This little one,” he said, patting Lily’s head, “is too young to understand fully.” Mr. Thompson was visibly moved. He didn’t press further and decided to rent the house to Henry on the spot.
A few days later, as the family was moving into their new home, Henry’s joy was short – lived. He realized that he had left some important legal documents at his old office. He quickly drove back to retrieve them.
At the office, he was startled to see his wife, Eleanor, chatting with his secretary. His heart sank as he realized that Eleanor was wearing the same dress she had put on for the “cemetery outing” earlier. Before he could say a word, Eleanor turned to him with a serious look.
“Henry, I need to talk to you. I’ve noticed you’ve been acting strange lately. And what’s this about telling people I’m dead?” Henry was speechless. Just then, his secretary piped up, “Mr. Henry, your wife has been calling the office all day, looking for you. She said you left in a hurry this morning and seemed preoccupied.”
Henry stammered, trying to come up with an explanation. Before he could, Eleanor said, “I think I know what’s going on. You’ve been so stressed about finding a new home for the kids. But Henry, lying isn’t the answer, even if it’s a white lie.”
Just then, Henry’s phone rang. It was Mr. Thompson. “Mr. Henry,” he said, “I heard from a neighbor that you have a large family. I thought you said your wife passed away and you had only one child with you at the viewing?”
Henry took a deep breath and decided to come clean. He told Mr. Thompson the whole truth about his struggle to find a home for his 12 children and his desperate attempt to use a sob story.
