A couple of officers responded to a call about an older woman collapsing and found their old teacher, who had a surprising wish. They decided to help and traveled far, only to discover a heartbreaking situation. But their trip was not in vain.
Officer Markson parked in front of the bus station and saw that an ambulance had arrived before them. There was a call about an older woman who had collapsed, and he and his partner, Officer Sanders, decided to check things out.
They both exited their squad car and saw the paramedics tending to an older lady, who was luckily conscious and talking.
“Mrs. Logan?” Officer Sanders questioned with wide eyes. Officer Markson frowned and realized that he recognized the older woman too.
“Oh my, Mrs. Logan. Are you alright?” he asked, echoing his partner as they both got closer to the situation.
“What happened here?” Mrs. Logan breathed, staring wide-eyed at the scene before her.
The older woman looked up and squinted, but she finally recognized them. “Julian! Christina! Or should I call you ‘Officers’ now? I haven’t seen you since you graduated high school. What are you doing here?” she said breathlessly.
“We were asked to come to check things after the call came through 911. Is everything alright? What are you doing in this bus station?” Officer Sanders sat down and placed her delicate hand on the older woman’s shoulders.
Many years ago, Julian and Christina used to be classmates, and Mrs. Logan used to be their math teacher. The woman was always lovely despite being strict. Julian had heard that she had retired and was living in her home in a quiet part of their town in Minnesota.
“Well, I was hoping to travel to Florida. I need to see my son,” Mrs. Logan said, her face wrinkling.
“Peter? Why? Is he ok?” Christina wondered, still touching the woman’s shoulder.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him in months. That’s not that uncommon. He doesn’t care much for me, but he would normally answer when I called every once in a while,” Mrs. Logan continued, looking down and shaking her head.
“Well, I’m sure we could call some people to do a wellness check or something,” Julian offered, but the older woman shook her head.
“I want to go myself. I need to see if my son is doing well, and I also… I don’t think I have long in this world. I was hoping to see the sea again after a long time,” the older woman said slowly.
The paramedic stood up, and Christina nodded at him. “She doesn’t need to come with us, but she’s frail. I would not recommend letting her travel alone by bus, especially as far as Florida,” the first responder said and left.
“Mrs. Logan, you heard him. You have to go home and rest,” Julian said gently.
“I can’t. I have to go! My son and the sea, they’re calling to me. I can feel something going on, but I don’t know what it is. Please, will you help me?” Mrs. Logan begged.
Julian and Christina looked at each other. They couldn’t exactly force her to go home and stay there. Neither of them knew what they could do for her until Christina had an idea.
***
“There’s a reason why we went to check on her. We have to help her. Technically, it might not be our job, but being a cop is about helping people, right?” she begged her partner.
Julian sighed. “That’s not exactly right. But I would like to help her too. Let’s do it.”
Their captain was not happy about that decision, but a few days later, Julian and Christina took some of their paid time off and decided to drive Mrs. Logan to Florida themselves. It was 1300 miles away, and they knew it would be hard. But their teacher had a wish, which might be her last ever, and they were going to fulfill it.
The road was long and winding, and slowly, some of the coldness of Minnesota transitioned toward the heat of the southern states. But they had a lot more fun than they excepted. Mrs. Logan had been friendly, but the officers didn’t know much about her until the trip.
They reached Florida after four days on the road. It would’ve been faster, but Julian and Christina stopped at motels along the way to let Mrs. Logan rest. However, they had no idea about the shock she would receive when they reached her son’s home.
***
“What happened here?” Mrs. Logan breathed, staring wide-eyed at the scene before her.
“Are you sure this is Peter’s house, Mrs. Logan?” Christina asked, just as confused and alarmed.
Julian looked around, his forehead wrinkling in thought. Peter’s house was destroyed completely. Something had happened. The houses next to it were not in the best shape, but he could see they were patched up.
“I’m going to ask around. Wait here for me,” Julian said, approaching their neighboring homes.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Logan. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I’m even gladder now that we came here with you,” Christina said, hugging the old woman close to her body protectively.
Julian managed to talk to a neighbor, but it was not good news. He walked back toward the teacher and his partner, wetting his lips and thinking about what he would say.
Mrs. Logan broke down on Christina’s shoulder, and the cop wouldn’t let her go for a long time. A hurricane had passed through the area, and Peter refused to evacuate. He died when a tree branch crashed through his roof.
The neighbors managed to pay for Peter’s burial, but they had no idea he had family, so they didn’t let anyone else know. They told Julian where they laid him to rest so they could visit him.
“I’m sorry, my boy. I’m sorry for not being the mom you needed. I should’ve done more. I should’ve called sooner, and I should’ve offered my home when you had a hurricane. God, I forget how dangerous those things can be!” Mrs. Logan wailed on top of her son’s simple tombstone, lamenting all her regrets.
Christina and Julian gave the bereaved mother enough space to say her goodbyes.
“I’ve said this already. But I’m glad we’re here,” Christina told him, and Julian nodded.
After a few hours, Mrs. Logan was ready to leave, and she asked them to take her to the nearest beach. The officers wouldn’t dare tell her no.
***
The waves of the ocean lulled them into a sense of peace. They were all tired from the four-day trip and the heartbreaking news of the day. But Mrs. Logan took off her shoes, sat down in the sand, and let the waves touch her feet. Christina and Julian followed suit.
The older woman sighed. “I love the beach. I didn’t visit it enough,” she commented. “Don’t make that mistake, guys. Visit the ocean more often.”
“We will, Mrs. Logan,” Christina assured them. They all went silent and watched the sunset fall over the horizon.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels
When they returned to Minnesota, Mrs. Logan passed away. Christina and Julian arranged her funeral and burial because she genuinely had no other family. Some of their colleagues from the police station came to support them, but Julian and Christina were marked by those last days with their old teacher.
They would never forget her or her words… “Let’s go to the beach more often,” Julian told Christina when the burial ended.
“Yeah,” she agreed solemnly.
What can we learn from this story?
- Try to help people as much as you can. Julian and Christina helped Mrs. Logan fulfilled her last wish and supported her through terrible news and heartbreak.
- Don’t waste your life, and try not to have regrets. Mrs. Logan had many regrets, like not patching up things with her son and not visiting the beach more often. She advised the cops not to be like her.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
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