Park Janitor Helps Girl Get Home after Falling off Bike, Sees Late Ex-wife’s Framed Photo There – Story of the Day

Adam, a park janitor, runs to the rescue of a little girl who injures herself after falling off her bike. He helps her get home and makes a life-changing discovery when he finds his ex-wife's photo there.

Adam loved children very much, which was why he readily accepted when a friend referred him to a janitorial job in a local children's park. He didn't have a family of his own and had always longed to have children. But after his wife left him years ago, he lost such hopes and chose to remain single.

One day, the 31-year-old was making rounds in the park. He was pretty exhausted, so he sat near the slide and watched kids shouting and running around. All of a sudden, a loud sound startled him. A little girl on a bike had hit the concrete floor with a terrifying thud and began to cry...

"Hey! I'm coming!... I'm coming!" Adam ran to the girl's rescue. He scooped her up and made her sit on the bench. He saw her elbow and knees were severely bruised. The girl was in terrible pain and wouldn't stop crying.

"Why is he interested in raising her? Is there something I'm still missing?"

Adam rushed into the gate room and raced back with a first aid kit. He cleaned the girl's wounds and dressed them up. He was worried about her and could not leave her alone like that, so he decided to assist her in getting home.

"You sure your parents are not around?" he asked the girl when she told him she was alone. "And what's your name?"

"Lori."

"Okay, Lori. Can you tell me where your house is? I'll take you there."

The girl led Adam to her house, which was not far from the park. He scooped her up and carried her home. He rang the doorbell, and a tall, skinny man answered the door minutes later.

"Hey, is this your daughter? She fell off her bike at the park. I work there," said Adam. To his surprise, the man, Fredrick, didn't react or even look at Lori's wounds. Instead, he was indifferent and frowned.

"Oh, alright! Put her down and leave. Thanks!" he hurriedly said.

"Okay?!" Adam grumbled, and just as he turned to leave, he saw a photo on the living room wall. It was of his ex-wife, Bethany.

Adam could not believe his eyes. He and Bethany had divorced six years ago due to domestic conflicts. They lost contact since then, and Adam assumed she had moved away for good. But he had no idea that she lived in the same town and had married someone else.

Several doubts rose in Adam's head. He looked down at Lori and asked, "Who is that woman in the photo?"

The girl replied, "My mother! She died when I was little."

Adam was stunned, and as he headed back to work, he could not shake off the image of Bethany from his mind. More importantly, he wondered about Lori. She appeared to be about six years old, and it had been six years since he and Bethany split. "Am I missing something?" he thought.

The next day, Adam waited for Lori at the park. She had told him she was a regular visitor. He waited at the spot she fell off her bike the day before. He doubted if she would come as she was severely hurt. But Lori showed up, although she didn't bring her bike along. She had come to thank the kind janitor who helped her get home.

"Hello, sir! Thank you for helping me yesterday. Look, I made a drawing for you!" She extended her hand to show Adam the drawing.

Adam was delighted. "Oh, that's so sweet of you, Lori! And where is your father?"

The girl frowned. "That man must be in the house. I don't know. I haven't seen him since this morning."

"That MAN??" Adam did not understand why Lori would call her father 'that man.' His doubts doubled. So as Lori talked about her hobbies and favorite cartoons, Adam plucked a few strands of her hair from the roots to send them for two separate DNA tests.

The results that arrived two weeks later shocked Adam. Based on the report, he was undoubtedly Lori's biological father, with a 99.9 percent probability in both tests.

Adam shrieked, "WHAT?! Lori is my daughter?"

Adam had always wanted to have a family, and the discovery left him speechless. He was happy and confused at the same time. He had no idea why the late Bethany had hidden their child from him. He wanted answers and knew that only one person could help him—Fredrick, Bethany's second husband.

The next day, Adam arrived on the man's doorstep demanding answers.

"The DNA tests don't lie. I took a couple of them from different companies. The results are accurate. Lori is my daughter. How is that possible, and why did my wife not tell me?"

Fredrick refused to answer Adam. He slammed the door and did not allow the girl outside. "Get out, or I'll call the cops!" he threatened Adam.

"I'm going now, but I'll see you in court!" Adam yelled. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Lori's voice. She was waiting to talk to him by her bedroom window.

"Adam, why are you going? I made a drawing. You want to see?"

Adam walked over to her and asked about Fredrick. "Lori, can you please tell me about that man in your house?"

The girl's reply startled him.

"He doesn't love me at all. After mommy died, he would always shout at me and never allow me to play or talk to my friends. He's always rude to me. He locks me in my room, then goes out. He comes home late and doesn't give me food when I'm hungry."

Adam was furious and realized he could no longer leave his daughter with the man. He appealed for child custody in court, providing proof that he was Lori's birth father.

To his surprise, Fredrick challenged him in court. It didn't add up to Adam why the man, who didn't seem to care about Lori, would fight for her custody. "Why is he interested in raising her? Is there something I'm still missing?"

Eventually, Adam got legal guardianship of his daughter. Following the hearing, a lawyer who handled the late Bethany's estate met with him with another shocking revelation. A revelation that helped Adam crack the mystery of why Fredrick was too interested in taking Lori under his custody.

"Mr. Parker, congratulations on winning the case. Now, these are the documents of the house. Lori's mother had bequeathed the estate to her daughter. The girl would inherit it legally when she turns 18. Until then, her father or guardian would be the legal custodian of the entire estate."

The air was now clear for Adam. He realized that this was why Fredrick wanted the child under his custody. He was not interested in raising Lori but in claiming her inheritance. Moreover, it turned out that he did not have any other place to live and was surviving off the home left behind by his late wife.

Adam sued Fredrick, who was then arrested for confining the child and mistreating her. Frederick reaped disappointment and a lengthy jail sentence for his greed.

Meanwhile, Adam moved in with his daughter. He was so happy to have a child of his own. He forgave his late ex-wife, and though he could not guess why she didn't reveal her pregnancy to him, he was glad fate finally united him with his daughter he never knew existed.

"Are you going to live with me?" Lori asked. "I'm so happy. Won't that man be coming back? I don't like him."

"Yes, darling! And from now on, I'm your DAD! Don't worry. That evil man has gone far from us. He will never come back. Your father is here to protect you!" said Adam, holding his little girl close to his heart.

What can we learn from this story?

• You may never know where your destiny lies. Adam longed to have a family and kids. After his divorce, he lived with the assumption he was alone, but fate led him to his little daughter he never knew existed.
• Fight for your right and trust in your victory. When Adam discovered Lori was his daughter, born to him and his ex-wife, he sought legal custody over her. He fought in court against her stepdad and won.

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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 share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.