The Uninvited Guest

He was bedraggled and unkempt, and looked like he had not eaten a good meal in a long time. His cheeks were sunken and gaunt, and he stooped as though it cost him an effort to stand upright. He had not shaved and was sporting a beard that looked to be weeks old. His clothes were old and frayed and inadequate to protect him from the cold weather outside. When Marie Grant answered the door bell, she was surprised to see the stranger standing at her door. Hesitantly, he began to speak,”I was wondering if you could give me shelter for the night” he said.

She noticed that in spite of his rough exterior, he seemed to be quite a cultured man. The tenor of his speech belied the exterior. There were other indications that this man had fallen on hard times. Though his clothes were worn, they were probably of a good quality when he had purchased them. She thought it would be difficult for someone clothed in flimsy clothes like his to withstand the chill of the night, but she hesitated at the thought of taking a stranger into her home. “Wait here”, she told him and went indoors to speak to her husband.

Her husband also had reservations about admitting a stranger into their home. Marie was usually inclined to agree with him about it, but on this occasion she was moved to compassion by the plight of the stranger. She convinced her husband to keep the stranger in their spare bedroom at least for the night. When she went to the front door, the man was patiently awaiting her return. When she told him he could stay for the night, he appeared to be quite relieved. She showed him into the guest bedroom and informed him that dinner would be served in half an hour. She also gave him a set of clothes belonging to her husband so that he could tidy up.

When he appeared at the dinner table, he was a lot more presentable after a bath and the change of clothes. She introduced him to her husband, James, her son, Jonathan and daughter, Christie. He ate quietly and as soon as they had finished, he got up from the table and began to help them clear the table. He also offered to do the dishes, but Marie declined his offer. Instead, she told him that he could sit and watch television with them after they had cleared the things from the dinner table. When they moved to the sitting room to watch television, he watched quietly without vouchsafing any comment. When it was time to retire for the night, she told him that she and her husband usually had breakfast at 7:30 a.m. She was quite curious to find out what had brought him to this pass and decided to find out more about him on the following day.

The next morning, he appeared promptly at 7:30 for breakfast. Since her children usually had their breakfast later, it was only the three of them who sat for the meal. She prevailed upon her husband to allow the stranger to stay for a few days with them. At breakfast, she informed him about their decision and was quite gratified when he seemed to be touched by their kindness. Though he was not exactly loquacious, he seemed to be a decent human being. When her husband had left for work, he helped her tidy up the breakfast table. He also took on several chores to be done around the house.

Her daughter and son had at first expressed their doubts about keeping a stranger in their home, but they were soon reconciled to her decision when they realized that he was a good man. She tried to engage him in conversation in order to find out more about him, but he was quite reticent. However, when her daughter tried to start up a conversation with him, she had better luck from her efforts. He unbent sufficiently and responded to her queries without hesitation. Within a short while, they were chatting amicably and seemed to be on the best of terms.

Later, her daughter came to tell her about her protracted conversation with their guest, Matt. He had told her a little bit about his family. He had a wife and a son and had lost his daughter to cancer. She had been about the same age as Christie, and the loss had hit him hard. He had left his home and had been living on the streets for some months. His wife had begged him to come home, but he had remained adamant. She had tried to convince him to seek treatment with a psychiatrist, but he had turned down that suggestion as well. As they were well-off, his wife had no concerns about their financial well-being.

He took them up on their offer and continued to stay with the Grants for some days. He was not a burden as he did the chores around the house and pulled his own weight. He also got on well with Jonathan, whom he was teaching to carve little figurines out of woodwork. After his initial hesitation, he began to get more comfortable around Marie, and also spoke to her about his family. As days went by, he grew to be a part of the household and even ran errands for the family. He also was on good terms with James, with whom he discussed politics and the state of the economy.

After a few weeks, Matt began to grow restless and seemed to be out of sorts. When Marie tried to find out the reason, he was not very forthcoming. Later, he himself came and told her the reason for his behavior. As he interacted more and more with the Grant family, he had begun to miss the members of his own family. He was now considering moving back into his home with his wife and son. When she heard this, Marie encouraged him to get in touch with his wife and speak to her about it. He promised to call and get in touch with his wife on the following day.

The next day he seemed to be quite ebullient. He had spoken to his wife and they had decided that it was time he returned home. The Grants were quite delighted with the turn of events, and they offered to drop him home as this would give them a chance to meet his family. They wanted matters to be brought to a satisfactory conclusion as they had grown quite fond of him. Accordingly, they took him with them and went to his home. They were quite taken with the wife, who was a charming person and the son too was quite a likable young man. Christie got along very well with him and very soon they began to get along like a house on fire. Having settled matters to their satisfaction, the Grants then returned home after promising to keep in touch with Matt and his family.