Millionaire Discovers His Daughter and Four Grandkids Have Been Living in a Car for Years — Story of the Day

A woman was thrown out by her wealthy father at sixteen for being with a poor man. She ended up homeless with her four children after her husband passed away.

Steve Walton wasn’t pleased when his butler told him that Pastor Morris was there to see him. He had just returned from a long flight from Singapore and didn’t want to hear the pastor’s usual requests for help.

He had the man brought in and waved impatiently. “Get to the point,” he snapped. “What do you want now?”

“Mr. Walton, I’ve seen Susan,” the pastor said softly, and Steve’s heart nearly stopped. His only daughter had left home almost fifteen years ago. Steve had never seen her again.

“Susan?” Steve cried. “Where? When? How is she?”

“I was in Los Angeles, helping a friend with a mission for the homeless. That’s where I saw her,” the pastor said.

“Was she volunteering?” Steve asked. “Did you tell her I’ve been trying to find her?”

“No,” said Pastor Morris gently. “She wasn’t volunteering. She’s homeless, Mr. Walton. She and her children are living in a car.”

Steve felt dizzy and had to sit down. “Homeless? Susan? And children?” he gasped.

“Yes,” the pastor said. “And she wouldn’t listen when I asked her to come home.”

“But why?” Steve asked, frustrated. “Is she still with that man?”

“Her husband died three years ago,” the pastor explained. “She said she wouldn’t bring her kids into a home where their father wasn’t respected.”

Steve felt a wave of anger wash over him. After all these years, Susan was still defying him! He remembered the day in his office. Susan had stood firm while he yelled. “Pregnant at sixteen, and with the gardener!” he had shouted. “We’ll deal with that, and he’s fired! You’ll never see him again!”

“That’s my baby, Dad,” Susan had said in a shaky voice. “And I love him. I’m going to marry him.”

“If you marry him, you’re on your own!” Steve had screamed. “No more money! You’ll be out of this house!”

Susan had tears in her eyes. “I love you, Dad,” she said, then walked out. Even though Steve had hired detectives, no one could find her.

“How many children does she have?” he asked the pastor.

“Four,” replied Pastor Morris. “Three girls and a boy. Lovely children.”

Steve grabbed his phone and ordered his private jet to be ready. “Pastor, will you come with me to Los Angeles? Help me find my daughter?” he asked quietly.

The pastor agreed, and two hours later, they were on Steve’s jet heading south. A limo was waiting for them when they landed. The pastor directed the driver to a parking lot near a big mall. At the far end of the lot, a pickup truck was parked, with a tent at the back.

Pastor Morris had explained that when Susan’s husband died in an accident, the insurance company refused to pay, and the bank took their house. Susan had packed the kids and their belongings into the truck. She now worked as a cleaner at the mall. They used the mall’s bathrooms and bought leftover food from restaurants at the end of the day. Despite this, she kept the kids fed, clean, and in school.

As they approached the truck, they heard happy voices and laughter. Two kids ran out from the back. The older girl, about fourteen, was laughing as she tickled a boy around seven. The children stopped and stared at Steve and the pastor.

“Mom!” the girl yelled. “That preacher friend of yours is here!”

A voice came from inside the tent. “Pastor Morris?” Then Susan stepped out, her face full of shock when she saw her father next to the pastor. “Dad?” she said, her eyes filling with tears.

Steve was taken aback. His daughter was only thirty-one, but she looked much older. Her face was worn and tired from hardship, and her hands showed signs of hard labor.

“Susan,” Steve cried. “Look at what he did to you! I wanted so much for you! And you married that loser! What did he give you? Poverty?”

Susan shook her head. “He loved me, Dad. He gave me four wonderful children. When he died, I had nowhere to go, but I’ve done my best for my kids. I will always love him, just like I’ve always loved you.”

Tears streamed down Steve’s face. “Forgive me, Susan,” he sobbed. “Please, come home. Let me help you and the children!”

He hugged his weeping daughter, knowing things would be okay. Susan introduced him to his three granddaughters and then put her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “And this is little Stevie!” she smiled.

“You named him after me?” Steve asked, surprised. “After what I did?”

“I love you, Dad,” she said softly. “I always have.”

That afternoon, they all flew back to Texas. It was the start of a new life for all of them.