Mom, I'm your good samaritan.

I'd always known that we were poor. Dad or you never refused us anything. You gave us everything you could. If something was possible, you guys did it.

I was, and I'm very thankful to you for all.

Even as a kid, I understood we weren't doing as well as some of my friends' families. The things they had would sometimes make me sad. And I would promise myself that I'd earn so much that I'll provide you guys with everything you want.

When I was in class 8, Dad was building our new home. I was old enough to understand what was going on. Dad talked to us about it. He wanted us to be aware of our situation.

I knew Dad had taken a loan from the bank to build the house. Dad's friend, Mr. P, had advised him to apply for a bigger loan. But Dad declined the offer saying the money was enough for building one floor of the house.

And at the beginning, he was sure of it–a little too confident. The money was soon gone, and a little work was still left on the house.

I remember seeing you and Dad under immense stress. I would sometimes wake up in the night to drink water and see you two awake. The pressure on your faces was quite evident.

But all the problems didn't stop you two from providing us with everything we needed for our studies. We never went without anything significant.

I thought we'd take another loan. But Dad explained to me that we can't. We'd have to keep something for the bank for a loan, and we had nothing. Soon, there were talks of selling things. We didn't have much–to begin with.

I still remember the day Dad had come from the jewelers. He looked sad and worried. He informed me that they were selling your jewelry. I knew you had a few pieces. But I was shocked to know you'd be selling them. Your Dad gave you a gold necklace and earrings during your marriage.

I knew you'd be devastated. The earrings and the necklace were the only things you had from grandpa. He was no more, and it would be killing you to part with those gifts. I went to find you. And I had seen you sitting on the staircase, crying. When I sat there with you, you held onto me and cried.

I had felt so helpless. I wished I had money. I would never have let Dad sell your jewelry. But I couldn't do anything about it.

A few days later, Dad said he had sold off the earrings. He'd sell the necklace in a day or two. Even after selling them, we were short of money. And he was at wit's end.

That evening, his elder sister called. He narrated the whole situation to her. He told her he needed a few more hundred to complete the work. She asked for the picture of the necklace which he had sent. Then, she offered him to sell it to her, and she would add in the extra hundreds. Her daughter was getting married that month, and she liked the necklace for her.

Dad was beyond happy. When he told you, you got a little less sad. You were pleased that your necklace was in the family, at least.

Over these years, you had talked about the incident too many times for me to forget about it. It only made me realize more and more how important the pieces were for you.

To be honest, I had decided that I would ask my aunt to show me the necklace once. And I would make the exact necklace for you. That was my whole plan all along these years.

But God had other plans.

Do you remember the last year we went to the same aunt's son's wedding?

I had no interest in the wedding. I had gone there with the simple motive of looking at the necklace's design. I didn't know how it looked at all. I was hesitant about bringing up the topic, but Aunt did it herself.

She informed me that the necklace her daughter was wearing right now was yours. It was the first time I noticed the woman's neck.

THE NECKLACE WAS BEAUTIFUL.

I could understand why Aunt had agreed to pay extra for it years ago.

I asked her if I could see the necklace. Aunt called her daughter and asked her to give it to me. My cousin came over and handed it to me. She said she loved the necklace and had worn it since she got it.

She also confessed she had been meaning to sell it. She wanted some modern jewelry for her. I was shocked for a whole minute, but I regained my composure.

I knew this was my only chance. Now or never.

I acted on my impulse and asked her how much she was selling it. Aunt told me the price the jewelers were quoting her. It was more than ten times what Dad had sold them.

I told them I would buy it. I'd pay the total price. God was giving me a chance, and I would take it.

They were surprised that I would spend so much money on an old piece. But I didn't need to make anyone understand my motivation. I transferred the money to my cousin at the same instant, in case they changed their mind.

But I wasn't done. I couldn't give you the necklace so simply. If you knew how much money I had spent on it, you wouldn't take it. You'd have tried convincing me that it wasn't that important and I shouldn't waste my money.

And that would be false. I was there with you when you cried. I remember what you said. I remember you saying it had felt like your Dad was parting from you for the second time.

No matter how much you'd denied it, I knew what it meant for you. So I had to plan another way to give the necklace to you.

So I thought of another plan. I asked my aunt and cousin to give it to you as a gift.

Do you remember when they came to you to give you the necklace?

It was after the wedding. We were sitting with our huge family. Aunt had told Dad that she wanted to return your necklace to him. Dad had offered to pay a little money in exchange. But they had declined, saying the money didn't matter. It was their love for you and Dad.

I was laughing so hard, Mom. My relatives never fail to entertain me. They looked so noble in their speech of love and family values that even I believed them for a second.

What mattered was your smile. The huge smile on your face made it all worth it. You thanked Aunt profusely. You showed me the necklace at least ten times that night.

I was happy seeing you happy. I didn't need any praises. I was content knowing I had done it. I had replaced your tears with your smiles. I know it took a few years, but I'm glad God presented me with the chance.

I know, Mom, this has come to you as a huge shock. You didn't know even a bit of it. I never indicated all this because, as I said before, you didn't need to know.

I never intended on telling you, fearing how you would react. But now I could tell you all this. You can't scold me or ask me to give it back. You aren't here in this world to do any of those things.

But even if you were, trust me, I wouldn't do anything different.