Vivienne\u2019s daughter, Monica, had just stormed out of her house. They had a massive argument over Monica\u2019s announcement. She was going to marry a man named Zach. Vivienne couldn\u2019t believe it because she had no idea her daughter had broken up with her boyfriend, Anthony.<\/p>\n
Anthony\u2019s family wasn\u2019t as wealthy as Monica’s family, but they were respected in the high society of Hartford. Vivienne dreamed of his daughter marrying well and never worrying about money. However, it seemed that Monica’s new man did not come from money at all. He lived in the small town of Mystic. Moreover, he was a fisherman, and his parents worked blue-collar jobs their entire lives.<\/p>\n
That won\u2019t do. She can\u2019t marry him! Vivienne thought, trying to calm her rapidly-beating heart after the fight with Monica.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t marry Anthony, Mother! He cheated on me with at least three women in just two months! Do you want me to be miserable?!\u201d Monica had asked in tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can\u2019t be true!\u201d Vivienne yelled back, and that\u2019s when Monica decided to storm out of the house.<\/p>\n
Vivienne sat in her living room and thought about what to do. She had to fix this somehow. If Anthony was really a cheater, it made sense that Monica became attracted to someone outside their society. But what if this Zach was with her for her family\u2019s money? Men could be gold-diggers too.<\/p>\n
She had to check out Zach without her daughter. It had to be a scenario where he was forced to act as himself and not the version he wanted Monica to see, so she came up with a plan.<\/p>\n
The following day, Vivienne took a taxi and arrived in Mystic, Connecticut, wearing the most horrible clothes she could find in her old boxes. She wore a stained skirt which she purposely ripped on one side and a sweater that smelled like mothballs. It was perfect. She would see Zach and observe how he acted around regular people.<\/p>\n
Luckily, Mystic was such a small town that everyone apparently knew where Zach lived. Vivienne just asked a lady at the local grocery store, and she pointed her in the general direction.<\/p>\n
She reached his house, which was worse than Vivienne could\u2019ve imagined. It looked run down and had an unkempt garden. She saw beer bottles and cigarette buds lying around as she approached the front door. Monica has never seen this house before, Vivienne thought, convinced of it. There\u2019s no way her daughter would\u2019ve fallen for a man who lived like this.<\/p>\n
She wanted to run but had to get this done, so she raised her finger and rang the doorbell. A man with a gray, sweat-stained shirt answered the door. He was clearly in his 20s. This had to be Zach. He had a bottle of beer in his hand and an unshaven face.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, hello,\u201d Vivienne began tentatively. Now that she was there, she had no idea how to talk to him or what to say to discover what kind of personality he had.<\/p>\n
\u201cLady, what do you want?\u201d the man continued irately now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I was wondering if you could help me. I\u2019m a bit lost,\u201d she finally blurted. \u201cAre you Zach?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, that\u2019s me. What do you want?\u201d Zach asked and belched. Vivienne couldn\u2019t help looking disgusted, and he laughed.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, a woman started yelling from inside the house. \u201cZach! Where did you put my lighter? You\u2019re always losing stuff! YOU IDIOT!\u201d<\/p>\n
Zach turned from Vivienne and started shouting at the woman. \u201cI\u2019m the idiot? I\u2019M THE IDIOT! You\u2019re the one that loses everything as soon as it gets here. I don\u2019t know where you put it! Don\u2019t blame it on me!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m still with someone like you! I\u2019m going to leave you tonight!\u201d the woman screamed some more, and Vivienne heard the distinct sound of breaking glass. She raised a hand to her chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cTHE DAY YOU LEAVE WILL BE THE BEST OF MY LIFE, CRAZY WOMAN!\u201d Zach snapped loudly and turned back to look at Vivienne. \u201cLook, lady. Get to the point. I\u2019m busy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s your girlfriend?\u201d Vivienne breathed. It was the only thing that came to her mind after that horrible display. These people were awful.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of your business, old woman. Now, go away,\u201d he bellowed and slammed the door in her face. Vivienne jumped as the door closed and couldn\u2019t believe her daughter was actually dating that man.<\/p>\n
This is awful. Monica was not only going to get her heart broken again, but this man was clearly abusive and dangerous to women in general. Vivienne had to stop it. But first, she had to go back to Hartford, which meant finding a taxi in this small town.<\/p>\n
She started walking the streets and noticed the other houses around the block. They were old and tiny, just like Zach\u2019s, but others maintained them. At least, not everyone was bad in this area. They were covered in snow this time of the year. Suddenly, a woman came out of one of the houses, saw Vivienne, and waved.<\/p>\n
Vivienne smiled and waved back, not knowing what else to do. The woman started walking towards her. She was around her age and had the kindest smile in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, there! Do you need help? Are you lost?\u201d the woman asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, no. Don\u2019t worry about it. I just need to find a taxi and go home,\u201d Vivienne answered and tried to walk away. But the woman wouldn\u2019t let her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait. I\u2019m Georgia. It\u2019s getting really cold out here, and sometimes, it\u2019s hard to find a taxi on the main road. Come inside, and I\u2019ll call one for you,\u201d she suggested.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Vivienne. Nice to meet you. That\u2019s such a kind offer, but I don\u2019t know\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI insist,\u201d the woman continued and urged Vivienne inside.<\/p>\n
They chatted a while, and Georgia called the cab company in town. Apparently, all the drivers were busy, and none of them wanted to drive all the way to Hartford.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, dear. What should I do? I have to get to Hartford tonight,\u201d Vivienne muttered, biting her bottom lip.<\/p>\n
\u201cA taxi from here to Hartford is so expensive. Are you sure? Maybe, you can stay here, and tomorrow, you can take the bus,\u201d Georgia noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, it\u2019s alright. Someone else is paying the taxi,\u201d Vivienne lied. \u201cIt\u2019s important for me to get home tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just then, someone opened the front door and came in. \u201cHey, Ma!\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a handsome man in his 20s who looked remarkably like Georgia with a kind face and smile. Georgia hugged him and introduced him to Vivienne. He was visiting his mother and brought over fresh fish he had caught that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, boy. I meant to ask. Do you know anyone going to Hartford tonight?\u201d Georgia asked her son after stashing the fish in the freezer.<\/p>\n
The man stood in the middle of the living room and pursed his lips. \u201cOh, I don\u2019t. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVivienne has to get there tonight, but none of the taxis in town want to take her,\u201d Georgia replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, why don\u2019t I take her? I was thinking of going to Hartford this weekend and buying some stuff. But I guess tonight works too,\u201d Georgia\u2019s son offered.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I wouldn\u2019t want to put you out. You look tired,\u201d Vivienne muttered, embarrassed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. Let\u2019s go,\u201d the man insisted and guided Vivienne to his car. It was an old pickup, but he assured her it worked perfectly and would get them to their destination.<\/p>\n
They talked during the more-than-one-hour drive to Hartford, and Vivienne was pleasantly surprised by his kind demeanor. Not many people would have offered an older woman a ride just like that, and she hadn\u2019t talked about paying him. He was a kind, hard-working man.<\/p>\n
Well, not everyone in that town is as awful as Monica\u2019s new boyfriend. Why couldn\u2019t she meet a boy like this? Vivienne was lost in thought as they entered the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cMa\u2019am. Where exactly are you going? I can take you anywhere,\u201d the man wondered.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, there\u2019s this gated community\u2026,\u201d Vivienne began, giving him the directions to her area. But she told him to stop at the gates instead of leading him to her house.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere! Have some money for the ride. It\u2019s what I would\u2019ve paid the taxi,\u201d she said, holding out some cash in her hand and opening the door with her other hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no. I couldn\u2019t. I was already coming here anyway,\u201d the man rejected her offer.<\/p>\n
Vivienne tried to insist. \u201cPlease, take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, ma\u2019am. I really couldn\u2019t. I used this ride as an excuse to see my girlfriend, who lives around the area. I should thank you!\u201d the man laughed, and Vivienne joined him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, then. I appreciate your kindness,\u201d she finally said before getting out of the truck and waving goodbye at the young man.<\/p>\n
Oh, I never even asked his name. Jesus, I forgot all my manners, she thought after reaching her house.<\/p>\n
Her meeting with Monica\u2019s horrible boyfriend had truly shaken her, but at least, she met some great people that got her home safely. Obviously, she knew that money wasn\u2019t everything, and many average folks were great people. But her daughter had made a colossal mistake.<\/p>\n
Why couldn\u2019t she have picked someone like Georgia\u2019s son? He was pretty nice, Vivienne thought as she changed out of the old clothes and into her pajamas.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, her phone pinged with a message. It was Monica. She said that she was bringing her boyfriend for dinner tomorrow night and hoped Vivienne would be nice.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, dear. I\u2019m going to have to break your heart tomorrow. But you definitely can\u2019t marry that man,\u201d she muttered out loud, looking intently at her phone.<\/p>\n
The following night, Vivienne was worried. Her daughter\u2019s car had just pulled into her driveway, and Zach was coming with her. She had no idea how to explain what she did yesterday and how she ended up at that man\u2019s house. But Monica would have to see reason. That horrible man was sweaty, rude, and had a girlfriend.<\/p>\n
There was a knock on the front door, and Vivienne breathed deeply to gather her courage. She was about to start a huge fight with that man, and Monica had to listen to her. But when the older woman opened the door, her mouth dropped. No arguments or screams came out \u2014 just a tiny squeak.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d Monica asked, frowning at her mother.<\/p>\n
The man standing beside her was not that sweaty Zach she had met the previous day. It was Georgia\u2019s son!<\/p>\n
\u201cMa\u2019am?\u201d the man asked and looked at Monica with a confused expression. \u201cThis is your mother? I gave her a ride from Mystic last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Mom, what were you doing at Mystic?\u201d Monica wondered, placing her hand on her waist.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, dear. Come in! Come in! This is your boyfriend, Zach?\u201d Vivienne inquired as she guided them inside quickly, breathing heavily. She was ecstatic.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Mom. This is Zach. But did you meet him yesterday?\u201d her daughter asked again, refusing to let her change the subject. They both removed their coats, and Vivienne was smiling at them with the most relieved smile in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, dear. It\u2019s a long story. Sit down\u2026,\u201d she told them and explained everything that happened the day before, including how Zach ended up driving her back to Hartford.<\/p>\n
There were two people named Zach in the town of Mystic, and the lady at the store only knew one of them. The rude one. Monica found the whole story hilarious and their original fight had already been forgotten by the time Vivienne finished.<\/p>\n
The whole night, Vivienne was so friendly to Monica’s Zach. They had dinner and enjoyed a wonderful time. Before the couple left, Vivienne told Monica that she approved and would pay for their wedding if they desired. The older woman never judged Zach for being a fisherman because he treated her daughter like a princess.<\/p>\n
Besides, after meeting that sweaty Zach, anyone else was infinitely better.<\/p>\n
What can we learn from this story?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vivienne\u2019s daughter, Monica, had just stormed out of her house. They had a massive argument over Monica\u2019s announcement. She was going to marry a man named Zach. Vivienne couldn\u2019t believe it because she had no idea her daughter had broken up with her boyfriend, Anthony. Anthony\u2019s family wasn\u2019t as wealthy as Monica’s family, but they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tales"],"yoast_head":"\n