Begging for food in the middle of a lavish wedding, the boy was stunned to realize that the bride was his long-lost mother, the groom’s subsequent decision shocked the entire wedding…
The boy’s name was Michael, 10 years old, living as a vagrant in New Orleans, the city of sad songs and old bridges.
Michael did not know who his parents were.
All he remembered was the trembling voice of Mr. Ben, an old beggar living under the Claiborne Bridge, who had picked him up from a plastic tub floating in a trash-filled canal ten years ago.

At that time, he was just over two years old, crying until his voice was hoarse.
Around his neck was a worn red woolen necklace and a damp piece of paper that read:

“Please, someone kind enough to take care of this child. His name is Michael.”

Mr. Ben had nothing but a torn bag and weak legs,
but he still carried the child home, sharing with him every piece of bread he found, every drop of milk he begged at the church.

“Someday, if you grow up and see your mother again, remember to forgive her,”
Mr. Ben still said.
“No one leaves you without heartache, Michael.”
Michael grew up amidst the sound of car horns, the smell of gasoline, and cold, damp nights under bridges.
Mr. Ben was his only family.
He never knew what his mother looked like – only hearing him say,
on the old piece of paper there was lipstick and a strand of long hair,
she must have been very young, immature, and cornered.

One day, Mr. Ben had a bad cough and had to be hospitalized.
Without money, Michael begged for food more than usual.

That day, people rumored that the Garden District was having the biggest wedding of the summer – a lavish party held at a five-star hotel.
With a growling stomach, he ventured over.

Michael stood outside the gate, eyes wide open, looking at the banquet table filled with food.
A waiter felt sorry for him and gave him a box of cakes:

“Eat quickly, don’t let anyone see.”

Michael thanked him and sat down on the steps.

He ate while looking inside,
wondering:

“Is my mother somewhere in this luxurious world?
Or is she as poor as me?”

Suddenly the MC’s voice rang out:

“Please come out onto the stage, bride!”

Music played, the lights were bright.

The bride appeared on the stairs – in a pure white dress, her face gentle and radiant, her black hair curled slightly, her smile like the dawn.

Michael was stunned.
Then his eyes stopped at the bride’s wrist – where there was a red woolen bracelet,
exactly the same bracelet he had been wearing since he was a child.

He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it.
He stood up and walked into the hall, his trembling voice echoing through the crowd:

“Miss… that bracelet… are you my mother?”

The whole auditorium fell silent.
The bride paused.
That voice, that look…
And then, when she looked down at the red bracelet,
her heart seemed to stop beating.

It was the bracelet she had knitted herself,
intending to put on the son she had to abandon in despair at the age of 17,
in the middle of a rainy night in the old church.

The bride fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face:

“Oh my God… Michael… My son, are you still alive?”

She hugged the boy, crying and saying:

“I’m sorry… I’ve been looking for you for so many years… I can’t believe I’ll see you again today.”

Michael was silent, unable to comprehend everything,
but that warmth, those tears,
made his heart tremble.
He gently wrapped his arms around her,
afraid that if he let go, this dream would vanish.

The entire auditorium was stunned.
The whispers gradually disappeared.
There was only the muffled sobbing of the mother and son in the middle of the lavish banquet hall.

Everyone turned their eyes to the groom – David Wilson,
a tall man, wearing an elegant black suit.

He stepped forward, holding the bride’s shoulder, his voice calm:

“I knew this from before.
As soon as we started to love each other, you bravely told me everything.
I love you not only for the present, but also for the young mother back then –
who endured alone,
but never gave up on her child.”

He held Michael’s hand:

“If this is your child,
then from now on, it is also my child.
I will not let you and your child be separated again.”
The whole hall burst into emotion.
The groom’s parents – who were strict people –
stepped forward, holding the bride’s hand:

“My child… let bygones be bygones.
From today on, you are our daughter.
And this boy – is the grandson that grandparents have been waiting for for so many years.”

The bride’s tears fell again, but this time because of happiness.

She bowed her head, speaking in front of everyone:

“My reckless youth has made me make mistakes.

I have lived each day in regret.

Today, I would like to thank your family –
the people who opened their hearts to me and this poor son.

I promise to be a worthy wife, mother, and daughter-in-law.”

Applause echoed throughout the wedding hall.
No one thought about the party anymore,
because at that moment –
the wedding had become a reunion of maternal love, of tolerance and kindness

A few days after the wedding,
David and his wife – now Grace Wilson – came to the old house by the river,
where Mr. Ben and Michael had once taken refuge.

They brought a basket of fruit, a few gift boxes, and a large envelope.

As soon as Grace saw Mr. Ben, she fell to her knees, choking with tears:

“Sir… thank you for saving my son.
Please let me take Michael home,
so that I can fulfill my duty as a mother.”

David bowed his head:

“Sir, if it weren’t for you, the boy wouldn’t have lived to see this day.
We just hope you accept this little kindness,
so that your old age will be more peaceful.”

Mr. Ben looked at the two of them, his wrinkled face suddenly softening.
His eyes sparkled, his voice choked with tears:

“I raised him just to wait for the day when mother and child can reunite.
Now I am satisfied.
I don’t need money,
but I will accept your kindness as a blessing.”

Michael hugged him:

“I am still your grandson!
My mother, my new father,
I will always come to visit you, I will not let you be lonely!”

From that day on, every weekend,
Grace and David took Michael to visit Mr. Ben.
They brought delicious food, medicine, new clothes.

In the afternoons by the river,
Michael told him about his studies and his friends.
Grace and David just smiled as they looked at the two people –
a poor old man and a boy who had been abandoned,
who had now become each other’s real family.

David gently patted Michael’s head:

“Never forget,
it was Mr. Ben who gave you a chance to live again.”

Mr. Ben, from a wanderer in life,
now feels he is the richest person in the world –
rich in love,
rich in grateful hearts,
rich in seeing a child live in the happiness he had prayed for for ten years.

And every time the sunset shines on the Mississippi River,
he smiles, saying to himself:

“No one is born wanting to abandon their child.
If anything, it is just fate that forces people to choose.
But maternal love – though interrupted –
still flows in the heart,
waiting for the day to return.