dad, he was to take the car to a private auction in London after fixing it. He expected the car to sell for a few hundred thousand dollars.
He didn’t care about the money, only that he’d fulfilled his dad’s last wish. But as he drove into the private London auction, he realized something.
The Bid
All eyes were on Tommy as soon as his car roared up the driveway. Princes, business moguls, politicians, and celebrities stared at him. His life was about to change.
He found the man his dad wanted him to see, and soon his car was among the ones waiting to be auctioned. He looked at it with pride, hoping everything would end well.
A Lesson To Remember
The bid for Tommy’s car began at a million dollars, an amount that left him speechless. By the end, it sold for over five million, double the amount his brothers got in their dad’s will.
Tommy couldn’t believe it. He’d always trusted in his dad’s judgment and felt guilty that he’d been mad before. He knew what he was going to do with the money.
Tommy arranged to buy his childhood home before he even returned. He got in contact with the realtor and bought the place, with everything inside.
He still had a lot of cash left, which he invested in businesses, his education, and his writing career. Standing in his old room, he wondered why his dad did what he did. Perhaps the old man wanted him to know the value of hard work and persistence. If that was the case, then this was a lesson Tommy would never forget.