Life had become extremely difficult for their family in recent years. Their daughter Abigail Montgomery had four young children and she and her husband worked long exhausting hours but still struggled to pay bills.
Diana and Russell helped by watching the children every day even though their own pensions were barely enough to survive. The children’s other grandmother lived alone in another city and was constantly sick, so the responsibility fell mainly on them.
After breakfast Russell returned to the bedroom to rest his aching back while Diana carried another bag of trash outside. Snow was falling gently like a scene from a Christmas postcard and the street remained quiet.
When she reached the garbage containers another van pulled up beside her. Two men stepped out and lifted a metal bed frame from the back of the vehicle before placing it next to the bins.
On top of the frame they dropped a large sack filled with worn clothes. Then they removed another old armchair and placed it near Diana before leaving just as quickly as the first van had.
Diana studied the second chair with curiosity.
“This one is also beautiful although the fabric is terribly dirty,” she thought.