Proof that eternal love truly exists
To those who knew Vernon Espinoza, it is easy to explain and believe this story of eternal love for Aurelia, his bride of 62 years. Vernon and Aurelia have five children, 14 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild.
Because of medical challenges that face many seniors, nine years ago, Vernon and Aurelia accepted an invitation to live with their daughter Yolanda and her husband Robert Flores. Robert is my 63-year-old baby brother.
Six years ago, at the age of 86, Vernon passed away. Aurelia, now 90 years young, has remained an important part of Yolanda and Robert’s home.
To some, this story has a simple technological explanation. To others, it will liken to “Night Calls,” a 1964 episode of “The Twilight Zone” where an elderly woman receives mysterious calls from the deceased fiancé of her youth.
While to others, it will be explained as a true love story built on faith. You decide. To help stay in touch with Aurelia’s large family, daughter Levie Espinoza gifted a new cell phone to her mom. Levie freely acknowledges, “Those darn features on cell phones can be challenging.” Besides all the essential phone numbers Levie wanted to store on the phone, she wanted to include a photo of her dad. This way, Aurelia could open her phone and see Vernon as she wished.
The only way Levie figured out how to store her dad’s picture was to assign it the unique and non-sensical 000-0000 number.
Months passed after Aurelia received her new phone and all went well. Calls were received and made by Aurelia. No problems.
Several months ago, Yolanda was in her kitchen when she heard her mom yelling from her bedroom, “Look mija. Come and see.” Yolanda rushed to the bedroom and when she entered, her mom handed her the phone and said, “Look mija. There was a call from you dad. He just tried calling me,” she exclaimed. Sure enough, there was a picture of Vernon and his 000-0000 number showing someone from that number had indeed called. Remember, Vernon had passed nine years before.
Yolanda stared ... but not in disbelief … but in believing this was a sign their dad was watching over them.
Shortly after this unexplainable phone call, Aurelia wasn’t feeling well and spent a week in the hospital. When discharged, he phone was somehow misplaced. Aurelia was distraught when she learned her phone had been misplaced. This was the phone on which she believed her husband had tried calling her. What if he tried calling her again? A new phone wouldn’t do. It had to be the same one.
After many calls to the hospital by Yolanda’s sister Mary, there was no sign of Aurelia’s phone. The family even reached out to housekeeping.
After explaining the situation, housekeeping explained the hospital’s laundry was sent out of state for cleaning. Housekeeping said they would call the laundry facility but “to not get your hopes up.”
As days went by, hope of finding Aurelia’s phone dwindled away. After a week went by, Aurelia who was desperate for God’s intervention, held a vigil in her bedroom and prayed to get her phone back and that a miracle would happen.
And the next morning it did.
The housekeeping staff called the next morning and said “a miracle has happened” and the laundry facility found Aurelia’s phone. They would send it immediately.
When I interviewed sisters Yolanda, Levie and Mary, each one expressed a similar reaction to their mother’s missed call from their dad. “It makes us happy and sad at the same time. The call let us know he is watching over us and that he is OK,” they explained.
Has Aurelia received any more calls from 000-0000? Not as of this column. But Levie has. In fact, several. Does she answer the calls? “I don’t need to,” she states. “My heart tells me it’s him and he just wants me to know he’s watching over us and that he is fine,” she says.
To some, this story has a simple technological explanation. While to others, it is explained as a story built on faith and a dad who wants his family to know he still sees and loves them.
Technological explanation or love and faith?
I choose love and faith.
How about you?