Rosa worked as a clerk at a supermarket, and though the day began like any other, it took an unexpected turn when the loud cries of a baby pierced through the usual noise of shoppers.
Concerned, Rosa searched the aisles, thinking a mother might need help.
She found a baby left alone in a cardboard box
A note beside the baby read, “I will always love you, Sue.”
Years passed, and Rosa adopted Sue, raising her with all the love and care she could give. Sue grew into a beautiful, accomplished young woman, eternally grateful for the motherly devotion Rosa had shown her.
After graduating college, Sue became a successful social media influencer, attracting a huge following by sharing her life story, including her abandonment and the kindness of Rosa, who had changed her life.
She even appeared on podcasts, where she openly spoke about her past and her questions about her birth mother, who she couldn’t understand or forgive for leaving her.
One morning, somebody knocked at her door
It was a woman who bore a striking resemblance to the photo Sue had found in the box years ago
Hi, darling. It’s me, your mother, and I need your help,” the woman said in a quiet voice, leaving Sue conflicted with emotions of joy and anger.
The woman asked if Sue still had the note she’d left, justifying her actions by saying she’d abandoned her out of fear, having been in danger from people to whom she owed money.
For your safety,” she insisted. Sue held back her anger, only replying that she kept the note as her only connection to her.
With pleading eyes, her mother asked for a place to stay
Though suspicious of her sincerity, Sue listened to Rosa’s advice to give her mother a chance and agreed to let her stay. Initially, things seemed to go well, with Sue’s mother helping around the house.
But this changed one day when Sue came home early to find her mother placing some of her jewelry into her purse.
Stunned, Sue confronted her, asking, “Mom, are you stealing from me?” Her mother insisted she needed money and thought she could sell some jewelry.
Among the pieces was a cherished diamond necklace Rosa had gifted Sue upon her graduation.
Do you know how hard Rosa worked to save for this necklace?” Sue demanded. Her mother, undeterred, continued, “But you have so much; I thought I could sell a few pieces so we could have the money.”
“This isn’t about us; it’s about you,” Sue replied firmly. “I forgave you for abandoning me, welcomed you into my home, and this is how you repay me?”
Sue felt she had given enough chances.
She asked her to leave, painfully realizing her mother’s motives were selfish, likely spurred by Sue’s success.
That evening, Sue went to Rosa’s, the one place that had always felt like home.
Rosa comforted her, saying, “You took a chance on someone who once loved you, and that’s what you’ll carry from this.”
Though grateful for Rosa’s unwavering presence in her life, Sue couldn’t shake the hurt from her birth mother’s betrayal, once again feeling her absence.
