'Does Mom Lead a Double Life?' Son Spots His 56-Year-Old Mother Leaving Home Every Night — Daily Drama
A son starts questioning whether his mom led a double life after discovering that she would sneak out of the house when everybody was asleep. One night, he follows her out of the house and finds the real reason – it's not what he expected.
When Chester welcomed his second son with his wife Amanda, he invited his mother, Gretchen, to move in with them to help with the kids. He was working full time and knew that his wife wouldn't be able to raise a two-year-old and a newborn alone.
"Would you like to help us raise your grandkids, mom?" Chester asked Gretchen when she visited them at the hospital after the birth. "Amanda and I could use the help."
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Gretchen, who lived alone and saw her only son Chester once every month, couldn't be happier to agree. Embracing her son, she said:
"Oh, I would love to spend more time with my grandchildren. I would absolutely love that! You guys are my life!"
Soon after Amanda and their newborn son Chase were discharged from the hospital, Gretchen packed her things and moved in with them. Life with Gretchen was easy and fuss-free. She wasn't like the typical mother-in-law you'd see in the movies, as she was just genuinely happy to care for her grandkids.
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Amanda relied heavily on her mother-in-law. It was Gretchen who would care for the baby when Amanda would get some sleep, and in between, Gretchen would make sure that her older grandson Timothy never felt alone or abandoned because of the new baby in the house.
By the time Chase slept through the night, this all had changed. Gretchen started disappearing in the evenings, saying she scheduled dinner with her friends. Another time, she said she had an appointment at the mall at her favorite nail salon.
At first, this didn't bother Amanda and Chester until these nights out of the house became more frequent. "She lives here so that she can help out with her grandkids. If she's out every night, then maybe she should move back into her own home," Amanda said one night, irritated that she had to care for her crying newborn and her complaining toddler.
"Grandma!" little Timothy kept crying one night. "I only want grandma!"
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"What is she doing out every night?" Amanda said, having enough. "Can you please talk to your mom?" she asked her husband.
Chester promised to get to the bottom of why his mother kept going out every evening. The night he decided to confront her, she was nowhere to be found.
The following day, Chester asked her where she had gone. "Is anything wrong, mom? Why are you always out at night? Yesterday, I checked in on you at midnight, and you weren't in your room," he told her. "Where do you keep going?"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Gretchen apologized. "I've been feeling quite lonely... I guess it comes with age. I've been having difficulty sleeping, so I always try to keep busy in the evenings so that I go to sleep tired. Last night, I just couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk," she explained.
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Chester instantly felt bad for his mom after hearing this, but from the corner of his eye, he could see his wife shaking her head. At first, she thought Amanda was just being disrespectful, so he decided to confront her about it.
"What's wrong? Don't you feel bad for mom?" he asked her.
Amanda shook her head again. "She's lying, Chester," she told her husband.
"How can you accuse her of lying?" Chester argued. "What would she even get out of it?"
"I don't know, Chester. She probably doesn't want us to know what she does at night. Someone used my favorite perfume last night. I know that because the cap was taken off. Someone also rearranged my makeup after using it. Now, tell me, it wasn't you, and it definitely wasn't Timothy. Who else could have done this?" she asked her husband.
She was all dressed up in a black dress, a pair of wedge heels, and blow-dried hair. "Do you see what I mean?" Amanda told her husband.
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Upon hearing this, Chester started to believe his wife – his mom might have been lying to him after all. It was unlike her to go out every night, especially when she was in the company of her grandchildren. Something was going on.
That same night, Chester decided that if he caught his mom sneaking out of the house at night again, he would follow her. When they finished putting Chase and Timothy to sleep, they pretended to head to bed.
After a couple of minutes, Chester heard his mom's door creak open. "I told you, Chester, she's sneaking out of the house again!" Amanda whispered.
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Chester and Amanda watched Gretchen leave the front door through the window. She was wearing a black dress, a pair of wedge heels, and blow-dried hair. "Do you see what I mean?" Amanda told her husband. "She's all dressed up... definitely not for a midnight stroll!"
Does mom lead a double life? What could she be doing late at night, all dressed up this way? Chester thought.
Before he could think of anything else, an elderly man opened the door and smiled at Gretchen. "I've been waiting for you all night!" he told her.
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Upon seeing Gretchen walk away, Chester followed a couple of meters behind her. They walked a couple of blocks until she finally stopped in front of an unfamiliar house. "What is she doing?" Chester said to himself.
Gretchen knocked on the door while Chester hid behind a tree. He didn't know what to expect from his mom's midnight rendezvous, which made him nervous.
Before he could think of anything else, an older man opened the door and smiled at Gretchen. "I've been waiting for you all night!" he told her.
It can't be! She can't be an escort! Chester thought, starting to panic. He ran to the door, startling both Gretchen and the older man.
"Mom! Stop! What's the matter with you? Why are you doing this?" he asked, trying to pull her away from the man's grip.
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Gretchen's eyes widened at the sight of her son. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" she said, surprised.
"Amanda and I were starting to worry about why you were out every night. So, I decided to follow you. Who is this man? Is he forcing you to do anything? Are you in trouble?" he asked his mom, still trying to pull her away from the man.
"Sweetheart," Gretchen said again. "This is my boyfriend, Gregory. We've been together for about a year now," she said, holding the man's hand.
"What? A boyfriend? Why didn't you tell me the truth?" Chester asked in astonishment.
Gretchen looked at her son nervously and said:
"I was scared you would judge me, son. I'm 56 years old – I'm a grandma! You kept questioning why I was going out every night, so I was ashamed to tell you the truth. You might think I'm too old for these 'games.'"
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Chester felt terrible that his own mom didn't feel safe enough to tell him the truth. He figured it had something to do with how he and his wife Amanda treated Gretchen, so he decided to change.
"You're never too old for love, mom. I am so sorry you felt the need to hide this from me. We should be your number one supporters. After all, we just want you to be happy!" he told her.
"I hope you don't feel I'm not happy living with you, Amanda, and my two grandchildren. I love you all dearly. It's just that... you have each other, and I'm just alone at the end of the day. I hope you understand. Gregory here makes me very happy," she started to tell her son.
Chester nodded and assured her that he understood. He introduced himself to Gregory, and the three of them had cups of hot chocolate together so that Chester and Gregory could get to know each other more.
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The following day, Chester invited Gregory to their home. He couldn't help but smile after seeing Gretchen so happy to have Gregory over to meet the rest of the family. "I am so happy to be here," Gregory said as he met Amanda and the two children.
"Mom, you should have told us that you had a boyfriend. I am so happy for you!" Amanda told her. "How did you two meet?"
Gretchen and Gregory looked at each other lovingly before sharing their story. "We met at the supermarket, actually," Gregory began. "I was just so in awe by this beautiful woman – who was picking out candies! So I thought, 'oh, she probably has a family. Why else would she be picking out candies?'"
Gretchen laughed and continued to share the rest of the story. "Yes, and so I caught this man staring at me, and I decided to ask him if there was anything I could help him with. He couldn't help but tell the truth! Tell them what you said, Gregory," Gretchen said.
"I told her, 'I'm sorry, I was just mesmerized by your beauty.'" Gregory continued. "Gretchen's face turned red instantly, and I knew then and there that she was single!"
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Chester and Amanda looked at each other, smiling. They could tell how smitten Gretchen and Gregory were with one another, and they couldn't be happier for their mom.
Since that day, Gretchen no longer needed to hide anything from her family. She went out on dates with Gregory peacefully, which motivated her to spend even more time with her grandchildren without Chester or Amanda requesting it.
Gretchen lived her life to the fullest, and she enjoyed every aspect of it. Soon, Gregory asked for Gretchen's hand in marriage, and they got married in a simple civil ceremony. Amanda and Chester hosted their wedding reception at home, which was everything Gretchen could have ever dreamed of.
"I have everything I could ever need!" she said as she made a toast during the wedding dinner. "I have a loving husband, a caring son and daughter, and the most beautiful grandchildren. I am truly blessed."
What can we learn from this story?
- It's never too late to find true love. At 56, Gretchen didn't think she would ever find love again until she met Gregory at the grocery store. He made her believe in love again, and they eventually lived happily for the rest of their lives together.
- Self-care and alone time are essential. At first, Chester and Amanda judged Gretchen for always being out of the house without realizing she was doing this for her own happiness. Ultimately, they realized that it wasn't Gretchen's sole responsibility to care for her grandchildren – she had other things to do and other people to love, too!
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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a grandson who called his grandmother "the worst," only to appear on her doorstep on his knees eight years later.
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