Gas Station Owner Shelters Freezing Pregnant Girl, Sees Own Photo on Her Screensaver — Story of the Day

Jonathan gave his employees the day off for Christmas Eve and worked alone, only to see a pregnant girl roaming aimlessly outside. He offered her shelter but was shocked by the picture on her phone and the truth he never wanted to face.

Jonathan never thought about his future as a young man. He lived in the moment, and as an adult, he knew he didn't want to work for someone else. Therefore, he raised enough money and bought a gas station.

Meanwhile, his love life was carefree and fun. He was the perpetual bachelor, but he was honest about it too. All the women he dated knew this about him, although a few tried to change his mind. None could. He loved his freedom too much.

But it was a cold night in New Jersey, and he had given all his employees the night off so they could be with their families on Christmas Eve. Jonathan didn't have his own family. Both his parents passed, and his only brother lived in Europe. They never talked at all, so it was like he had no one else in the world.

"Sally died?"

He could always find someone to warm his bed, but he never tried to do it on special holidays. That would give women the wrong idea, so he always spent it alone. Working the night shift at the gas station was not so bad. It was mainly empty tonight, so he scrolled absentmindedly through his phone for a long time.

However, a young woman outside caught his attention. He noticed she wasn't wearing a jacket, and her hands were wrapped around her. She's going to freeze, Jonathan thought as he got up and wandered outside, tightening his hoodie over his head.

"Hey, lady! What are you doing out here? It's freezing. Come in!" he called out, and only when she turned did he realize that she was pregnant. Jesus.

"Thank you," the girl said when she got closer and entered the gas station store, blowing into her hands.

"The coffee machine is working. It has hot chocolate, too," Jonathan pointed to the corner.

"Sorry, I don't have any money. I just got kicked out by my father… I mean, my step – well, whatever," the girl shook her head and reached into her pocket to check her phone.

"Pick whatever you want. I own this place," Jonathan insisted, and the girl nodded.

She picked hot chocolate and drank it slowly as if it was the best delicacy ever. But her head went up unexpectedly. "Can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure. It's over there," he pointed, and the girl rushed, leaving her few things on a counter in the corner. Her phone started ringing, and Jonathan couldn't help his curiosity. He got closer to check who it could be, but the call ended.

However, his eyebrows went down as he spotted the screensaver – or lock screen – on her phone. It was a picture of him from around 19 years ago, and his arm was around someone he hadn't thought of in just as long: Sally.

"Thank you, sir," the girl said, interrupting his snooping. "Is everything OK?"

"Oh, you just got a call, but they hung up," Jonathan said, shaking his head. He thought about ignoring what he had just seen but couldn't. "I saw the picture you have on your lock screen. Hmm... may I ask why you have that picture?"

The young woman frowned at him. "Because it's my phone. I don't know," she shrugged, weirded out.

"Look, I'm not a weirdo or anything. That's a photo of me," Jonathan revealed, pulling his hoodie down.

The girl's eyes widened as his face was clearer in the harsh white light of the store. Granted, he was 20 years older than the man in the photo, but it was unmistakably him.

Still, the pregnant woman was not sure. "Really? I mean… that's impossible," she said, grabbing her phone and opening the picture. Her eyes went back and forth as she confirmed what Jonathan had said. "Wow."

"Now, will you tell me why you have it?" he continued.

"Do you remember the woman in the photo?" the girl avoided his question.

"Yes, that's Sally. She and I dated many years ago," he nodded impatiently.

"Sally was my mother, and until her death a few months ago, I thought the man who had raised me was my biological father. He did, too," the girl muttered bitterly.

Jonathan's heart started beating quickly as if his subconscious had already deduced the truth that his brain had yet to hear.

"At least, tonight. Let me help tonight."

"My mother revealed on her deathbed that someone else was my father and gave me a picture of him. This one," the girl lifted her phone slightly and shook it. "So, if you're the man in this photo, that means you're my real father."

Jonathan couldn't move. His world changed. He remembered Sally as the only woman who almost got him to consider marriage. But it was hopeless. He didn't want that. But her words from long ago finally made sense.

"If you won't marry me in my situation, I'll need to find someone who will. I need someone by my side and fully committed," Sally had told him during their breakup.

"What situation? We're young. Why do we have to add legalities to things? Let's just enjoy ourselves," Jonathan had scoffed at the worry on her face.

However, now he understood that she had been pregnant and needed someone.

The pregnant girl stared at him as he was frozen, quiet, and stoic in front of her. "So, it's true then. Mom said you had no idea and didn't want to commit, so she left and found a man to raise me. I'm Florence."

"Sally died?"

"She had terminal cancer. It was fast… it's the only mercy ever. However, she told me the truth on her deathbed, and although I didn't want him to know, my father found out. Things changed a lot for me after that," Florence continued, looking down.

"He kicked you out because you are not his biological child?"

"It's partly that and partly that he just noticed my belly," Florence replied, wetting her lips. "He didn't know and got angry. And here we are."

"Here we are," Jonathan repeated, zombie-like. "I'm sorry. I can't believe this is happening."

"Don't worry. I don't want anything. I'm moving in with a friend, but she's out of town for the holidays, so I was out of options for this weekend," Florence said. Her face was sincere. Although fate had somehow brought her to his gas station, she honestly didn't want anything from him.

But looking at her freezing, tiny self, seeing her belly, and hearing about her current situation made Jonathan want to protect her. Therefore, he took his hoodie off and wrapped her in it. "Here. What do you want to eat? We have ramen, hot dogs, and other stuff. Not the most nutritious for a pregnant woman, but you're probably hungry, right?" he offered and started moving around.

"Sir, really. I'm not asking for anything," Florence repeated, shaking her head and raising her hand.

"Please. Let me help. For now," Jonathan said quietly. "At least, tonight. Let me help tonight."

Florence looked into his eyes for a few seconds and nodded.

Jonathan offered her his more comfortable chair behind the cash register and prepared some ramen for her. He sat nearby and ate some ramen silently. They didn't speak for a while until he said, "Call me Jonathan, not sir."

"OK," she responded, focused on her food.

Jonathan nodded and grinned slightly. He had no idea what to do or what the future would bring for them. But for now, he was sharing a meal with his daughter on Christmas Eve, something he had never expected. And somehow, he wasn't scared or ready to run away. He was right where he needed to be.

What can we learn from this story?

• Not wanting marriage or kids is fine, but you must be honest about it. It's alright to want to remain a bachelor forever as long as the people you date understand that.
• The universe has a strange way of changing your life when you least expect it. Jonathan wanted a particular lifestyle, and all his choices led him to be alone on Christmas Eve until the daughter he didn't know about showed up.

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 dirty older woman who ran into a gas station at night asking for help.

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.