Woman told dad she only needed 'a mattress' for the move closer to home - she never imagined what he'd do next
It’s a tough lifestyle to be away from parents and move out to make a career and a living. Nevertheless, many people go through this reality to make a living and help their families. A woman named Anaïs D’Ottavo (@anais_speaks) had moved to America to fulfill her dreams, per PEOPLE. As a result, she was away from her parents for 15 years before she decided to move to Senegal, West Africa. Her parents were stoked to have her and offered to help, but the woman only mentioned that she’d require a mattress. When she came home, she was taken aback by the gesture from her dad.
The woman worked at a defense law firm for a few years, but it was not long before she felt the need to change. “It was a combination of things. I recognized that there were so many opportunities lacking in my life as I met international people. I have a family that lives abroad that I can be closer to while also working on my goals. So, I was like, ‘You know what? Why not?’” she explained. D’Ottavo’s dad was keen to have her and was excited to help. “I remember asking my dad, ‘When I get there, all I’ll need is probably just like a mattress,’” the woman recalled. She also recounted expecting to see a mattress and a few basic toiletries and items when she moved to the new place.
Sharing a video, D’Ottavo revealed that her dad surprised her with much more. As she entered the apartment, she was awestruck by the fully furnished home her dad had kept ready for her. The dad proudly showed his daughter the place and all the items she had purchased for her. Super excited for his little girl, he had even stocked up on her favorite food items and was glad to show them all to her, as per the video she shared on her TikTok. “Well, you couldn’t come here and live all raggedy,” he mentioned as D’Ottavo was moved to tears. “I think I got extremely emotional because I had come from a place where I was in survival mode. I just felt extremely loved at that moment,” the woman noted.
She broke into tears, and her dad ever so caringly stopped showing her around and gave her a warm hug. “You’re home. You’ll always be home,” he assuringly said. “I had to kind of rewire my brain and unlearn that in life you walk through life by yourself because that’s very much not the case. Not only did being closer to my family expand my understanding of the social world but it’s also attracting more people to me now,” D’Ottavo remarked.
As she navigates life with her new beginnings, she is not afraid to seize opportunities with the warm support of her family. Sharing a message for others, D’Ottavo said, “I think there needs to be a certain point in life where you take a hard look at your life and ask, ‘Does it make sense? Physically? Do you feel okay emotionally? And if those things are not aligned, something has to change. Listen to that.”
You can follow Anaïs D’Ottavo (@anais_speaks) on TikTok for more content on family and lifestyle.