Donna, a 65-year-old widow and owner of a charming baby store in Pittsburgh, had just finished another pleasant day of making her customers happy. The weather was turning rough, and Donna could hear a low rumble of thunder in the distance. So she decided to go home early that evening.

As she closed up her store and turned around to hail a taxi, something caught her eye, and she stopped in her tracks. A lone toddler was wandering on the busy street with a bright red lollipop in his hand. Donna looked closely and recognized the little one.

“I know this little boy…He came to my store with his mother this morning. But where’s his mom? What’s he doing all alone on the road?” pondered Donna as she approached the toddler…

“Hey, sweetie! Where’s your mommy?” she cooed, trying to calm him down as he began crying when she scooped him up. The little boy’s cheeks flushed pink as he looked up at Donna when she carried him to the side of her shop, his tiny hands clutched around the lollipop stick.

“What are you doing all alone here? You shouldn’t be roaming on the road by yourself.”

“Ma-Ma…Ma-Ma,” the boy mumbled, his words barely audible. He began to babble, drooling on Donna’s sweater. He was too little to communicate much. So Donna smiled sympathetically as she cradled him in her arms and sat down, waiting for his mother.

Donna anxiously scanned the street, her eyes darting from passers-by to taxis and buses that pulled up nearby. But nobody came looking for the lost child Donna was holding in her arms.

As the drizzles began to fall harder, Donna grew increasingly worried. “That’s weird. Where did your mother leave you and go?” Donna pondered aloud to the child, who was cozily asleep on her chest. She recalled her encounter with a young lady who had visited her store that morning with this baby.

The girl—petite, blonde, and seemingly not older than 20—looked desperate when she assembled the items for billing at the checkout.

Donna couldn’t help but notice the look of unease in the young girl’s eyes as she counted out the money in her purse.

“Is everything alright? Can I help you with something, dear?” Donna asked her.

The girl looked up at Donna, her eyes filled with sorrow and tears.

“Please…help me,” she pleaded. “My baby is hungry, and I ran out of formula and diapers. I don’t have enough money, but I promise to repay you tomorrow.”

When Donna saw the baby cradled in the girl’s arms, her motherly instincts kicked in, and she could not say no.

“Of course, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. You can have these items.”

Deep inside, Donna was certain the lady would never return to her store again. But the sight of the little child moved her, and she didn’t want to send away a helpless mother and her hungry baby.

Donna loaned the cans of baby food and a pack of diapers to the girl and watched her disappear onto the crowded street. She thought she would never see them again, but it surprised her when the girl’s baby was now in her hands.

“What will I do now? I cannot leave him alone. What mother would leave her child unattended and just disappear like this?” she grumbled. It started raining, so Donna took the baby home, hoping his mother would come for him the following day.

As the baby’s cries echoed through Donna’s house, she felt a sense of joy wash over her. She held the little one close to her chest, and while changing his dirty diaper, her fingers brushed against something hard and cold in his pant pocket.

“What is this?”Donna’s curiosity was piqued as she pulled out a crumpled note and a photo of the young girl with the baby she had encountered earlier that day in her store.

“Dear Robbie, please forgive mama. I didn’t have a choice. I’m the worst mother who could never give you a good life. I’m very sorry for leaving you. But please know that I love you more than anything, and I’m forced to take this decision. Wherever you are, I love you. I always will. Goodbye, honey. Love, Mama.”

Donna felt a lump rise in her throat as she realized that the poor little child had been abandoned by his mother.

“People like her don’t deserve to have children. Not everyone is destined to have babies, and some heartless people like her take their blessing for granted,” Donna was furious as she gently rocked baby Robbie back and forth to sleep.

As the night wore on, Donna couldn’t sleep. She stayed awake and watched the child peacefully asleep beside her, and it felt like his presence had filled a hollow in her life.

Donna had always yearned to have a baby of her own. But life had been unkind to her. She was rendered infertile, and her husband’s death, just two years after their wedding, left her alone and devastated. Donna accepted the fact that motherhood wasn’t meant for her, but changed her mind when she found little Robbie.

Donna was convinced the baby’s mother would never return and couldn’t bring herself to give him up. So, at 65 years old, she decided to adopt baby Robbie, though she knew raising a child alone at her age wouldn’t be that easy. Donna eventually got custody of the boy, and they became one happy little family.

Despite the exhaustion, Donna was happy to wake up at all hours of the night to tend to her son. She spent endless hours learning how to make special baby food. She sang lullabies to soothe him to sleep and told him bedtime stories.

Watching Robbie grow up was a magical experience for Donna. She cheered him up as he learned to ride his first bike and encouraged him to try harder when his grades dipped. She taught him to paint and bake, helped him overcome his fear of math, and even discussed his crushes!

Donna did everything to make every moment of Robbie’s life special and truly deserving. However, she could not bring herself to tell him the truth about his birth mother. As Robbie grew, Donna struggled with this thought and didn’t know how to tell him that she wasn’t his real mom.

However, the truth unraveled itself and shattered Robbie’s heart into a million pieces one day during a game of treasure hunt.

Donna often treated eight-year-old Robbie with candies hidden in random spots around the house in exchange for completing his homework. What started as a fun mission spiraled into a shock for Robbie when he rummaged through a drawer in his mom’s cupboard and found his birth mother’s picture and the note.

“Mama Donna is not my real mommy?” Robbie’s heart sank, the revelation hitting him like a ton of bricks.

“I’m sorry, sweetie…I didn’t mean to hide it from you,” Donna comforted Robbie when he showed her the letter and the photo. “I would never hide anything from you…and I was just waiting for the right time to tell you everything.”

“I love you, honey. You’re my life, and I was afraid of losing you. It’s okay…we can get over this, alright? You are my son, and nothing is going to change that…Not this letter or this photo…You’re always my son, and I’m your mother.”

Robbie’s tender heart refused to accept the revelation or withstand the shock. But with time, he calmed down. His love for Donna never changed, and he still regarded her as his mother.

However, he had made a secret mission in his mind to find his birth mother when he grew older and ask her why she abandoned him. Robbie stuck the photo and the letter on the wall above his bed as solid reminders of this mission.

Years passed, and Robbie was 15 years old when Donna retired from work. She hired a manager to run the baby shop because she wanted to spend more time with her son.

Nothing had changed between them over the years, and everything seemed in bliss until when Donna heard the doorbell one afternoon. Her heart leaped when she opened the door, as she had seen the face opposite her over a million times above her son’s bed.

She had never expected this moment to come and was unprepared to meet Robbie’s birth mother on her doorstep. For a tense few moments, the two women stood there in silence, staring into each other’s eyes.

“What brings you here?” Donna broke the eerie silence between them.

“I came to see my son,” the woman replied. “I know what you’re thinking now, Mrs. Frank…Please, I can explain everything. Can I please come in? Where is my son Robbie? I want to see him.”

“Only five minutes…You have just five minutes to tell me whatever you want to tell me and leave,” said Donna as she led the woman inside.

“I want to see my son Robbie, Mrs. Frank. See, I know you’re mad at me. But I can explain everything. I want to see my son and tell him I’m his mother.”

“Are you out of your mind? Do you think you can abandon him on the street and come to see him whenever you want?” fumed Donna. “Robbie is not a toy. You just left him on the street…anything could’ve happened to him. It was Almighty’s will that I found him. Do you even know what danger you put him in by leaving him on the road like that? Look, I’m not letting you see my son, and that’s it.”

“Please, Mrs. Frank. I want to see Robbie. I know what I did was really…really wrong. I’m sorry and so grateful to you for raising my son. Please, just once…all I ask for is just one meeting, and I’ll leave it to him to decide.”

“Decide what? Robbie is not your son, okay? Not anymore. He is MY SON…I’ll show you the documents if you want. I’m his mother, and I want you to leave right now,” Donna exploded.

“I understand, Mrs. Frank. But he’s big enough to decide whether he wants to talk to me or not. I’m his mother. I gave birth to him, and he’s rightfully mine. I admit I left him, but that won’t change the fact that I’m his mother. Look, I just want to see him, alright?”

“Fine. I’ll talk to Robbie when he gets home. Leave your number, and I’ll call you. Now leave,” said Donna as she showed the woman the door.

Her hands trembled, and her heart sank when she closed the door and watched the woman disappear out of the gate.

When Robbie returned home from school, Donna didn’t inform him about his birth mother’s visit and surprised him with two plane tickets to London instead.

“We’re flying to London? Mom, are you serious?” he was delighted at seeing the flight tickets on the dining table.

“Yes, sweetie! You told me you wanted to go on a vacation to London. Your summer break starts tomorrow, and I had already planned the trip to surprise you.”

“Mom, I love you so much! You’re the best mom in the whole world. Thank you so much. I’ll start packing…And when are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow evening!” replied Donna as she forced a smile. Deep inside, her conscience started pricking her for not telling Robbie his mother had come to see him.

The following morning, after her son had left to hang out with his friends, Donna phoned his birth mother and told her that Robbie didn’t wish to meet or speak with her.

“Robbie told me that he has only one mother, and that is me,” Donna told the woman. “He’s not interested in meeting you…Look, I told him about you, alright? But I can’t do anything if Robbie doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“I don’t believe you, Mrs. Frank,” Robbie’s mother argued. “I want to hear it from his mouth.”

“Are you crazy? Do you want to keep hurting him again and again? You’ve already done enough damage to his life. Just stop this and stay away from my son. He doesn’t wish to even talk about you,” Donna lashed out and hung up.

She flew to London with Robbie that very evening, and they enjoyed a wonderful two-month-long vacation. However, back in Pittsburgh, Robbie’s birth mother was eagerly anticipating his arrival to meet him.

Robbie bragged about his vacation to his friends when he exited the school gates on his first day after the summer break. “Madame Tussauds was awesome, guys! You see this pic…I met this girl at Tower Bridge. She’s cute, isn’t she? She texts me every day…And you know what? Mom told me we’d vacation in Paris next year.”

Just as Robbie was about to hop onto his bike, he spotted a woman waving at him. He vaguely recognized her as a stranger who often lingered outside the school gate. He’d often seen her but had never paid much attention to her. However, as the lady drew closer, Robbie froze in place, unable to look away from her face. Suddenly, he realized where he had seen that face before.

“Hi, Robbie! How are you, my dear?” she greeted him warmly. “I’m your mother.”

“My mother??” Robbie gasped, stunned to realize the woman standing before him was the same person in the picture that adorned his bedroom wall for years.

“Yes, sweetie. I’m Whitney, your birth mother. I understand it must be a lot to take in right now. But I promise I’ll explain everything to you,” she said and proposed to go to a nearby café.

“I was 17 years old at that time,” Whitney began. “I was just two years older than you now. I didn’t have parents…they died when I was little. I ended up living with a foster family, but I ran away.”

“I met your father after that. We dated for a while, but he dumped me when I told him I was pregnant. I was alone and scared…I didn’t know what to do. I gave birth to you, and you were all I had. I thought I would raise you alone, but it was more difficult than I thought.”

“I know I don’t deserve forgiveness…But I love you, sweetie. I wanted you to have a good life somewhere and had to give you up.”

“Why didn’t you try to find me earlier?” asked Robbie.

“I don’t know, honey…I struggled a lot after I gave you up. I worked part-time, went to a fashion design institute, and just moved on. For a long time, I was afraid you would reject me…but a few months ago, my friend lost his only son, and it made me realize that I needed to find you,” revealed Whitney after a long pause.

“I met Mrs. Frank two months ago and told her I wanted to see you. I even gave her my number, but she said you didn’t want to talk to me or see me. I visited again, but your neighbors told me you had gone to London. So I waited for you to return to talk to you.”

“Mom, did my mother come here to meet me?” Robbie fumed at Donna as he hurled his backpack on the couch later that evening.

“Honey, just calm down…Let me explain, alright? There’s a reason why I didn’t tell you…Please, just sit down and listen.”

“Calm down? How can I calm down, mom? How could you do this to me? How dare you hide this from me? Who gave you the right to tell my mother I didn’t want to see her when you knew how desperate I was to find her all my life?” Robbie yelled at Donna.

Donna’s heart sank, and she stood speechless, unable to withstand Robbie’s fury. She cried and pleaded with him to forgive her, but the boy just locked himself in his room and refused to come out.

“Go away, mom. Please, just leave me alone. I don’t want to see you,” yelled Robbie from inside.

Donna pressed her tear-stained face against the door. She realized she was on the verge of losing her son and didn’t know how to make things right.

Donna tried to get her son to have breakfast the next morning, but he was still angry and stormed out of the house. Later that day, he again bumped into his birth mother, Whitney, outside the school gates.

She proposed a long drive together, and he agreed. Robbie was so frustrated that he just wanted some time away from everything.

“Where are we going?” he asked Whitney during the drive.

“We’re going to New York! To my apartment, honey. I have a surprise for you,” she replied with a smile.

As Robbie and his birth mother drove from Pittsburgh to New York, their conversations were filled with laughter and stories. The boy’s mind was slowly healing, and he avoided any mention of his adoptive mother, Donna.

“New York is incredible!” Robbie exclaimed when Whitney parked her car outside a chic apartment building. She then led Robbie to the elevator, and he eagerly followed.

“Surprise!” Whitney said, opening the door to Robbie’s new master bedroom. “This room is all yours, sweetie. I hired a top-notch interior designer in the city to decorate this room for you.”

“Wow!” gasped Robbie.

“Do you like it? You can stay here for as long as you want,” added Whitney.

“It’s wonderful!” Robbie said with a huge smile as he walked into the room adorned with a personal computer, workspace, PlayStation, and bookshelves filled with books. Since Robbie loved reading, he was particularly thrilled with that detail.

Overwhelmed by the sudden change in his life, Robbie decided to move in with his birth mother for a while. The following day, he drove back to Pittsburgh to pack his belongings and leave with her.

“I’ll wait for you here in the car, honey. Come quick, alright?” said Whitney as Robbie hurried to his house to bring his stuff.

An hour passed, but Robbie didn’t show up. “What is this boy doing? Why’s he delaying? Pick up…pick up,” Whitney constantly called Robbie as she paced back and forth outside his house. Eventually, her patience wore out when Robbie never showed up or answered her calls.

Frustrated and impatient, Whitney marched to Donna’s house and barged inside to check on Robbie. When she entered Donna’s bedroom, she was taken aback at seeing Robbie crying on Donna’s lap.

“Robbie, sweetie, what’s going on?” Whitney interrupted. “We’re getting late. Hurry up… let’s leave before it starts raining.”

“I’m sorry…I can’t go with you. I can’t leave my MOM,” Robbie told Whitney.

“You’re not coming? But you told me you wanted to go with me…look, honey, come, let’s go.”

“I know, but I’m sorry… I don’t want to move to New York. I can’t leave my mom…I love her. I was angry with her for what she did. But I can’t just abandon her. She is my mom.”

Whitney was touched by Donna’s and Robbie’s love for each other and hugged them, apologizing several times for disturbing the peace in their little nest. She realized she had no right to come in between them and returned to New York.

Eventually, Whitney later sold her business and moved to Pittsburgh. She bought a house near Donna’s and moved in, and Robbie was delighted to have both his mothers close by. Moreover, he was happy he didn’t have to be torn between his two mothers.

What can we learn from this story?

• Happiness is not about fulfilling your own desires. Your personal pursuit of joy should not come at the expense of others. When Robbie’s biological mother returned after 13 years, Donna refused to let her meet the boy. She was afraid Robbie would leave her. However, she paid the hefty price of losing him when he learned the truth and decided to move to New York with his birth mother.
• True love does not need biology. When you truly love someone, you will look into their heart, not their genes. Donna adopted Robbie and raised him as her own son. She never treated him as someone else’s child and was only determined to be his devoted mother.

Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

A heartless cab driver denies a pregnant woman in labor a ride to the hospital, afraid she would give birth on the way and ruin his seat. Fate brings them together under different circumstances when he learns she’s his grandson’s mother. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.