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Steve Walton was worn out. His long flight from Singapore had drained him, and he was in no mood for a visit from Pastor Morris. Steve, a wealthy man used to his own way, didn’t care much for the pastor’s requests for donations to support his community work. But when his butler told him that the pastor had arrived, Steve simply waved him in.
“Get on with it, man!” Steve snapped. “What is it that you want this time?”
Pastor Morris hesitated but then spoke. “Mr. Walton, I saw Susan.”
Steve’s heart skipped a beat. His daughter, Susan, had disappeared nearly fifteen years ago. “Susan?” he asked, his voice shaky. “Where? When? How is she?”
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Pastor Morris looked at Steve, his tone soft. “I was in Los Angeles, working with a friend who helps the homeless. That’s where I saw her.”
Steve’s mind raced. “Susan? Was she helping out at the mission? Did you tell her I’ve been looking for her?”
Pastor Morris shook his head sadly. “No, Mr. Walton. She’s not a volunteer. She’s homeless. She’s living in a car with her children.”
Steve staggered back in shock. “Homeless? My daughter? With children?” he gasped.
“I’m afraid so,” the pastor said. “And when I tried to get her to come home, she refused.”
“Why?” Steve asked, his anger flaring. “She’s not with that man anymore, is she?”
“No,” Pastor Morris replied gently. “Her husband passed away three years ago. She said she wouldn’t come back to a house where their father was despised.”
Steve’s rage rose again, the memory of that awful day still fresh in his mind. He remembered the heated argument in his study when Susan had told him she was pregnant by the gardener. “Pregnant at sixteen, by the GARDENER!” Steve had yelled. “That’s it! He’s fired! You’ll never see him again!”
Susan had stood her ground, her voice trembling but firm. “That’s my baby, daddy. And I love him. I’m going to marry him.”
“Marry him, and you’re on your own!” Steve had shouted. “No more money, no more nothing!”
With tears in her eyes, Susan had replied, “I love you, daddy,” before walking away, never to return.
“How many children does she have?” Steve asked the pastor, barely able to speak.
“Four,” Pastor Morris answered. “Three girls and a boy. They’re beautiful.”
Without wasting a moment, Steve picked up his phone and demanded his private jet be readied. “Pastor, will you come with me to Los Angeles? Take me to my daughter?” he asked.
Pastor Morris agreed, and soon they were airborne. When they arrived in Los Angeles, a limo took them to a mall parking lot. At the far end, they saw a pickup truck with a tent set up in the back. It was clear Susan and her children were living here.
As they approached, they heard laughter. Two children tumbled out of the back. A girl, about fourteen, was laughing as she tickled her younger brother.
“Mom!” the girl called out. “Preacher Morris is here!”
A familiar voice came from inside the tent, “Preacher Morris?”
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Then Susan climbed out. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Steve standing there. “Daddy?” she asked, her voice shaking with emotion.
Steve stared at her, his heart breaking. She looked so much older than her thirty-one years. Her face was worn and her hands rough from hard work. He couldn’t believe it. “Susan, look at you! Look what HE did to my princess! I wanted more for you! You married that man, what could he give you? Poverty?”
Susan shook her head, her voice steady despite the pain. “He loved me, daddy. And he gave me four beautiful children. He passed away, and I had nowhere to go. But I’ve done my best for my kids. I love their father, and I always will, just like I’ve always loved you.”
Tears filled Steve’s eyes. “Forgive me, Susan,” he sobbed. “Please, forgive me. Come home. I want you all to come home with me. Let me take care of you.”
Steve held his daughter tightly, knowing everything was going to be alright. Susan introduced him to his granddaughters and her son, little Stevie.
“You named him after me?” Steve asked, astonished.
“Yes,” Susan said softly. “After everything, I still love you, daddy. Don’t you know that?”
That afternoon, they all flew back to Texas together. It was the beginning of a new life for them all—a better life.
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