Woman Forced to Beg in the Streets to Survive Pleads with Cops Not to Take Her Baby Away – Story of the Day

Melanie loses her job, and as things take a turn for the worst, she also loses custody of her baby girl, Melissa. Convinced she'd never see her daughter again, she is shocked when her now-grown daughter comes looking for her. And Melissa comes bearing plenty of surprises for her mother.

Melanie had never imagined her life would turn out this way — not in a million years. Only months ago, she had been doing very well for herself. She had an executive job at the city's largest building, drove a nice car, and lived in a posh neighborhood.

But the worst had happened. Melanie's company had gone bankrupt and laid off all their staff. Melanie lost her job and car within months of each other, and she was at a loss.

She had never been one to cry over spilled milk, and she quickly started looking for a minimum wage job, if only to keep her and her daughter afloat. She also had to meet her monthly mortgage payments on the house, or else she and her daughter would be homeless.

So much was at stake, and she could not afford to lag. "I'll do whatever it takes to stay afloat," she thought as she got off the bus to the city one morning. As if on cue, she looked outside to see a "Help Wanted" sign on the restaurant window.

"Melissa! Oh, my Melissa! Is that really you?" [Melanie] screamed, even as the first sign of tears threatened to burst out.

"This will make do before I find something better to do," she thought, rushing towards the restaurant. "Today might just be my lucky day!" she murmured under her breath.

Once she got to the counter, she asked to see the manager, and an hour later, she was assigned as a dishwasher in the bustling wash area of the busy restaurant.

Melanie did what she had to do, but even as she worked, her mind kept wandering off to months ago when she had staff under her beck and call. "Things change so fast!" she thought. However, she told herself she would not live in the past.

That evening, as she collected her daily wage, it hit her just how little she was getting paid. It was barely enough to cover food and daycare for her little girl, let alone allow her to make her mortgage payments.

She would need to take extra shifts at the restaurant, but even then, her pay could barely meet her needs, and most days, she brought her daughter Melissa to work, unable to afford daycare or a nanny. During her free time, which was not much, she would sit on the street and beg for alms.

It was a life so different from what she was accustomed to, but she had to do what she had to. Thus became her life. She would come in for work at 7 in the morning, work a double shift, and once she got off, she would sit on the street and beg. She would cover her sleeping daughter with a blanket and carry her home once the streets became deserted.

And then ...

One day, as she sat on the streets, she noticed two policemen approaching. Despite the fear that gripped her, she knew not to run, so she waited until they got to her.

"Ma'am, you should not be on the streets at this hour. What are you doing?" one of them asked.

"I—I'm begging for a little money. I don't mean anyone any harm." The words stumbled out of her mouth.

"If you're homeless, we will gladly take you to a shelter," said another.

"No, sir, I have a home, I just got laid off from my job, and I'm trying to make ends meet."

The policeman standing close to Melanie noticed movement behind her. "Do you have a child with you?"

"That's just my daughter. I was actually getting ready to leave."

The police officers did not believe her narrative, even when she tried proving that she had a home and took great care of her child. Melissa was all she had left in the world, and she would fight tooth and nail to keep her.

Unconvinced, the officers asked Melanie to report to the station the following day, and once she got there, she found out that they had booked her a case in court, claiming she was not in a position to care for her child.

She tried fighting for her little girl, and even her proof of evidence was not enough to convince the judge that Melissa was well taken care of. Melanie was deprived of her parental rights, and Melissa was put up for adoption.

Melanie was lost. She had lost the one person that meant the world to her, and she did not see a reason to keep struggling with the mortgage payments. After all, the only person she wanted to provide a home to had been snatched away from her.

She moved into a homeless shelter but kept her dishwasher job. Even though Melissa's adoptive parents allowed Melanie to see her daughter at first, they did not appear comfortable and soon barred her from stepping foot at their home.

There was nothing much Melanie could do. She resigned to fate and cried her heart out for weeks. Months turned into years. Time is said to heal wounds, but as the years flew by, her pain only intensified.

All Melanie could do was hope her daughter's life turned out alright. She prayed day and night that Melissa was living her best life, even as she came to terms with the fact that she would probably never see her again.

But she was wrong!

One day, as she passed the time at the shelter, she noticed a young lady, 23 or thereabouts, talking to the staff. She held on to a photo and went from one person to the other, seemingly inquiring about something on the picture.

Melanie somehow knew! She approached the young lady and listened to her. She knew the girl looked familiar but did not want to raise her hopes.

But when she looked at the photo in the girl's hands, she quickly recognized a younger version of herself. "Melissa! Oh, my Melissa! Is that really you?" she screamed, even as the first sign of tears threatened to burst out.

"Mom? I knew I'd find you!"

They jumped into each other's arms and did not want to let go for the next several minutes, afraid history would repeat itself.

Melissa filled her mother in, narrating how her wealthy adoptive parents had given her a good education. She had done so well that she joined law school, and upon completing law school, she landed an excellent job at a prestigious law firm in the city.

Once she was well established, she started searching for her mother. Luckily she had an old photo of Melanie that she had accidentally taken with her when she was adopted.

Fortunately, she had used it to search for Melanie in several other shelters, as she had been too young to remember her surname or her mother's.

"I searched everywhere, mom, everywhere!"

"I know, my love, but God brought you back to me after so many years!" Tears welled up in Melanie's eyes as she remembered how much she'd fought for her baby.

It was a beautiful reunion, and Melanie was about to receive another life-changing surprise. "I want you to come live with me, mom." Melissa blurted out. "You deserve only the best!"

"I can't do that. I'm supposed to help you, not the other way around." Melanie tried resisting, but her daughter was having none of it.

"You did everything you could for me, mom. It's my time to pay you back for all that. I insist!" After a bit of back and forth, Melanie gave in.

She soon moved in with her daughter, and the two became inseparable. Melissa opened a small eatery business for her mother, as she hated staying idle.

During their free time, the mother and daughter partnered to help other women out of difficult situations, just like they had been all those years back.

What can we learn from this story?

• Never forget the people who raised us through the hardest times. Even after achieving a good life, Melissa still remembered how much her mother had fought for her and in the end looked after her and gave her a good life.
• The past doesn't always define the future. Melissa had a tough childhood, but life had other plans for her, and she ended up being the one to come to her mother's rescue.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who shares groceries with an old man asking for alms, only to recognize him as a person from his childhood.

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.