Man Sees Homeless Man’s Painting, Discovers Family Secret
From The Bottom To The Top
Sometimes it’s hard to escape your past, if not impossible. There was an LA Dodger who worked hard to get himself from the bottom and up to the top. You would think that it would be easy for him to forget about his past, before fame and wealth.
No one could have thought that after his rise to fame, he would face the surprise of a lifetime. This surprise would come from a visit with a mysterious, homeless man.
Loved By All
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It was 2021 and Jimmy was getting used to having the world in the palm of his hand. Jimmy was born and raised in LA and at the age of twenty-two, his entire life was dedicated to baseball. He was also being considered for the first team of the LA Dodgers.
The people in his community loved him, they were rooting for him every step of the way. He felt great, he was at the very prime of his professional performance. He only seemed to get better with every game he played. Everyone was expecting him to go higher and higher in his career. But sometimes, things got tough for Jimmy.
Troubling Childhood
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No one knew, but Jimmy’s past had very little to do with his life and career. Growing up wasn’t easy for him. When he was little, his parents abandoned him at an LA orphanage.
He had no idea who his parents were and he never found out why they left him all those years ago. It impacted his developing personality greatly. But along the way, his childhood took a fortunate turn, at least for a while.
Poor Family
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Jimmy scored big when he got his adoptive parents. They exposed him to a peaceful and loving home, and they all got on well. It felt like a safe haven for Jimmy.
But unfortunately, his adoptive family was poor. There was a period of time when they couldn’t even pay their landlord. They had no choice but to be homeless for a few months. That was when Jimmy discovered something that would help him get by.
Burning Passion
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At this stage, he discovered his burning passion for baseball. This passion would remain for the rest of his life.
His family couldn’t afford to get him a team membership, so he stuck to playing baseball with the kids on his street. But one day, his skills caught the attention of one particular person.
Everything Changed
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In their neighborhood lived a well-known man. He scouted for one of their city’s amateur teams and was blown away by Jimmy’s talents. He decided to speak to Jimmy, and that was when he agreed to be admitted into one of their local clubs.
As soon as he joined, Jimmy wasted no time as he rose from amateur teams to the professional leagues. The LA Dodgers noticed and gave him the offer of a lifetime. They wanted him to join the youth ranks of the team. Jimmy jumped at the opportunity and started getting paid for his sport. This helped him get himself and his family off the streets. But fate had more in store for him.
Big Plans
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Not long after this, he was being considered for the Dodgers’ first team. What followed was fame and fortune. He was finally in a position where he could do something he had always wanted to do. He was ready to organize a benefit event for the city’s homeless. He knew he would always feel some kind of connection to them.
In the city was an abandoned warehouse where many homeless people lived. He wanted to make these people the main guests of his event. But Jimmy was told that a certain someone lived in that warehouse.
Markus The Painter
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This individual was a man named Markis. Markus sold his own paintings in the streets of LA. He was old, and his art was unconventional and sometimes a little eerie. But people were captivated and mesmerized by it.
He had many clients, which made it possible for him to earn decent money. He was a well-known person in the city. But no one really knew about his past. He was mysterious and strange, which made him the center of many rumors and stories.
Collaboration
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Some rumors stated that he once was a millionaire, but had a fall from grace. Others said that he was a convicted criminal that managed to escape authorities. There were more stories about him being a bankrupt member of some European nobility or a fugitive war criminal.
But Jimmy didn’t take any of these rumors and stories to heart. He took a liking to Markus’ art and decided to collaborate with him. He wanted to sell some of Markus’ paintings at the benefit event.
Massive Success
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Markus agreed to it. But after negotiating with Jimmy’s representative, he wasn’t expected to be at the event. He was odd and people found him to be an uncanny character. But he changed his mind at the very last moment.
Jimmy was running late, but by some miracle, he managed to make it at the peak of the event. Guests were loving it, and Markus’ paintings were nearly sold out. Jimmy was overjoyed. He shook a few hands before he made eye contact with a certain someone.
Markus Was There
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He recognized Markus standing in front of a dazzled audience. Markus looked back and stared at him. Suddenly, Jimmy was stricken by a tremendous feeling of astonishment and familiarity. He knew that man.
He suddenly realized who Markus was. Markus was no other than his first coach: the first man who had devoted himself to feed Jimmy’s passion and offered him his guidance when he was just a street kid. But, during Jimmy’s rise to success, things had been different for Markus.
A History Of Loss
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Markus had fallen into disgrace. He had lost his job, girlfriend and home. He had stopped coaching baseball. He ended up on the street and took painting as his new found passion. Traumatized, he refused to give details about his past to any of his homeless fellows.
At first, Markus didn’t recognize Jimmy. But after a short conversation, he clearly remembered their past together. The student and the master, both teary-eyed, embraced in a hug. It was then that Jimmy asked Markus one question.
Jimmy’s Offer
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Jimmy asked Markus if he would like to get back into baseball coaching. Jimmy’s position granted him a lot of contacts that would make it easier for Markus to get a coaching position in a professional team and leave the streets.
However, Markus, still with tears in his eyes, refused Jimmy’s proposal.
Markus Declines The Offer
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Markus argued that he was happy with his street life. He was passionate about art, he loved his warehouse fellows, and wasn’t interested in money and success.
He just asked one thing from Jimmy: that he remained true to his word and used the money raised by the event to make the lives of the Los Angeles homeless a little better.
A Happy Ending
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And that was exactly what happened. The benefit event was a success and Markus made a lot of money with his paintings that he shared with his people from the warehouse.
Jimmy donated all the funds raised by the event to improve the conditions of the commune and help other homeless people in Los Angeles. And Markus kept devoting himself to his art, just like he wanted.
