Jennifer was a single mother with four young children. She decided to buy a used car to commute to her job. The previous owner asked her to open the trunk when she returned home. What she discovered there changed her life.
After her husband Adam left, Jennifer was left to raise their four kids alone. When Adam learned she was expecting their fourth child, he said, “Another child to feed? No way! I’ve had enough!” He left their trailer and filed for divorce. Jennifer was heartbroken. They hadn’t planned the pregnancy, but she hoped Adam would support her, especially since they were already struggling financially.
Once they separated, Adam stopped sending money for their children. He said he was unemployed and that no one would hire him because he didn’t finish college. Shortly after Jennifer gave birth, she needed to find a job because she was running out of money for food, diapers, and milk. She walked through many restaurants and stores, but owners rejected her because she had four young kids. One employer told her, “It’s hard to hire mothers with small children. Something always happens. Your child is sick or you have no one to watch them, so you miss work. I’m sorry, it’s too much for us.”
With no one nearby to employ her, Jennifer began looking for work in another city. She used her remaining money to take a cab and asked neighbors to watch her children for the afternoon. In the new city, she found a housekeeping job opening at a hotel. She applied and was hired right away. The HR manager said, “We need more staff, especially for the summer. We’ll be fully booked soon.”
Desperate, Jennifer accepted the job even though it meant traveling to another city daily. She thanked the HR manager and went home to tell her kids she got a job. After spending nearly $30 on the cab ride, she realized she couldn’t afford to commute every day. Buying her own car seemed better, but she had no money. Her best option was to buy a used car.
She found a car but hoped the owner would lower the price. “Could you sell me this car for $5000? I’m a single mom of four, and it’s been tough to make money. I need a car to work in a nearby city,” she explained. When the owner learned she was raising four young children alone, he agreed to sell it for $5000. “If you can pay by tomorrow, I’ll give you the car for $5000,” he said. Jennifer was very thankful. She applied for a bank loan to buy the car the next day, but her bad credit caused the loan to be denied.
With few options left, Jennifer thought hard about her next steps. She couldn’t move to a new city because her oldest child, Ethan, had just started school near their trailer park. Rent in the other city was too high, and she couldn’t take the trailer with her. She really needed a car to go to work and pick up her kids from school and daycare.
Then she remembered a family heirloom her late mother left her—a gold chain necklace passed down through generations. She felt sad about selling it but knew she needed it to support her children. Jennifer took the necklace from her box and went to a nearby pawnshop. “I’m sorry, Mom. I really need to do this now,” she said. At the pawnshop, the necklace was worth $5500. Jennifer was happy. This money was enough to buy the car and have some left for daily needs.
The next day, she returned to the used car dealership and gave the owner an envelope with $5000. “Thank you for selling this to me, sir. You can’t imagine how much this helps my children and me,” she said, handing him the envelope. The owner, named Jeff, smiled. “Congrats on your car. It’s a great purchase,” he replied. While Jennifer signed the papers, Jeff quietly put something in the trunk. As she was about to leave, he called out, “Check the trunk when you get home. I left something for your children,” he said, waving goodbye.
After buying the car, Jennifer was busy driving to work and taking her kids to school and daycare. She forgot to check the trunk until she found a note in the glove compartment. It said, “I hope you and your children like the gift I left in the trunk. May it help you a lot.” Curious, she opened the trunk to find the gift.
At first, Jennifer was confused to see only a white envelope on one side of the trunk. Then she realized it was the same envelope she used to pay for the car. She opened it and saw her $5000 was still there. Jennifer couldn’t stop crying. She was shocked by the man’s kindness. She drove straight to the used car dealership after work to thank Jeff for his generosity. “Life gives you challenges, and you have to rise above them or give up. I’m proud of you for staying strong for your children, and I thought you could use the money more than I. Just remember to pay it forward,” Jeff told her.
