Street Gang Robs Pregnant Girl, She Recognizes Her Boyfriend among Them – Story of the Day

A pregnant girl's happy world crumbles on her way to work one morning when a street gang tries to rob her. She recognizes her boyfriend among the hooligans, and nothing stays the same. Will the changes in her life lead her to something right?

Gwen paused by the florist on her way to work and took a deep breath. She then looked up at the blue skies, and a small smile appeared on her lips. "What a beautiful day," she told herself as she caressed her baby bump.

In the fast-paced New York life, people rarely take a break to admire the beauty of nature around them. But Gwen was different. She was just 20, much younger than the city's working population, but so mature and kind in some ways.

While she stood there, admiring the beauty of the skies, Gwen's eyes slowly darted to a homeless man. He was sitting on the curb with a begging hat and a placard beside him that read, "Homeless and hungry."

Gwen walked up to the man and gently dropped her sandwich in his begging hat. "I was going to have this for lunch, but please enjoy it!" she said with a kind smile and walked away.

The man probably wanted to protest that he didn't want someone else's food, but Gwen didn't stay back to listen to him because, in her judgment, the man deserved the sandwich more. She could always buy herself another one.

That was Gwen for you. Most people her age would be seen frivolously wasting their lives partying and having fun. But the weight of responsibility on Gwen's shoulders had matured her.

Sometimes, God lets the wrong happen because it leads us to the right.

Six months ago, she learned she was pregnant with her first child. Gwen's boyfriend, Alfie, was least concerned about the pregnancy and gave an ultimatum to her.

"You either keep that child or keep me in your life, Gwen! 'Cause… I—I really don't have the means to support that kid, alright?"

Gwen closed her eyes and swallowed her tears. She loved Alfie, and she adored her unborn child. For a brief moment, Gwen decided to get rid of the baby and choose Alfie. Anyway, she wasn't sure if he would make a good father.

Alife would bring Gwen flowers and make her breakfast and take her out on dates and do many more things that other boyfriends do. But he only played the loving boyfriend when he wanted to. Everything in his life had to be according to him, and Gwen hardly had a say.

So when he announced he didn't want the child, Gwen didn't have a choice but to terminate the pregnancy. However, fate intervened, and things changed. The doctors told Gwen her pregnancy termination would leave her infertile. One of those rare cases, the doctor had said.

Gwen pressed her palms to her eyes as she cried that day. "Why me?" she asked God. "Why did you have to do this to me?"

Gwen loved children and wanted to have a family with Alfie someday. He wasn't ready to become a father now, but he would be ready eventually, right?

So forced by fate, Gwen decided to keep the child. She was not sabotaging her future because of Alfie's stupid ultimatum! She told him she was going to raise the child, and as she had expected, he was furious.

"No, what the hell!" he cried. "I don't have the finances for it, Gwen! I can't!"

So she told him he didn't need to support her. She dropped out of college and took up an accounting job at a small private firm. And while Alfie's 'odd' jobs did pay him well, he never contributed anything, any money, for their child.

So Gwen was making a living alone for their unborn child, promising that little life that she would give her the best of everything.

You see, her life had been hard. But Gwen was a very strong girl.

On her way to work, she stopped by the same florist every day and glanced at the sky. It assured her that no matter how twisted up things were, there was still beauty and happiness to be found in the things around her.

What Gwen didn't know was that she'll end up finding a friend in the homeless beggar she helped that day.

She began putting sandwiches in his begging hat daily because she didn't have enough money to help him and needed to save up for her baby. So she packed two sandwiches every day: one for the man and one for herself.

One day, she was about to depart after leaving the man a sandwich, but he stopped her and said, "Thank you, young woman! I know you're doing it out of goodwill. I'm grateful."

Gwen knew the man felt embarrassed because she helped him every time. She smiled and said, "Please call me Gwen. It feels good helping you out."

"Fred," he then said. "My name is Fred. Thank you very much, Gwen. May God bless you!"

She smiled as she strolled to the office building down the street. The next day, Gwen stopped by Fred again and dug into her bag to take out the sandwich, only to realize she'd forgotten her lunch box in a hurry.

"Oh no, Fred!" she cried, rummaging through her bag. "I really forgot that sandwich! But here," she said, dropping a $5 bill in his hat. "Please get yourself something, and don't stay hungry, alright?"

"Darling," Fred said. "You don't need to! I will manage."

Fred really insisted that he didn't want the money, but Gwen insisted on him keeping it.

As she wished goodbye to Fred and started on her way to the office, a gang of men clad in black surrounded Gwen. Their stretched black beanies obscured their faces, and they were all very, very tall. "Hand over the money you have right now!" one of them ordered as he approached Gwen.

"Go away!" she yelled, clutching her bag close to her. "Aren't you embarrassed about robbing a pregnant woman in broad daylight? You're not going to get any money!"

One of them grabbed Gwen's hand and would have run away with her purse if Fred hadn't charged at them with an iron rod. "Get away from that lady!" he cried. "Back off, you nasty creatures!"

The men were unarmed, and the rod in Fred's grasp terrified them, so they fled. Gwen broke down into tears, clutching her baby bump. She couldn't believe it.

One of the men had his nose and mouth covered with a black scarf, which had come off, revealing his face. He was Gwen's boyfriend, Alfie.

"Oh, darling! You—You OK?" the poor beggar asked her.

Gwen brushed her tears away, said a hurried thanks to Fred, and just walked away. She couldn't believe Alfie was a member of a gang that robbed innocent people. For how long had this been going on? Was this how he earned money?

"I know it was you, Alfie," Gwen typed on her phone later that evening. "We need to talk! You better be home early! You need to explain what's going on. I don't think I can date a robber, much less raise a child with him!"

But she didn't press the send button. She was scared of him. She was afraid of ending their relationship and her child missing out on a father's love.

Gwen was so worried that she couldn't sleep a wink that night. She lay in her bed, awaiting Alfie's return or, at the very least, a message from him. Gwen even cried the night, caressing her baby bump, wondering if he ever loved her.

After all, when had Alfie been there for her? He didn't want the child, so he never accompanied her to the doctor's appointment or even asked her if everything was OK with her pregnancy. It was Gwen trying to save their relationship—if it could even be called a relationship anymore.

In some ways, Gwen thought, Fred was better than Alfie. Fred was poor. He slept on a ragged blanket, wore soiled clothes, and shaved his beard once a month, if at all, but he stood up for her.

He was so better than Alfie, who was charming and clean shaved and wore decent clothes and had never cared for her.

Time ticked by, and immersed in her thoughts, Gwen dozed off. She didn't know when she cried herself to sleep. Alfie didn't get back home until 4 a.m. As he opened the front door and entered, Gwen was startled awake.

Their front door creaked when opened, and she was a light sleeper. As Alfie was tip-toeing to the guest bedroom, she switched the living room lights on, and he knew she'd caught him red-handed.

Alfie turned around, his eyes red in anger. But Gwen had made up her mind it was high time she got out of this unhealthy relationship.

"What?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, nothing happened this morning that you need to know, OK? Just keep your mouth shut, and everything will be just fine!"

"You shouldn't have come here, Alfie," she said flatly.

"What? What do you mean?"

"It's over!" she announced. "Me and you, and this cat and mouse chase… It's over. You either turn yourself in, or I'm going to call the cops right now!"

"Hey, hey, babe," he begged, squeezing her hands. "Look, I can explain. I—I did this for us, babe. I did all of this for our baby. We need a bigger home for our child, and you know, so many other things!"

Gwen yanked his hands away. "Don't you dare call this baby 'OURS!'" she cried. "What have you done for our child since day one, Alfie? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Alfie went on his knees, confessed to all his wrongdoings, and pleaded with Gwen to give him another chance. Before Gwen would react, a team of officers barged into their house and arrested Alfie, and she was shocked. She didn't understand what was going on until the cop who was cuffing Alfie raised his head, and she recognized him.

"FRED!" she gasped. "Oh, God! What are you doing... And you... you're a cop?" she asked, staring at his uniform.

"Sorry, Gwen," he apologized as his colleagues took Alfie to the police cruiser parked outside. "We were working undercover to catch the minds behind the gang robberies. I've been looking for them for months, and I'm very sorry this happened to you. I suspected something was off when I saw how distraught you were after, well, he and his companions tried to rob you. My squad followed him home this morning, and we finally had the chance to apprehend him."

Gwen was so embarrassed. She had never imagined she would see such a day in her life. "He deserved it," she whispered, her eyes welling up and her hand stroking her belly. "I wish he had turned himself in. This... this was embarrassing for both of us, for things to end like this."

"I'm sorry," Fred said. "I'm Officer Hanks. Thank you for your cooperation, and good night."

Gwen was heartbroken, but she knew it was for the best. Alfie deserved to be punished for what he had done.

A few days later, Gwen was on her way to work when she paused by the florist again to look at the sky. Suddenly, a familiar voice behind her distracted her attention. "Beautiful weather today, isn't it?" it asked.

Gwen turned around to see Officer Hanks. "Oh!" she said. "Yes. Yes, it is."

"These are for you," he said, offering her the bouquet he had just bought. "I noticed you every day when you went to work and thought you'd love this."

"Oh, you shouldn't have," Gwen shyly said, accepting the flowers. "Thank you. They are beautiful."

Then Officer Hanks asked her if she was free for dinner that night, and she didn't know why, but she said yes.

Not long after, the date turned into dates, and their meetings turned into friendship. Time then caused that friendship to blossom into love, and one day, Officer Hanks sat down on one knee and popped the question, "Will you marry me?" to Gwen.

Gwen said yes, shed some happy tears, and nothing was the same again. She had a partner who not only loved her but eventually became a good father to her baby girl, born two months later.

What can we learn from this story?

• Sometimes, God lets the wrong happen because it leads us to the right. God compelled Gwen to go out and earn a living so that her paths crossed with Officer Hanks, the man who would love her and make her happy.
• Love is about togetherness and being there for one another. If it compels you to lose or change yourself, it's not love. Albeit late, Gwen realized Alfie wasn't the right man and was eventually able to step out of the unhappy relationship.

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 teen who robs an older woman's house thinking she'll die soon, and is shocked to recognize a photo in her album.

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.