Episode one
It was a cold and quiet morning in the small town of Riverbend. The sun had not yet risen, but inside a tiny one- room apartment behind a mechanic shop, a man sat on the floor, cradling two tiny babies in his arms. Their cries filled the air, soft but desperate. His name was
Joseph Carter, a poor but honest man.
His twin daughters, only 2 months old, were all he had left. Behind him, his wife, Linda, was throwing clothes into a worn out bag. her face hard, her heart cold. “Linda, please,” Joseph said in a weak voice, still rocking the crying babies. “Please don’t go. Don’t leave me like this. Just wait a little longer. Things will get better.
” “Linda didn’t look at him.” She zipped up her bag with a loud sound and tossed her shoes into it carelessly. “I’ve waited long enough, Joseph,” she snapped. “I can’t suffer like this anymore. Everyday it’s grease, sweat, hunger, and shame. I’m tired.” Joseph’s voice shook. But what about the girls? They’re just babies. Please, for their sake.
Linda laughed, not kindly, but bitterly. You think I’ll stay here and die with you in this mechanic shop? You’ve been fixing people’s cars for years, and you still can’t afford a proper home. Look at me. Look at them. We deserve more. The babies cried louder, as though begging her to stay.
Joseph stood up slowly, one baby in each arm. His shirt was stained with oil, his eyes red from sleepless nights. We can make it, Linda. I’ll work harder. I’ll find more customers. Just stay with me. Don’t walk out on our daughters. They need you. She looked at the babies briefly, then turned her face away. They’re your problem now.
With that, Linda opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind her. Joseph stood there in shock. He looked down at his daughters who were still crying. He didn’t cry. He didn’t scream. He just whispered, “It’s okay. Daddy is here.” That night, Joseph didn’t sleep. He stayed awake, holding his daughters, warming milk over a small stove.
His body was tired, but his mind wouldn’t rest. The next morning, he carried them to his workshop, a rusty tin structure with broken tools and a single wooden bench. He placed the girls in a small cot he built from leftover wood, and got to work. Customers came and went, some dropping coins, others asking to pay later. Joseph didn’t complain.
He smiled through it all, wiping sweat with his sleeve and checking on his daughters between repairs. But not everyone was kind. Some people laughed when they saw him with two babies in a workshop. Poor man, one of them shouted, “You’re broke, yet you had time to make babies. Why didn’t you wait till you had money before marrying?” Another one scoffed.
Imagine a mechanic raising kids. These children don’t stand a chance. Joseph heard them all. He swallowed the insults and focused on his work. That evening, he closed his shop and sat with his girls in front of the small room he called home. “I may not have much,” he said softly. “But I have you. And I promise I will give you the future you deserve. You will not grow up in shame.
” One day, his old friend Brian came to visit. Brian was a taxi driver who once worked in the same garage as Joseph. Joe, you look tired. Brian said, “This life is too hard, my brother. Why don’t you just give the girls up for adoption? Take them to the orphanage. At least they’ll be taken care of.
” Joseph turned slowly to face him. Never. Brian raised his eyebrows. Why suffer like this? You’re just suffering and smiling. You smile outside, but I know you cry at night. Joseph looked at his daughters, then back at his friend. “I don’t care how hard it gets,” he said. “I will never give them up. They are my joy, my hope.
One day, these girls will make me proud. They will stand tall. I will do everything I can, even if it kills me.” Brian shook his head. “You’re too stubborn.” Joseph smiled. “Number, I’m a father. Every coin Joseph earned went to feeding his girls and saving for their school. He didn’t buy new clothes. He skipped meals. He walked everywhere.
He never once complained. Years passed. Joseph worked from sunrise to sunset fixing cars, motorbikes, and anything with an engine. His hands were always oily, and his back achd every night. But he didn’t mind. Isabella and Ivana were now 17, and it was time for them to go to the university.
They had both passed their entrance exams with flying colors. their dream to study medicine. Daddy, Ivana said one night, “Do you really think we can make it?” Joseph smiled. “You’ve already made it in my eyes.” “But yes, you’ll go to school. You’ll wear white coats and help people. I promise.” But in his heart, he was worried.
