He was my hero—my inspiration.

When I was ten, I told him, “Grandpa, when I grow up, I want to be a social worker so I can save children the same way you saved me.”

He hugged me so tightly I thought my ribs would crack.

“You can be anything you want, kiddo. Absolutely anything.”

But the truth was, we never had much.

No family trips. No takeout dinners. No spontaneous gifts like the other kids got. As I got older, I began noticing a pattern.

“Grandpa, can I get a new outfit? All the kids at school are wearing these branded jeans…”

His answer was always the same:

“We can’t afford that, kiddo.”

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