Lonely Old Lady on Christmas Eve Finds Girl Claiming to Be Her Granddaughter on Her Doorstep — Story of the Day

An old lady was shocked when a girl knocked on her door claiming that she was her granddaughter -- even though she'd never had a child.

Wanda Sereno was a wealthy woman, but she was very alone -- she had never married, had no children, and her parents had passed away many years ago -- until a young girl knocked on her door.

It was Christmas Eve, which happened to be Wanda's worst time of the year when everyone else was celebrating and she was at her loneliest. The doorbell rang, and Wanda opened it. "What do you want?" she harshly asked the girl standing there.

"Hi," the girl, a pretty blond in her teens, said. "I'm Betty, I'm your granddaughter."

Wanda was stunned and angered. "I don't have grandchildren, I don't even have children, so go try your con somewhere else." This girl had jabbed at Wanda's deepest wound, her childlessness.

Many, many years ago Wanda had been in love, but her wealthy parents disapproved of David. They had wanted her to date one of the boys from their circle -- someone from a 'good' family, someone who had money.

Wanda had been only twenty but she tried to stand up to her domineering parents, at least until she discovered she was pregnant. Wanda had been frightened, and even though David told her he'd stand by her, she'd been filled with doubts.

How could they support themselves let alone a child? If she ran off with David she'd be cut off from her family... Her mother had found Wanda crying and she told her everything.

To Wanda's surprise, her parents had been kind and understanding. Her father put on his coat and went out, telling Wanda he was going to speak to David, but when he came back he looked defeated.

"Daddy?" Wanda asked. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry, pumpkin," her father had said sadly. "The boy said...He said your baby could be anyone's. He won't marry you." Wanda had cried bitterly that night, and her mother put forward a plan.

Wanda would go to Seattle to stay with her aunt Gloria until the baby was born, then they would give it up for adoption. "Darling," her mother said. "You're so young, we'll make sure the baby has a good family..."

But Wanda had refused to contemplate an adoption. "It's my baby, mom," she'd said. "I want this baby!" And she did. She'd spent the nine months of her pregnancy dreaming about the baby, but it all ended in grief.

Wanda had gone into labor, but because she was so young, the doctors feared for her life and did an emergency Cesarean section. When Wanda woke up, her mother and father had been by her bedside, weeping. The baby was dead.

It had been forty years since that day, but the pain still tore at Wanda's heart, and now this girl was opening that wound once again. "GET OUT!" Wanda screamed. "My son died, do you hear, he died forty years ago!"

The girl's mouth dropped open and she stared at Wanda. "Dead? You think...NO!" she cried. "My daddy is very much alive! He was born on January 5th,1982 at Mercy Hospital in Seattle."

It was Wands's turn to be left speechless. "But they told me, my little boy died..."

The girl shook her head. "No! He lives right here in town, and he's been longing to see you for so long, but grandpa David..."

"Grandpa David?" gasped Wanda. "David Suttclif?"

"Yes," the girl said. "Grandpa David explained that you had been too young, and had given him up."

"No!" whispered Wanda. "I've been mourning my baby for forty years! I told my parents I would never give him up!"

The girl reached out and took Wanda's hand. "Come with me," she said. "It's time you met your son."

"What's his name?" asked Wanda.

The girl smiled. "His name is Daniel and you're going to love him!"

Wanda stood at the door next to Betty -- her granddaughter -- she thought, I have a granddaughter. Betty opened the door and they walked into chaos. There was a tall man hanging ornaments on the tree with two small children, and a dog barking while the radio played 'Jingle Bells.'

The man turned towards the door and grinned. "Hey Betty, you're on time to hang the star..." then he saw Wanda and he went dead still. "What have you done?" he gasped.

"Daddy, she thought you were dead!" Betty explained. "Her parents told her you died at birth and that grandpa David didn't love her. She's been mourning for you, she never married."

David took two steps towards Wanda and stopped. "Mom?" he asked. "Is it really true?" Wanda found she couldn't speak so she just nodded as tears poured down her face.

Before she knew it she was in her son's arms and he was crying too. Then someone else walked into the room. "Wanda?" asked a voice she remembered all too well. "Wanda, is that really you?"

Wanda turned and there was David looking so much older, looking just the same. "I didn't know," she sobbed. "My father told me you didn't want me or the baby..."

"I did, Wanda," he said tenderly. "Your father came to me, wanted me to sign the adoption papers but I refused. I told him I would raise David because I wanted him, and loved him. Just as I've always loved and wanted you.

"He let me have our son, and he provided for David but he made me sign an agreement never to approach you, to let you live out your own life as you wished. But now you're here, and finally, we are a family!"

That ended up being the happiest Christmas of Wanda's life, and only the first of many more spent with her son, grandchildren, and the man she had always loved.

What can we learn from this story?

• Losing a child is the greatest pain any human being can survive. Wanda believed her baby had died, and she never got over it.
• It's never too late to find your way to happiness. Wanda never imagined she'd find her son again, or be back in the arms of the man she loved after forty years of grief and loneliness.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who is shocked to see her dead husband blink when she kisses him goodbye in his coffin.

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