00:00When my sister passed away five years ago, I promised her I'd look after her son, Jordan.
00:05He was only 10 then, with eyes far too mature for his age, carrying grief heavier than any child should bear.
00:13I wasn't just his aunt anymore. I became his guardian, his protector, his last tie to family.
00:19I never imagined that one simple wish of his would change everything between us.
00:24I'm Rachel Parker, 42 years old, a high school math teacher living in suburban Michigan.
00:30My life used to be calm, almost predictable. I had a steady job, a mortgage, and my cat, Oliver, to keep me company.
00:39When Jordan came into my life permanently, I wasn't sure if I could raise a child.
00:44I had never been a mother, but something about him, his quiet strength, his resilience, made me believe I could try.
00:50The first few years were hard. He barely spoke, preferring to stay in his room with headphones on, burying himself in video games and homework.
00:59I respected his space, but made sure he knew I was there. Slowly, he opened up.
01:05It started with short conversations at dinner. Then came laughter at my terrible jokes and eventually trust.
01:11That's what made this story possible. That trust.
01:14Jordan turned 15 last fall. He had grown into a tall, lean young man with his mother's dark hair and his father's stubborn jaw.
01:23He did well in school, helped around the house, and rarely got into trouble.
01:28I was proud of him. Truly.
01:30And that's why I was caught off guard when he approached me one evening with a serious look in his eyes and said,
01:36Aunt Rachel, I have a wish.
01:38It was just after dinner. The sun was setting, casting warm orange light through the kitchen windows.
01:45I was rinsing dishes while he sat at the table, fidgeting with a pen.
01:49I dried my hands and turned to him, sensing something was weighing heavily on his mind.
01:55Okay, I said, trying to sound calm.
01:58What is it?
01:59He hesitated, then stood up and paced a little, something he only did when he was nervous.
02:04It's not anything bad. I just, I've been thinking about it for a long time.
02:10I waited, heart pounding.
02:13What could it be? A car? A new phone? Permission for something more serious?
02:18He finally stopped and looked me dead in the eye.
02:21I want to know more about my mom.
02:23I want to know the kind of person she was.
02:26Not just the stories, but the little things.
02:28What made her laugh?
02:30What did she like?
02:31What did she hate?
02:32You always talk about her in pieces, but I want to feel like I knew her.
02:37Like, really knew her.
02:39I stared at him, stunned.
02:42Of all the things I expected, this wasn't one of them.
02:45I felt a lump rise in my throat.
02:48His voice didn't shake, but his eyes glistened with hope.
02:52It wasn't just a wish, it was a need.
02:55A longing to reconnect with something lost.
02:57I nodded slowly.
02:59Okay, Jordan.
03:00I can do that.
03:01That night, I went up into the attic, pulled out old photo albums, letters, even some of Ashley's high school notebooks.
03:10I spent hours going through them, organizing them in a way that could tell her story without overwhelming him.
03:16The next evening, I sat down with Jordan and began.
03:19We laughed at her awkward teen poetry, her yearbook scribbles that said things like,
03:25You'll marry Leo, DiCaprio someday.
03:28We listened to cassette tape she recorded in high school, talking to herself in goofy voices.
03:34Jordan's eyes lit up every time I played one.
03:37He soaked in every detail like it was water in a desert.
03:42Over the next few weeks, this became our ritual.
03:45Every evening, I'd share something new.
03:47We'd talk for hours, sometimes until midnight.
03:50It brought us closer, in ways I didn't expect.
03:54He began to confide in me, about school, friends, even a girl he liked in his science class.
04:00I became more than just his guardian.
04:02I became someone he could trust with his heart.
04:05One evening, as we sat on the back porch sipping hot cocoa, he looked at me and said,
04:11Aunt Rachel, thank you for saying yes.
04:14This meant more to me than I can explain.
04:17I smiled, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear.
04:20Jordan, there's nothing in the world I wouldn't do for you.
04:24He nodded, then added,
04:26Can I make one more wish?
04:28I laughed.
04:29You're pushing your luck, mister.
04:31He grinned.
04:32It's not a big one.
04:34Just, I want to visit the place where you and mom grew up.
04:38You said it's only two hours away, right?
04:40I froze for a second.
04:42Our childhood town was full of memories, both beautiful and painful.
04:47After my sister's death, I avoided going back.
04:50But for Jordan, I could face those ghosts.
04:53All right, I said after a pause.
04:55Let's take a road trip this weekend.
04:57The drive there was quiet at first, but as the miles passed, Jordan asked questions nonstop.
05:02Did you and mom fight a lot?
05:05Was she popular?
05:07Did she have a secret spot she went to?
05:10By the time we reached the old house, now abandoned, we were both buzzing with emotion.
05:15The paint was chipped, windows boarded up, but it still felt familiar.
05:20We walked around the property, Jordan touching the walls like he was searching for pieces of her in the wood.
05:25She carved our names into the tree in the backyard.
05:28I remembered suddenly.
05:30Come on.
05:32Sure enough, there they were.
05:33Ashley plus Rachel, surrounded by a crooked heart.
05:37Jordan stared at it, silent, then gently ran his fingers over the faded letters.
05:43I saw tears fall, but he didn't hide them.
05:46He turned and hugged me tightly.
05:48Thank you, he whispered.
05:50This means everything.
05:53The rest of the day, we toured the town, her favorite ice cream shop, the bridge where she used to skip rocks, the library she practically lived in.
06:02With every place we visited, I watched Jordan fill in the missing pieces of his mother.
06:07And with every piece, he grew stronger, more at peace.
06:11On the drive home, he was quieter, but it was a peaceful silence.
06:16As we pulled into the driveway, he turned to me and said something I'll never forget.
06:21You've given me something I didn't know I needed, Aunt Rachel.
06:25You gave me back a part of my mom.
06:27I didn't respond right away.
06:29I was too choked up.
06:31But later that night, as I lay in bed, I realized his wish had healed something in me too.
06:37Sharing Ashley's memory didn't just help him.
06:40It helped me grieve in a way I hadn't allowed myself to.
06:43For years, I had bottled it all up.
06:47But now, the pain felt lighter, Carrie between the two of us.
06:51Weeks passed, and Jordan seemed more open, more present.
06:55He made new friends, joined the photography club at school, and even started writing a journal, something his mom used to do religiously.
07:03One evening, I came home to find him at the kitchen table, working on something with glue and scissors.
07:09When I asked what it was, he smiled and held up a scrapbook.
07:12Look, I'm making a memory book about mom, he said.
07:16And you.
07:16Because you're the reason I have these memories.
07:20I sat beside him, flipping through the pages he had already finished.
07:24Pictures of our trip, notes I had written about Ashley, even silly doodles he'd made of the two of us.
07:30I hugged him, proud beyond words.
07:33That's when he asked one last wish.
07:35Can we keep doing this, Aunt Rachel?
07:37Even if it's just once a week?
07:39Share more stories.
07:41Go on little trips.
07:42Take pictures.
07:43I want to keep building this.
07:45I squeezed his hand.
07:47Jordan, it would be my honor.
07:49And that's what we've done.
07:51Every week, we carve out time to remember the past and build new memories for the future.
07:56His wishes weren't just about curiosity, they were about connection, about love, about healing.
08:03Saying yes wasn't just a decision, it was a promise.
08:07And I'll keep saying yes, every time he asks.
Be the first to comment