Since his wife passed away several years ago, Pedro, a committed businessman, has worked from home. That has made it possible for him to care for his 12-year-old daughter Maria and meet all of her demands.

He would drive his daughter to school each morning, but she would walk home with her friend Anna throughout the day. Pedro would wait for her to arrive while sitting on his porch.

Anna’s house was further down the street, so Maria arrived first. With a smile on his face, Pedro would return the girls’ greetings.

Peter had observed Maria was bringing soiled clothes home throughout the previous month. He didn’t give it much thought and assumed it was just typical playground behavior for kids.

He did notice, though, that his daughter was no longer walking with her companion. Anna always got the first vote. Normally, Maria would show there twenty to thirty minutes later.

He made the choice to speak with Anna’s mother.

“Hello Lucy, how are you doing today? Is there a problem between Anna and Maria? They stopped strolling together after school, I noticed.” He queried.

“Hello Pedro, there’s another one of those conflicts between the gals. Teenage stuff, you know,” Anna’s mother retorted.

Pedro determined the following day to find out where Maria was heading after school because he didn’t think this was a smart idea.

In front of the school, he waited in the automobile. He observed Maria, his daughter, leave. He then turned on the car’s motor and walked gently in her direction.

After some time, she went into an old, deserted house. Pedro followed her into the house after quietly parking. He observed Maria approaching an elderly man wearing rags there.

“Maria! Escape from him! He yelled.

A bag of food the daughter had brought from the school cafeteria was dropped for the man when she leapt in response to her father’s booming yell.

But, she started to say, “Daddy.” Before she knew it, Peter was putting her in the car after picking her up off the ground.

Maria, you can’t just enter vacant homes and engage in casual conversation with the homeless like that! Could he harm you? He said with rage.

Dad, I’ve been giving him food for weeks. Hearing her father’s sobs, Maria cried out, “He’s never touched me.

He can still do it in the future, just because he hasn’t done it yet. In addition, there are several risks outside. In unsafe areas, you cannot stroll alone. Maria, make a promise. You can’t go back there, he repeated, still in disbelief at his recent shocking discovery.

Maria reluctantly nodded.

“I swear. However, Dad, could you please bring the drawings he made for me? I need the sketches, please,” he begged.

After returning to the abandoned home with Maria because she wouldn’t stop crying, he noticed the same man sitting on the floor.

Pedro stated, “My daughter won’t quit raving about some sketches she left here.”

The homeless man quietly gave him some pieces of paper. When Pedro realized these were pictures of his late wife, he was shocked.

“Your daughter is a sweet young lady. One day I was lying on the floor because I was so fatigued and sick and hungry. Maria tried to assist me, but her companion warned her not to get near me. She stayed, but her companion fled home furious,” the man said in his opening statement.

“She made me a sandwich, got me some tea, and entertained me while I rested. She then accompanied me as I made my way to my accommodation. I informed her I used to be an artist after we had a long conversation. She provided me with certain supplies and asked me to depict her late mother, he continued.

The homeless man claimed that although Maria regularly visited him and brought him sandwiches, he never requested payment for the drawings:

She is a lovely young lady. She always brought meals for me, so I was glad to complete the photos for her because I could tell how much they meant to her. Her clothes got muddy because she would wait for me to complete drawing while seated on the floor.

Peter was immediately repentant for misjudging the man. He became aware of Mary’s mother-related longing and discovered in him a loving buddy who would kindly paint images of her mother.

“I apologize if I misread you. I believed you were up to no good, and the idea of losing my daughter was too painful for me to take. I’m sorry, and I appreciate you helping her retain her mother’s memory.

The homeless man then gave him his final sketch.

She asked me to sketch this yesterday, so I did. He declared, “I just finished it and was going to deliver it to her.

When Pedro picked up the piece of paper, he could see that it was a drawing of his family. He was giggling while eating dinner with Maria and his late wife Mariana. Pedro broke down in tears.

He cried out, “This is beautiful.” “I’m very grateful. It will be framed by me.

He took a moment to gather himself before asking the man a question:

“My closest friend runs a gallery. Would you like to meet him? He hires artists for his exhibitions and art shows.

The guy grinned.

“I wish I could. I’m grateful. I’ve been setting up camp in this deserted area for some time. I would welcome another opportunity to lead a regular life,” he retorted.

That was the start of a wonderful transformation in his life that gave him the freedom to do what he genuinely enjoyed while being able to eat, sleep, and live comfortably. He was able to rent a modest studio and live there once he began to receive payment for his work at the art gallery. He was content and satisfied.

He also kept up his friendship with Pedro and Maria, who frequently invited him to dinner. The girl began taking drawing lessons from him, and it was there that she fell in love with painting.