A hard-working dad fought back tears of joy when his son surprised him with a brand new truck.
For years, 60-year-old Orlando Rodriguez had persisted with his old, broken vehicle, which had failed numerous times due to its transmission needing work and the body rusting away.
These issues did not go unnoticed by Orlando’s son, Miguel Valle, 30, though, who then planned the surprise near their Middletown, New York, home.
The decision was rather spur-of-the-moment, Miguel said: he saw an advertisement for a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 and instantly purchased it.
Miguel then needed to find out a way to surprise his father – so he asked him to head to a parking lot on January 23.
After Orlando, a Puerto Rican immigrant, had arrived in his old vehicle – a 1999 Dodge Dakota which had recently seen its radiator break – Miguel then walked him over to the truck and presented his father with the keys.
The loving gesture brought Orlando to tears: a moment that was captured on video and later shared on Miguel’s TikTok channel.
He said: “The moment played out very well; better than I had expected.
“I felt so warm and wholehearted to see how happy my dad was, just knowing I could give back to someone who has given everything he could to provide for me as I grew up.
“It felt amazing to finally give back when I knew he needed it the most.
“I hope that others in the world turn to their parents and just show appreciation as much as they can.
“Even if it doesn’t mean buying them a car or anything of value – just show them that you are here for them in any way possible, because we are all only here for a short amount of time.”
