I was still reeling from Dad’s funeral. Each of us had received something special from him. My sister got one of his rings, my brother got his collection of vintage vinyl, and I got his classic Mustang. Dad and I had worked on that car together for years. But the car had more to it than I first thought.
After the funeral, I drove home in the Mustang. The familiar rumble of the engine was comforting, a reminder of all the hours Dad and I had spent working on it. As I turned onto my street, I noticed a cop car following me. He didn’t have his lights on, so I kept driving, assuming it was just a coincidence. But as I pulled into my driveway, the cop car did too. My heart started to race. What could this be about?
A classic mustang | Source: Pexels
I parked the car and was about to get out when the officer rushed up to me.
“Stay in your vehicle!” he shouted, his hand resting on his holster.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my hand frozen on the door handle. My mind raced with possibilities, but none of them made any sense.
A policeman in his car | Source: Pexels
“Open your trunk now!” he demanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.
I blinked, confused. “Why? What’s happening?”
“Just do it!” he barked, his eyes hard and unyielding.
A policeman in his car | Source: Pexels
With trembling hands, I reached for the trunk release lever. The trunk popped open with a click, and the officer pushed past me, heading straight for the back of the car. He lifted the bottom lining of the trunk and started rummaging around. His back was to me, so I couldn’t see what he was doing.
“You thought you could get away with this!” he said, his voice dripping with accusation.
“What are you talking about?” I stammered, my mind racing with fear and confusion.
“I’m not talking to you!”
A cop barking order | Source: Pexels
He walked directly to the car, lifted the divider at the bottom of the trunk, and pulled something out. The officer’s body blocked my view and I couldn’t see what he was holding. I felt cold sweat trickle down my spine. What could possibly be in my trunk?
I leaned out of the window, trying to get a better look. “Officer, I don’t understand. Can you please tell me what’s going on?”
A man opening a trunk | Source: Pexels
Still ignoring me, the officer took a step back, revealing what he had found. In his hand was a small, black box. It looked old and worn, with a faint symbol on the top that I didn’t recognize.
“What is that?” I asked, my voice shaking.
The officer finally looked at me, his expression a mix of anger and something else—maybe disbelief? “You really don’t know, do you?”
An old box | Source: Pexels
I shook my head, completely lost. “No, I have no idea. I’ve never seen that before.”
The officer narrowed his eyes. “You expect me to believe that?”
“It’s the truth!” I insisted, my voice rising in panic. “I just got this car from my dad. He left it to me after he passed away. I don’t know anything about a stolen item.”
A stern-looking policeman | Source: Pexels
The officer studied me for a moment, then seemed to soften slightly. “You said this car was your dad’s?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding vigorously. “He and I worked on it together for years. I only drove it home today after the funeral.”
He glanced down at the box in his hand, then back at me. “And you really have no idea who I am?”
Astern cop | Source: Pexels
“Look, Officer, if there’s anything I can help you with, I will. But I swear I have no idea what’s going on.”
The cop’s face softened and I saw him opening the box. Suddenly, I realized he had started to cry.
“What happened? What’s going on?” I asked, my voice filled with concern.
A policeman talking to a man | Source: Pexels
He looked up at me, tears streaming down his face. “I was at your dad’s funeral. I’m sorry about him, by the way. We grew up together, studied, and worked as partners for some time. Then, he moved away.”
At that moment, I remembered seeing him at the funeral, holding a letter in his hand.
A man crying | Source: Pexels
“A lawyer came to me and handed me this letter,” he said, taking it out of his pocket. “Your dad wrote that I was the one who helped him overcome his mom’s death when he was a kid.”
A letter | Source: Pexels
He handed me the letter, and I began to read:
Jonathan,
I know we haven’t seen each other in a while, life is strange that way. Those closest to you can be the ones you see the least just because you’re each on your own path.
Still, I’ve missed you a lot old friend. I’ll never forget all the support you showed me when my mom passed away. You know, I felt ostracized back then. I was the kid without a mom. But you never let me be alone, and for that I’ll always be grateful.
I kept all the toys you gave me. Even the sweets, I’m a little embarrassed to say. I could never get myself to eat them, they meant too much to me.
I know I’ll be passing away soon, I just couldn’t beat the cancer, but I wanted you to have the box with the toys. It’s in my old Mustang that I’m leaving to Bill, my oldest.
If he doesn’t bring it to you, he must not have found it yet. Show him this letter.
It’s hidden in the trunk for safekeeping.
All the best.
Your pal,
Man reading a letter | Source: Pexels
Jonathan showed me the box filled with toys, sports cards, letters, and old candies. I could see the history and love in each item.
“When his mom died, he became so quiet and sad,” Jonathan said, his voice soft and reflective. “I wanted him to get better, I wanted my friend back. So, I gave him my favorite toys. We played with them — cars, even candies, which, as you see, he never tasted. He just enjoyed having them.”
A man crying | Source: Pexels
I felt a lump in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes. The box, the letter, the memories — it was all so overwhelming. “He never told us about this,” I said, my voice cracking. “I had no idea.”
Jonathan nodded. “Arnie was always a private person. But he valued our friendship more than anything. He wanted you to know about it, to understand the bond we had.”
Two boys playing together | Source: Pexels
I started crying too, the emotions too strong to hold back. I handed the box to Jonathan, feeling a deep connection to this man who had been such a big part of my dad’s life. “Thank you for being there for him,” I said through my tears. “And thank you for sharing this with me.”
Jonathan smiled, his own tears still flowing. “It was an honor to be his friend. And now, I hope we can be friends too. Your dad meant the world to me, and I see so much of him in you.”
Two boys playing | Source: Pexels
Over time, Jonathan became a close family friend. I got to know his kids and family, and in many ways, he partially replaced my dad too. We spent holidays together, shared stories, and kept my dad’s memory alive.
Jonathan often visited, bringing with him stories of his and Dad’s adventures, filling the void Dad’s passing had left. His kids became like siblings to me, and his family embraced me as one of their own. It felt like I had gained a whole new family.
Two men hugging | Source: Pexels
One day, Jonathan and I sat in my dad’s old Mustang, the box of toys between us. “Your dad would be proud of you, Bill,” he said, patting my shoulder. “He always talked about how much he loved you.”
I smiled, feeling a warmth in my heart. “Thanks, Jonathan. And thank you for everything. You’ve given me a piece of my dad that I didn’t even know was missing.”
Two men hugging | Source: Pexels
As we sat there, surrounded by memories and the legacy of my dad’s love and friendship, I realized that even in death, he had brought us together. And in that, there was a kind of peace.
Here’s another story about a man who left his son-in-law a surprising inheritance.
Angelina Jolie’s nanny cautions her against repeating history with Brad Pitt.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are still caught in a contentious divorce dispute.
While details about the former couple are limited, sources have shared information with the media that sheds light on the disintegration of their marriage.
Among the notable voices is Krisann Morel, Jolie’s childhood nanny, who claims that the actress is vilifying Pitt and manipulating their children amid their ongoing battle.
Morel played a significant role in Jolie’s early life, reportedly forming a strong bond with Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who tragically passed away from cancer.
Morel gained public attention in 2010 when Andrew Morton released an unauthorized biography about Angelina Jolie. Unlike many anonymous sources in the book, Morel chose to speak on the record, providing an intimate look at Jolie’s challenging upbringing. Her narrative reveals a troubled childhood filled with painful experiences.
The turmoil began with the separation of Jolie’s parents, Marcheline Bertrand and Jon Voight, in 1976. Jolie was merely six months old when her father left the family for a young drama student, leaving a significant emotional void.
“Jon Voight was a terrible father to her at that time. He betrayed her mother, leaving Marcheline heartbroken,” Susan Margaret, a friend of Jolie’s, recounted in an interview.
“She confided in me that Jon emotionally abused her. Angelina faced many difficulties growing up due to the turmoil,” she added.
Bertrand sacrificed her own acting dreams to focus on nurturing Jolie and her older brother, James Haven Voight. During Angelina’s early years, they moved between various rented apartments in New York City.
“We weren’t poor, but there was an expectation that we had wealth because I was the child of an actor,” Angelina revealed in a 2002 interview.
However, the family’s financial difficulties were not the most challenging aspect of their lives. Morel indicated that Bertrand struggled with her feelings towards Jolie, as the young girl bore a striking resemblance to her father. This tension escalated to the point where Bertrand kept Jolie secluded in a separate apartment within their building for two years, attended to by a rotating team of caregivers.
“Angie was a very lonely and troubled child. Her mother became convinced that Jon was cheating even before she was born,” Morel shared with the Daily Mail in 2016.
This separate apartment was originally meant for Jon’s production company, but Jolie ended up living there with nannies while her mother avoided seeing her, staying three floors below. Occasionally, Bertrand would come upstairs to visit Morel, expressing her sorrow over her situation.“It broke my heart. It still upsets me. I really felt for that child,” Morel wrote in Angelina: An Unauthorized Biography.
Morel revealed that Angelina and her brother were largely raised by nannies and often found themselves caught in the middle of their mother’s struggles. According to Morel, Jolie was often weaponized against their father.
“Jon was depicted as the villain, and Marcheline successfully turned both children against him. But this led to years of pain and unresolved wounds that linger to this day,” Morel told the Daily Mail.
Following the disintegration of “Brangelina,” Morel feared that Angelina might repeat her mother’s mistakes with Pitt. She noted the disturbing parallels between Angelina’s current situation and her own difficult childhood, especially when Bertrand severed ties with Jon Voight.
Morel expressed her worries, stating, “I wish I could tell her, ‘Please don’t alienate Brad from the children’s lives. Don’t use them as weapons during your divorce. And don’t demonize your husband.’ Because that’s exactly what your mother did during her breakup with your father, resulting in a lonely and traumatic childhood for you. Why would you inflict that same tragedy on your kids?”
Current Situation
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have six children: three adopted (Pax, Maddox, and Zahara) and three biological (Shiloh, Vivienne, and Knox). Since their high-profile separation in 2016, the former power couple has been engaged in a complicated custody battle.
The court drama has been filled with ups and downs. Jolie initially held full custody until May 2021, when Pitt was awarded joint custody. However, this decision was overturned after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John W. Ouderkirk, who ruled in Pitt’s favor, was removed from the case due to concerns regarding his impartiality.
Currently, Jolie has primary physical custody, while Pitt has scheduled “custodial time” with their minor children. Yet, a final resolution appears distant.
As recently as April, Jolie filed court papers in Los Angeles accusing Pitt of physical abuse—claims he has vehemently denied.
Reports indicate that one of their daughters, Vivienne, has chosen to drop “Pitt” from her last name, with her sister Shiloh also seeking a legal name change. Additionally, 19-year-old Zahara is reportedly using “Jolie” as her surname, and their eldest child, Maddox, 22, also doesn’t include “Pitt” in his name.
For Pitt, these name changes symbolize a deeper estrangement that has developed over the years. According to Little Things, this growing distance has had a profound emotional impact on him, with a source stating, “Brad was devastated by this choice.”
Further escalating the tension, his son Pax harshly criticized Pitt in a 2020 Instagram post that recently resurfaced. “You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell,” Pax allegedly wrote on his private account. “You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday.” He concluded with, “So Happy Father’s Day, you f*****g awful human being.”
A Heartfelt Plea
Currently, Shiloh is the only child legally changing her name, but the overall sentiment seems clear: the children are aligning with their mother amid the ongoing discord between their parents.
Krisann Morel believes Angelina still grapples with abandonment issues, which manifest in her relationship with her children today.
“I don’t know Brad Pitt, but he seems like a decent person, and he resembles Jon, so this is a clear repetition of the past. Angie has no real understanding of what a normal family looks like. Brad does; he came from one,” she said in 2016.
“These kids have been through enough. Angie is attempting to sever their connection with their father just as her mother did with hers. There is so little stability for these children as they move around so much—she is threatening to take away the only stability they have.”
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