A mom who crossed the country to inspect the new home of her soldier son she thought was overseas fell to her knees in shock when she found him inside the house.
Aretha Johnson is extremely proud of her son, Marsayon, a Private First Class with the United States Army, and for the past year, the pair have been apart while Marsayon served in South Korea.
Due to their closeness, Aretha did not hesitate when her son asked if she would travel from her home in Oklahoma to carry out the walk-through in his first-ever home in Central Texas.
It felt great, Aretha said, knowing her son was in the final stages of the “American Dream” of owning his own home and having arrived at the new-build property, she couldn’t wait to look around.
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After making her way through the property, Aretha reached the open-plan kitchen, where she froze in shock as she saw a familiar face enter the room.
As soon as everything clicked, Aretha screamed, put her hands on her head, and fell to the floor in shock.
Marsayon then crossed the room and gave his mom a long-awaited hug, captured on video and shared by realtor Teasia Cooper.
Aretha said: “He told us he needed us to be there for the blue tape walkthrough since he could not ensure nothing was missed and everything was covered.
“We did as great parents do: we got in the car and drove six-and-a-half hours to Texas.
“Unknown to us, our son was hiding in the backyard prior to our arrival.
“Upon walking in, we began to assess and look for any imperfections.
“I started videoing, just in case we missed something, and upon coming down the hall I looked over to my left and saw a person in uniform.
“I double took and, to my amazing surprise, there stood my handsome son, and I lost it.
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“I screamed so loud my husband came swiftly to see what had happened.
“This was such a great reunion.
“Every deployment brings challenges that only some will understand.
“This was truly the surprise of a lifetime.
“It’s hard to pull one on me, however, I have to say they definitely succeeded on this one.
“My heart was full, and prayers definitely answered.
“There is nothing like a parent’s love for their child and the utmost safety of their wellbeing.
“I felt God was truly shining on me and it was the best day of our life.”