Mrs. Parker was one of the most beloved members of her neighborhood. She was incredibly generous to everyone she came across. Even though she had been a retired pastry chef for 10 years, she still woke up early every morning to bake fresh pastries for any neighbor who wanted some.

She would leave muffins and bagels out for neighbors to enjoy on their way to work or school. Because of her generosity, her neighbors checked on her every day. They also took care of her when she needed help. Although Mrs. Parker lived alone, she never felt lonely because her community was very supportive.

Mrs. Parker had one daughter-in-law, Susan, who visited her quite often. Her husband had died five years earlier, but she still kept in touch with her mother-in-law. Susan was also a very talkative person who would try to make friends with some of Mrs. Parker’s neighbors to find out what the old lady was up to when she was not around.

Although some neighbors found her behavior innocent, others who had been in the neighborhood longer knew that Susan was not to be trusted. Mrs. Evans, who lived next door to Mrs. Parker, knew Susan before she even married. Their interactions led her to believe that Susan was only after Mrs. Parker’s money and did not care for her.

One morning, the neighbors walked out and noticed Mrs. Parker had not left any pastries out. Worried, they decided to knock on her door to see if everything was well. Sharon, one of the neighbors who had come to check on Mrs. Parker, spoke to Mrs. Evans to see if her neighbor was fine.

“Good morning Mrs. Evans. Do you have any idea if Mrs. Parker is okay? she asked. “We’ve been walking past to check on her this morning, and she has not yet opened up.”

Mrs. Evans was surprised to hear this, so she knocked on Mrs. Parker’s door. Unfortunately, there was no response, so Mrs. Evans decided to call Susan. “Hi Susan, I just wanted to check if Mrs. Parker is with you or has spoken to you lately because some of the neighbors have noticed that she has not answered her door today.”

Susan sounded surprised. “I will be there soon,” she promised.

Despite Susan sounding concerned over the phone, she did not show up. This made Mrs. Evans even more suspicious and worried about her friend. She waited until the next day to call Susan again, hoping that nothing had happened to Mrs. Parker.

Early the following morning, Mrs. Evans heard strange noises from Mrs. Parker’s apartment. When she went to find out what was going on, she was welcomed by a construction worker in overalls. “Hi, can I help you?” he asked.

“Do you know the lady who owns this apartment? She’s Mrs. Parker,” Mrs. Evans said.

“No, ma’am, I have no idea who you are talking about,” the construction worker responded.

“What do you mean? Mrs. Parker lives here by herself. If you are in her apartment renovating, then surely she must have been the one to give you those instructions,” she said.

“Ma’am, I was asked to come to this apartment and begin renovations today. I have no other information for you.” Before she could respond, the construction worker closed the door, and Mrs. Evans was left outside, confused by the conversation she had just had.

Later that day, Mrs. Evans noticed Susan rush up to Mrs. Parker’s apartment. “Susan, I noticed that renovations in Mrs. Parker’s apartment have been underway for a few days, and neither the neighbors nor I have seen her lately. Do you know where she might be?” Mrs. Evans asked.

Susan’s attitude quickly changed from friendly to defensive. “To begin with, Mrs. Parker’s whereabouts have nothing to do with you, but if you insist, she is currently in a private psychiatric facility,” Susan said.

“No, that’s impossible. She’s been wonderful,” Mrs. Evans replied.

“She began to hear voices and was placed under special care,” Susan said.

Mrs. Evans was shocked at what she had heard, “But Mrs. Parker seemed fine, and if she were beginning to hear voices, she would have mentioned it to me. We’ve been friends for so many years.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, so if you’ll excuse me, I need to check if the workers are doing what has been asked of them,” Susan snapped and walked away.

Mrs. Evans could not accept Susan’s explanation, so she rushed to Janine and Sharon’s other neighbors. “I need your help,” she said. “I think Susan did something to Mrs. Parker and has now taken over her apartment. Could you please help me find out what happened to her?”

Both neighbors were eager to help and decided to contact all the psychiatric facilities in the city. Hours into their search, the ladies got ahold of the one where Mrs. Parker was, but the receptionist refused to discuss her diagnosis with them.

Sharon called one of her friends, a psychiatrist, who had clients at the psychiatric facility. The psychiatrist agreed to examine Mrs. Parker, and after a three-hour-long examination, she confirmed that Mrs. Parker was mentally stable and posed no danger to herself or others.

“But why did I end up here?” Mrs. Parker asked the psychiatrist. “Susan drove me to here after I told her that I heard some voices in my apartment. I haven’t heard any voices since I’ve been here, but I truly believed that something was wrong with me,” Mrs. Parker said.

The psychiatrist could not offer any possible reasons but suggested that her neighbors take her home and closely monitor her.

While the older ladies drove home together, they questioned Mrs. Parker on the voices that she had claimed to hear. Mrs. Parker’s answers led them to conclude that Susan possibly placed a device in her flat to try and convince her that she heard voices.

When they arrived at her flat, Susan was shocked to see Mrs. Parker. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in long-term care,” she asked.

“Sharon’s psychiatrist examined me for hours and discovered that there was nothing wrong with me, so I’ve come back home,” Mrs. Parker said. Then she quickly realized that Susan had been making significant changes in her apartment. “I did not permit you to renovate my apartment. What is going on?” she asked.

Susan was furious. She could not believe that these nosy neighbors ruined her perfect plan. Without explaining her actions, she stormed out and drove away. Mrs. Parker chased out all the construction workers and asked them to bill Susan for their completed work.

While the neighbors were helping clean up, Sharon found the device Susan used to convince Mrs. Parker that she heard voices. It took Mrs. Parker a long time to understand that Susan did not care for her and only wanted to get her apartment. She eventually wrote her out of her will and never saw her again.

So what can we learn from this story?

• The truest friends will go the extra mile to take care of you. Mrs. Parker’s neighbors could have believed Susan’s lies, but because they cared for her, they made an effort to find out if she was well.
• Kindness given will always lead to compassion returned. Mrs. Parker was well cared for by her neighbors because she was also friendly.

Please share this story with your friends; it might inspire people to share their own stories or help someone else.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who decided to check on an old lady’s house after noticing that her lights had been off for days.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.