A Year after Mother's Death, Little Girl Sees Woman Who Looks Like Her on Subway — Story of the Day

A little girl mourning for her mom meets a woman in the subway and decides that she is the perfect mother and the right match for her grief-stricken father.

When Kayla was just two years old, her mom became very ill, and she often had to go away, so her grandmother came to live with them. Kayla loved her mom a lot, and when she came back from the hospital she would always be better.

Kayla knew her mom always came back, and when she did she'd be smiling and happy and she'd play with her and laugh a lot. This went on for a long time, until one day Kayla's mom just didn't come back.

Kayla was now four and getting to be quite a big girl, and she was playing with her dolls in the family room when she heard her dad come in, and then her grandmother make a strange, sad sound.

Her dad came into the family room and he sat on the floor right next to Kayla. Kayla knew that something was wrong because his eyes were very red. He took Kayla's hand and said gently, "Honey, I have some sad news. Mommy's gone to heaven to be an angel..."

Kayla sat very still, and she didn't say a word. Then she held up her little hand. "Please, daddy, stop," she said. "Mommy told me she might have to be an angel for a while, but then she'd be back."

Kayla's dad, Harry, didn't know what to say, or even if he should say anything, so he kept very still too and held Kayla's hand. "But daddy," Kayla whispered. "I'm going to miss her a lot while she's gone."

Harry put his arms around Kayla and held her while she cried. It was going to be hard to carry on without his young wife and her big smile and her belief that everything always turns out alright.

So over the next year, Harry and Kayla, and grandma, tried very hard to be a family again the way they had been before mom died, but it was hard. Kayla missed mom and she knew dad did too.

"When is she coming back?" she asked daddy one morning when he was driving her to school. "It's been a year, dad. She should have come home by now."

"Oh Kayla," Harry said gently. "Mommy didn't mean she'd come back to us here. We'll meet her in Heaven..."

But Kayla was shaking her head. "No daddy," she said firmly. "I know what she meant. She said I'd have a mommy again."

The next day when Harry was about to drive Kayla to school, he discovered that his car wouldn't start. "Come on honey," he said. "We'll have to take the subway!"

Kayla was very excited. She'd never been on the subway before! They boarded a train and she started looking around at all the strange people. Then she whispered excitedly to Harry, "Daddy! LOOK! LOOK!"

Kayla pointed at a sweet-faced plump woman sitting across from them. "That fluffy lady over there? She had mommy's eyes and mommy's smile! She looks just like mommy!"

The woman saw Kayla staring and smiled and waved. Embarrassed, Harry apologized to the woman, but Kayla asked her: "Hello! Are you married? Do you want to be my mommy?"

The woman laughed and said, "I'm not married, and I hope one day I have a little girl as adorable as you!"

Luckily for Harry who was blushing furiously, they got off on the next stop. But Kayla couldn't stop talking about the 'fluffy' lady. She knew she was her mommy all over again and that she would make daddy smile.

The next day, Harry's car still wasn't fixed, so they had to take the subway again, and there was the 'fluffy' lady! Kayla ran up to her immediately. "Hello again," she said. "Do you remember me?"

The lady laughed and said that of course, she remembered her and the two of them chatted until it was time for Kayla to get off and go to school. Kayla was delighted.

"Did you see daddy?" she said. "It was magic. Mommy made it so the 'fluffy' lady would be there..."

The next day Harry had his car back, so there would be no more encounters with the subway lady -- or so he thought. They were driving along when Kayla cried, "Stop, daddy, it's the 'fluffy' lady!"

And it was! The 'fluffy' lady was walking along the same street, and Kayla made Harry pull over and offer her a lift. Kayla was delighted. The 'fluffy' lady sat in the front next to daddy and he was smiling and looking happy.

That was only the first of many encounters with the 'fluffy' lady whose real name was Louise, and she and Kayla became great friends. Harry ended up deciding that Kayla was quite right and that Louise would make a wonderful mother so he married her.

Kayla told Louise that she knew her mom had chosen her as her new mom. Kayla adored Louise, but she never ever forgot her angel-mommy, and when her baby sister was born, she named her Angel.

What can we learn from this story?

• Children are wiser than we are, and so they believe in miracles. Kayla believed her mom would send her a new mother, and she decided that Louise was the one -- and she was.
• Those we love may leave this world, but they live forever in our hearts. Kayla lost her mom, but she never forgot her or stopped loving her.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who learns the meaning of victory and honor from his ailing veteran grandfather.

This account is inspired by our reader’s story 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 share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com