After the spoiled heir of the estate he’s tended for decades cruelly fired Arthur, the humiliated gardener visited one special garden one last time. As he reminisced, Arthur noticed something strange, leading him to make a life-changing discovery.
I was on my knees in the east garden, hands deep in the cool soil, when Margaret from the kitchen staff rushed over, her face flushed with worry.
A woman hurrying through a garden | Source: Midjourney
“Arthur, have you heard? Mr. Stuart is coming home today. He’s taking over everything.”
I nodded slowly, carefully placing another bulb into the ground. “Yes, I heard.”
I’d been dreading this day since old Mr. Jared passed. For years, I’d tended these grounds and watched the seasons change from behind my wheelbarrow, pruning shears in hand.
A wheelbarrow filled with pruned foliage and garden tools | Source: Pexels
This estate knew my footprints better than any place on earth. And now Stuart was coming home to claim his inheritance.
“What will happen to us?” Margaret asked, her voice small against the vastness of the estate.
“We do our jobs,” I said simply. “That’s all we can do.”
A man transplanting a young plant | Source: Pexels
What I didn’t say was how my heart ached when I thought about Jared. He wasn’t just my employer — he was my friend.
We’d spent countless hours working side by side in the small garden behind the main house. There, among the climbing roses and stubborn weeds, we’d shared stories, silence, and laughter.
“Grandpa, I finished my homework. Can I help with the planting?”
A teen boy smiling at someone | Source: Midjourney
Eli, my 14-year-old grandson, stood at the garden’s edge.
Since the accident two years ago that took my daughter and her husband, Eli had been my reason for waking up each morning. He was polite, studious, and hungry for books in a way that amazed me.
“Sure, come on over. We’re putting in the spring bulbs.”
Plastic crates filled with bulbs and plants | Source: Pexels
We worked in comfortable silence until the sound of tires on gravel broke through the morning calm. A sleek car pulled up to the main house and out stepped Stuart.
“Is that him?” Eli whispered.
I nodded, watching as Stuart surveyed the property. It had been many years since I’d last seen him, but he had the same air of arrogance and entitlement as when he was a rude boy who pulled up the irises to spite me.
A haughty man standing near a luxury car | Source: Midjourney
“Remember what I told you,” I said quietly. “Be respectful, keep your distance, and—”
“Never let anyone make me feel small,” Eli finished. “I remember, Grandpa.”
The first few weeks with Stuart in charge were worse than I’d imagined.
The staff walked on eggshells as he inspected corners for dust and fired people for minor infractions.
A tense cleaner arranging a pair of slippers near a bed | Source: Pexels
Where Jared had been kind and thoughtful, his son was impatient and cruel.
“Arthur, isn’t it?” Stuart asked one afternoon, as though we’d never met before. “The gardener my father was so fond of.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied, stopping my work to face him.
“These hedges look uneven. And those roses are half dead,” he declared. “My father may have tolerated mediocrity, but I expect excellence.”
A man examining a hedge | Source: Midjourney
I bit my tongue. “I’ll see to it right away, sir.”
“See that you do.”
As he walked away, I took a deep breath and returned to my pruning. I tried to forget Stuart’s criticism and his pretense at not knowing me, but I was concerned. I couldn’t afford to lose this job.
A man pruning a plant | Source: Pexels
The weeks turned into months, and with each passing day, Stuart’s parties grew louder, and his friends grew more reckless.
They’d roar through the gardens in expensive cars, laughing as they knocked over planters and scattered gravel.
The once peaceful estate became a playground for the rich and careless to party.
People partying | Source: Pexels
One morning in late summer, I was preparing to compost the beds when I heard angry footsteps approaching. Stuart stormed toward me, his face flushed with rage.
“You! Old man!”
My heart sank. Margaret had warned me to steer clear of Stuart that morning. Apparently, his latest gold-digging girlfriend had left him to go skiing in Switzerland, and Stuart was on a rampage.
A man staring at someone with wide eyes | Source: Midjourney
I straightened up slowly, my knees creaking in protest. “Good morning, Mr. Stuart.”
“Don’t ‘good morning’ me. Did you see what happened to my car? Someone scratched the paint. Was it your grandson? That quiet, sneaky kid?”
“Eli was at school yesterday, sir. He’s been there all week for the summer program.”
“Well, someone did it. And since you’re supposed to be watching this place—”
“I’m the gardener, sir. Not security.”
A man working in a garden | Source: Midjourney
I instantly regretted my words, but it was too late. Stuart’s face contorted with anger.
“You know what? I’ve had enough of your attitude. You think because my father liked you, you’re untouchable? You call this work?” He kicked at a pile of weeds I’d pulled. “My dog could rake better than you! You’re nothing but a leftover from my father’s pity. Consider this your last day. I want you off my property by sunset.”
A shouting man | Source: Midjourney
The words hit hard, but I kept my expression neutral. As he stomped away, I felt a strange calm wash over me. Maybe it was for the best.
I removed my uniform overalls and walked to the garden Jared and I had tended together. I hadn’t touched this spot since Jared died because the memories were too painful.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jared,” I said as I kneeled by the garden. “The least I can do for you before I go is clear away the weeds.”
A man in a garden staring sadly at the plants | Source: Midjourney
As I was working, I noticed a patch of ground that had been disturbed.
It wasn’t recent, but I knew this garden better than the back of my hand and someone had been digging here and left half the bulbs to wither and die on the surface.
I dug into the earth with my hands. Soon, I felt a hard surface beneath my fingers. I cleared away the dirt and soon uncovered a small wooden chest, sealed with a simple latch.
A chest in a hole | Source: Midjourney
My hands trembled as I opened it.
Inside, neatly arranged, were bundles of cash, small gold bars, and a folded note. I recognized Jared’s handwriting immediately.
“This is for you, friend. I know you need this! I love you. Your friend, Jared.”
Tears fell onto the paper as I clutched it to my chest.
A sad man staring down at something | Source: Midjourney
Even in death, Jared had found a way to look after us. The cruel irony wasn’t lost on me — being fired had led me to this discovery, this last gift from a true friend.
I left the estate without another word to Stuart.
The next day, I went to the bank and opened a safe deposit box. I transferred everything from Jared’s box into it and placed it in Eli’s name. Not for now, but for his future.
Safety deposit boxes | Source: Pexels
I found work maintaining the grounds at the local high school. The pay wasn’t much, but it was honest work, and I could be close to Eli during the day.
Two years passed faster than I expected.
Eli thrived in school — he was top of his class and his teachers were talking about scholarships and potential. He grew taller and stronger but kept his gentle nature and curious mind.
A cheerful teenage boy | Source: Midjourney
“Grandpa, I got accepted into the summer science program,” he announced one evening, waving the acceptance letter.
“That’s wonderful news,” I said, genuinely proud. “Your parents would be so proud of you.”
“Do you think Mr. Jared would be proud too?”
The question caught me off guard. “Yes, I think he would be very proud.”
AN earnest teenage boy | Source: Midjourney
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While we built our new life, news of Stuart’s downfall reached us through Margaret, who still worked at the estate.
His recklessness had finally caught up with him. He lost everything — the estate, the cars, and whatever illusion of control he’d once had.
“They say he’s moving out next week,” Margaret told me when we met for coffee. “The bank’s selling the place.”
The interior of a cozy coffee shop | Source: Pexels
I nodded, feeling no satisfaction in his misfortune. “That’s a shame.”
“A shame? After how he treated you? Arthur, you’re too kind for your own good.”
Perhaps I was. But bitterness was a luxury I couldn’t afford, not with Eli watching and learning from every reaction, every word.
One evening, as Eli and I walked toward the park, he asked me a question that had been on his mind.
A thoughtful teen boy on a city street | Source: Midjourney
“Grandpa, are you ever going to tell me what was in that box you brought from the estate?”
I looked at him — no longer a boy, but not quite a man — and saw in him the future Jared had helped secure.
“When you’re ready,” I said with a small smile. “When the time is right.”
“And when will that be?”
A man and his grandson entering a city park | Source: Midjourney
“When you’ve built a foundation strong enough that it won’t change who you are.” I squeezed his shoulder gently. “Some gifts aren’t meant to be opened right away.”
As we continued our walk, I thought about Jared, about the garden we’d tended together, and about the seeds we plant that grow long after we’re gone. Some in soil, some in souls. Both lasting far beyond what we can see.
Why More Happy Couples Prefer to Sleep in Separate Beds
According to a survey, only 14% of couples sleep in separate beds every night. And while many of us might believe in the saying “couples who sleep apart grow apart” there are studies that show the opposite is actually true.
We at Bright Side believe that there are no wrong or right sleep arrangements, because to some, sleeping in different beds can be as pleasing as for others sharing a bed with their partner.
A poor night’s sleep can turn lovers into fighters.
According to research, sharing a bed with a partner that has restless sleep behavior can deprive you of 49 minutes of sleep each night. And, when one partner doesn’t get a proper night’s sleep because of the other, it will most likely result in a conflict between them the next day.
Actually, the study even confirmed that couples who tend to have a poor night’s sleep have more severe and more frequent fights than those who wake up well-rested. People who get a good night’s sleep, on the other hand, are more likely to be in a good mood, have lower stress levels, and be more patient.
Resenting your partner because you can’t get a good night’s sleep can be destructive to the relationship.
Snoring, fidgeting, and bed or blanket hogging are just a few of many reasons why some couples choose to sleep in different beds or even in different bedrooms. Lying awake listening to your partner snoring while you beat yourself up to fall asleep can lead to a build-up of anger, tension, and resentment toward your partner.
According to Jennifer Adams, author of Sleeping Apart Not Falling Apart, sleeping in a separate bedroom can even help a relationship thrive because both partners are not sleep deprived.
Each partner can tailor their sleeping conditions to their heart’s content.
Tina Cooper, a licensed social worker, sleeps in different bedrooms with her partner because of their opposite sleeping habits. “I’m a night owl, he’s an early bird. I need soothing sounds to fall asleep, and he likes silence. He likes a hard mattress, and I like soft and full of pillows. And because I don’t like the early day’s sunlight, my boyfriend gave me the master bedroom which gets less light and he has the second largest room that gets the sunrise he loves.”
How you spend the nighttime in your shared bedroom with your partner can also influence your daytime functioning, marital satisfaction, and psychological and physical health. And when 2 people with different bedtime preferences and nighttime schedules end up together, changing themselves just to please their partner’s needs might harm their relationship in the long run.
Sleeping in different bedrooms with your partner means that the 2 of you will have a place just for yourselves where you can relax after an exhausting day. This way, both of you can satisfy your needs without tiptoeing around and worrying about whether your partner might wake up because you want to watch the latest episode of your show before bed.
Even if you don’t remember waking up, disturbed sleep can have a negative impact on your overall health.
During the night, our brain cycles through the stages of sleep several times: light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (Rapid eye movement sleep). But when you interrupt the cycle by waking up during the night, it means that your brain spends more time in the light sleep stage and misses out on REM. And without sufficient REM your emotional well-being and cognitive performance suffer.
Interrupted sleep can also have short and long-term health consequences, like hypertension, weight-related issues, mental health problems, reduced quality of life, and other health-related issues.
People on Reddit share why they decided to sleep separately with their partner.
- “Because a good night’s sleep is more romantic than sharing a bed. I snore and toss and turn. He gives off literal village levels of heat in his sleep and I can’t stand the heat. I read, he can’t stand light. We keep different hours to an extent. A million reasons. We get along so much better this way.” — crankyweasels
- “My partner and I have completely separate bedrooms. We ’sleepover’ occasionally in each other’s rooms. However, we both sleep exponentially better apart. He’s a night owl and I’m an early bird. He wants only one sheet on him, I want 10 lbs of blankets. In addition, having a separate room allows me to decorate it however I want, have my own personal space, and keep it to the level of cleanliness I prefer. People look at us sideways when I mention the separate rooms thing, but it’s been a game-changer.” — eriasana
- “Different sleep cycles due to different work schedules. We are still madly in love and we both agreed to this because it’s the best for both of us.” — AFishInATank
- “Early in our relationship, 90% of our fights occurred in the bedroom. I like to sleep in a cold room with the fan on and white noise like a box fan. I also like to go to sleep with the TV on. She likes to sleep in a warm, still, cave in complete silence and darkness. We started sleeping in separate rooms and all of a sudden 90% of our fights stopped. Also, because we were getting real sleep, other fights turned more into heated discussions.” — ttc8420
What are your sleeping arrangements with your partner? Do you believe sleeping in different beds can help a relationship thrive?
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