‘Your Kid Is a Thief’ Best Student’s Mom Is Stunned to See Cop on Her Porch – Story of the Day

Eliza has always been proud of her son's academic achievements. She's confident he'll grow up to be a great man until the day a policeman knocks on her front door and insists the boy is a thief.

Eliza hung her son Chuck's latest award on the sitting room wall. Pride and joy filled her heart as she stepped back to admire the display. Although he was only ten, Chuck had already achieved recognition for academic excellence and awards for debating and chess.

"I hope you can see how well our son is doing," Eliza whispered. She touched her fingertips to the portrait of her late husband. "His school says they've never had such an intelligent and capable kid. I just know he's going to change the world one day."

A brisk knock at the door interrupted Eliza's thoughts. She hurried to answer it and was surprised to find a policeman on her doorstep.

"Is something wrong, officer?" Eliza asked.

"Yes, ma'am, unfortunately. Are you Mrs. Fletcher? Do you have a son named Chuck Fletcher?"

The mention of her son's name awoke a dreadful fear in Eliza's heart. "What's happened to my son?"

"I'm sorry to tell you your son is a thief."

The policeman gestured now to another man, standing a little behind him, and Chuck! Her son was crying, and the man beside him looked furious.

"This little monster should be arrested," the strange man said. "And his father should be arrested too for raising such a scoundrel!"

"Good luck arresting someone in their grave," Eliza snapped. She stepped out onto the porch and glared at the men.

"Now, I demand to know what's going on here. Chuck is a good child and I don't understand why you'd call him a thief."

"Because he tried to steal one of my cakes!" The strange man said. "I caught him redhanded."

"A cake?" Eliza had a realization then. She crouched in front of her son and looked him in the eye. "Chuck, sweetie, tell me what happened."

"I just wanted to make you happy, Mom." Chuck sniffed. "Dad always brought you a special cake on your anniversary. I thought that if I could bring you the exact cake, it might make today less sad for you."

"Oh, sweetie." Eliza hugged her son tightly. "That was a very nice thought, but you know stealing is wrong. No gift will ever bring happiness if you steal it from somebody else."

Chuck sniffed again and looked up at the man from the cake shop. "I'm very sorry for what I did, Mister. I just wanted to give my mom something nice."

"I'll pay for the cake, if it will keep Chuck out of trouble," Eliza said. She stood to face the man. "I don't have much, but surely we can work out a payment plan."

"I don't think that will be necessary, ma'am." The policeman stepped forward and gestured to the shop owner. "May I speak to you, sir?"

The policeman, Tim, took the shop owner aside and spoke to him. Hearing the boy and his mom's story triggered an aching in his heart that changed his view of the situation.

"Arresting this boy would be the wrong call," Tim said.

"Then what do you suggest, officer?" The shop owner frowned.

"He needs to learn a lesson."

"I agree, but I think the best way to teach him is to let him work in your shop for an hour or so after school. That way, he can learn the value of hard work and appreciate how wrong it is to rob somebody of the fruits of their labor."

The shop owner scrunched his face in thought. "Well, that could work. The kid seems genuinely remorseful, and it seems like the family is going through a rough patch."

Tim smiled at the man. "I think you've made a very wise choice."

For the next month, Chuck spent an hour working at the cake shop every day. As part of the shop owner's agreement, Tim regularly checked on Chuck and Eliza.

Tim and Chuck soon became friends. Since his altercation with the cake shop owner, Chuck had developed a keen interest in policing. He asked Tim thousands of questions about what it was like to be a police officer.

"Since you've had us figured out from the start, I guess it's only fair you're here for this."

One day, as Tim looked down into Chuck's bright eyes, he felt a warmth in his heart that he thought he'd lost forever. With it came a fierce pride in the ambitious young man before him. He decided right then to mentor the boy.

"Chuck seems to be very interested in policing," Tim said to Eliza the next day. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to show him what it takes to be a good police officer. To start, he can begin running and working out with me."

Eliza grinned. "Absolutely! I'm so glad you suggested it. Chuck has really taken to you, Tim, and I think it will do him good to have a male role model in his life."

For the first time since her husband died, Eliza felt like her life was starting to improve. She'd recently received a promotion at work, and Chuck was thriving now that Tim was part of his life.

Sometimes, Eliza noticed that Tim watched Chuck with a haunted expression, but she shrugged it off. In truth, she was a little embarrassed by how much time she spent studying the handsome policeman when he stopped by to see Chuck.

It felt wrong to develop feelings for another man when a part of Eliza's heart was still deeply in love with her late husband. She convinced herself that her emotions stemmed purely from gratitude toward Tim.

"After all, he is doing a lot to help Chuck," Eliza muttered to herself one day as she dusted off her late husband's portrait.

"And I miss you so much, my love. It's been so nice to have a man around again."

Eliza had an idea then. She sent Tim a message to invite him to dinner as thanks for everything he'd done for Chuck. There was no way for her to know that dinner would change everything.

"This looks amazing," Tim said when he joined the family for dinner the following week. "Thanks again for inviting me."

"It's the least I can do." Eliza smiled at him. "You've done so much for us, Tim."

"It's been my pleasure to help." Tim shyly ducked his head. "Could you pass me the salt, Brandon?"

"That's the second time you've called me Brandon this week," Chuck said as he passed Tim the salt.

Tim made light of the mistake, but Eliza saw tears welling up in his eyes. She was about to ask him who Brandon was when Tim rose and excused himself.

Eliza watched Tim as he headed toward the bathroom. For the first time, she wondered if the policeman had ulterior motives for befriending her son.

This thought bothered Eliza all through dinner. Once they'd finished eating, she decided to confront Tim and discover the truth. She sent Chuck off to do his homework and asked Tim to help her clear the table.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were upset earlier," Eliza said. "I don't want to pry, but who is Brandon?"

Tim released a deep sigh and set the dirty dishes on the sink. "Brandon was my son. We wanted to name him after my father. He... would've been about the same age as Chuck now, but he didn't make it."

Tim's face went slack as tears filled his eyes once more. "My wife died during childbirth," he continued.

"They tried to save our son, but he was early. Too early. I lost everything that day."

Eliza felt terrible as she watched Tim dissolve into tears. She put her arms around him and let him cry into her shoulder until his sorrows were spent.

"I'm sorry," Tim muttered as he wiped his eyes. "I guess I get confused sometimes. Hanging out with Chuck has made me realize how much I missed out on with my own son."

"No, I'm sorry," Eliza said. "I know how much it hurt when I lost my husband. I can only imagine the pain you must've endured to lose your wife and child."

"It was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives." Tim shook his head. "Instead, it turned into a nightmare."

"For whatever it's worth, I'm glad you and Chuck have found each other. He misses his dad terribly, but I know that having you in his life has helped to heal some of his pain. I hope one day you will feel the same."

"I think I already do." Tim gave Eliza a small smile. "Chuck is a good kid, and I'm grateful to you for allowing me into both of your lives. I never could've imagined that bringing Chuck home that day would become one of the most significant moments in my life."

"Life works in mysterious ways." Eliza gave Tim's hand a gentle squeeze. "You and Chuck needed each other, so fate brought you together."

Tim cocked his head and folded both his hands around Eliza's. "I think we all needed to find each other."

Tim became a permanent fixture in Chuck's life in the following years. Tim taught Chuck how to shave and supported him when the boy had his first breakup.

Tim and Eliza grew close too. They formed a deep friendship as they got to know each other better. Eventually, they realized they'd fallen in love with each other.

When Chuck graduated high school with honors, Tim and Eliza planned a special dinner to celebrate. They sat at the table and discussed Chuck's plans for the future. Many institutions had offered him scholarships, but Chuck had only one goal in mind.

"I'm going to study cyber security at the police academy," Chuck said.

"I'm good at programming, and I want to be a cop, like you Tim."

"Well, the force would be lucky to have you," Tim grinned.

"And I will be happy to see you living your dream to be a policeman from the relative safety of a desk," Eliza added. "I spend enough time worrying about Tim's safety, and I don't want to worry about my son too."

Chuck snorted. "You two should just get married and get it over with."

"Chuck!" Eliza gaped at her son across the table. "Would you quit saying things like that? I don't know where you get these ideas."

"It's because you're always looking at each other with puppy dog eyes." Chuck smiled slyly as he looked from Eliza to Tim. "And I know you've been secretly dating for a year now. I accidentally overheard Tim asking you out."

Eliza stared at her son in shock. She didn't know what to say to him, but Tim did. He stood up and circled to stand beside Eliza.

"Sometimes, you're too smart, Chuck," Tim said. "Since you've had us figured out from the start, I guess it's only fair you're here for this."

Tim knelt and presented Eliza with a ring. "Eliza, would you make me the happiest man in the world?"

Eliza accepted Tim's proposal. They were married shortly before Chuck left to study at the police academy. Although they both missed Chuck, they were blissful newlyweds.

Less than a year later, Eliza found out she was pregnant. Tim was ecstatic but also deeply worried. He couldn't forget what happened to his first wife and fussed over Eliza day and night.

When the big day came, Eliza gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Everything went smoothly, and Tim was soon able to hold his baby.

"Welcome to the family, Michael Brandon," he whispered and kissed his son's forehead.

What can we learn from this story?

• Sometimes people make bad choices even though their intentions are good. Chuck did the wrong thing, but once Tim and the shop owner understood his motivations, they realized he wasn't bad and deserved a second chance.
• Everyone needs a family. Whether it's blood relatives or found family, we all need people in our lives to support each other and enrich our days.

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 cop who helps a little girl decorate for Christmas and ends up finding a lost love.

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.