She was not even five years old, and every day they saw her walk the same route at the same time. Every afternoon, little Sophia Elena, with her little steps, walked through the same streets like she always did. After 20 minutes, she would return to the path she had walked and head for home. Nobody knew for what purpose or where the little girl was going on these strange daily walks, but most people identified her as the granddaughter of Don Juan, an old electrician in town, and trusts it that she would not get lost.
On one occasion, a new neighbor, alien to the logic already established among the inhabitants of the village, noticed the girl in concerned, had the courage to ask her, Little girl, Where are you going? In a childish and barely understandable voice, she answered with a phrase that seemed meaningless, it’s for my grandfather. The scene was repeated the next day, for the neighbor was hopeful that the little girl would change her words and be able to give him some more concrete information.
But the little girl, when questioned, repeated her answer word for word. It is for my grandfather and went on her way. After several days in that situation, the man realized that he would not get to the truth by interrogating the girl because she would always answer him with the same enigmatic words. And so he decided to follow her on her way to discover the destiny of her small steps. After doing so, he found a truth that filled him with both surprise and tenderness.
Sophia Lena loved her grandfather more than anyone else in the world. Her parents also lived in the same house and loved her, but they had to work all day long, and there was very little time they could share with her. Her grandfather, on the other hand, was a retired electrician who, although he was on a pension, still felt strong enough to work and had set up a small electrical workshop in the house where he lived with his daughter, granddaughter and soninlaw. So it was Don Juan who spent all day with his granddaughter, spoiling her and giving her all the affection that children need growing up. He was the one who took Sophia Elena to the doctor when she suffered the health problems of early childhood.
He was also the one who guided her in her first steps and taught her to walk, and it was he who heard her say her first words. In fact, what the little girl was able to say on that occasion was neither Papa nor Mama, but grandpa. When Sofia Elena turned three years old, Don Juan felt that she was old enough to allow him to install an electrical workshop in his home. He would do minor repairs, manage a flexible schedule and thus could not neglect his granddaughter. His daughter and son in laws had no problem with this, as they understood that Don Juan still felt young and wanted to go back to work so as not to feel stuck.
They also knew that little Sofia Elena would always be safe by their side. There, in his workshop, Don Juan began to repair all kinds of electronic devices. Radios, televisions, blenders, and even cell phones were brought to his house every day by neighbors of the town. The quiet but very responsible man patiently went about his repairs. No job was ever too big for him.
He always managed to find the problem in each case and find a solution, as it was a job he did for fun and not out of necessity, Don Juan decided not to charge for any of the repairs. This endeared him even more to the townspeople. When they realized that the man was not receiving any money for his work, they decided to start paying him with gifts for his granddaughter, Sophia Elena. They knew that he adored her more than anything else in the world and that he would not refuse to accept the gifts they brought to the little girl. This way, Sophia Elena became the most adored child in the village.
They brought her dresses, shoes, bracelets, necklaces, and everything that could be found in the local stores. One afternoon, a lady in town who did not have much money but who had a small Orchard with abundant strawberry plants took a few specimens of this fruit and brought them to Juan in payment for the repair of an old television set. That woman did not know that in Don Juan’s house there was also a garden filled with strawberries planted by his wife because in life it was her favorite fruit, and because of this, everyone in that house didn’t eat strawberries again since the death of that woman. Doing so made them remember her and caused them pain. Donohan, however, was a respectful man and did not dare to despise the lady’s gift, so he accepted the strawberries with kindness and placed them next to him in the workshop.
To his surprise, Sophia Lina took a strawberry and ate it with delight. It was a taste she was trying for the first time, and she found it delicious. The child was innocent and was not burdened with the prejudices of the grownups, and the fruit did not cause her anything other than immense satisfaction. In her childish mind, the idea came to her that her grandfather loved strawberries and that this was the reason why that lady had given her a full tray of them, so she was not able to eat them all. But with her small and tender hand she offered a strawberry to her grandfather.
Since the death of his wife a few years ago, Don Juan had never tasted strawberries again, but he loved Sophia Lena and was not able to resist this beautiful gesture and received it. To his surprise, he felt no pain but a deep joy, because at that moment he understood that somehow Sophia Elena carried in her being a good part of his wife, and he found himself happy eating strawberries after such a long time. Sophia Elena, who was a very intelligent child, did not overlook the fact that the fruit was the same fruit she had grown in her own garden. And believing that no one else had noticed it, she felt she had made a great discovery. The next day, she took a few strawberries and brought them to her grandfather as a gift.
Don Juan, now stripped of the ghosts of the past, accepted them and ate them with delight. Since then, every afternoon, that beautiful ritual was solemnly repeated. Little Sophia Lina plucked a few strawberries from the garden and gave them to her grandfather until one afternoon when she went looking for strawberries, she found none because she had already plucked them all. It’s not clear why, but Sophia Lena knew where the house of the lady who one day paid Don Juan to fix a television set with a tray of strawberries was located. So she went to where she knocked on the door with her weak hand, and when the door was opened, she said in her childish voice, can you give me strawberries?
They’re for my grandfather. The lady, captivated by Sophia Helena’s tenderness, continued to give her a couple of strawberries every afternoon, which the little girl kept in her pockets and took them to her grandfather. Don Juan, concentrating on his repairs, was unaware that his granddaughter left the house every day and made a 30 minutes trip to bring him the strawberries he thought came from his garden until that afternoon, when his new neighbor in town dared to follow Sophia Lina and discovered the reason for her daily walks. Although captivated by such a beautiful gesture of love, the man became concerned for the girl’s safety and went to talk to her grandfather. Don Juan did not reprimand Sofia Lena as he was pleasantly surprised at how much his granddaughter loved him.
But to prevent her from being exposed to a daily walk alone in the street, he had a solution to the matter that made everyone happy. He asked that lady for a few strawberry plants and planted them in his garden so that there would never again be a shortage of the fruit in that house. Since then, Sophia Elena and her grandfather continued to share every afternoon that beautiful moment with some strawberries, but now, without the little girl having to expose herself to those daily walks in the street. If you liked the video, don’t forget to like it and leave your opinion in the Comments box. Subscribe for more stories like this one and share with your friends.
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