Boy Notices Mom Sneaking Out at Night, Sees Her Entering School Principal's House — Story of the Day

A boy lives with a disabled dad and a hero of a mom. At least that’s how he saw her—until one night, he followed her sneaking out and casually entering another man’s house.

Daniel enjoyed his parents' undivided attention as their only child until his father met a terrible accident. Mr. Miller worked as a full-time construction worker before he lost both legs in an accident at his workplace, restricting him to a wheelchair.

Daniel's life turned upside down after his father couldn't work anymore. From being the breadwinner of the house to suddenly spending his entire day in a wheelchair, Mr. Miller went through a whirlwind of emotions. He felt frustrated because of his condition and yearned to return to his pre-accident life.

"What did I do to deserve this life? I can't even go from one room to another without asking for help!" Mr. Miller thought. Watching his wife work double shifts to make ends meet made him feel helpless. He knew she worked two shifts to pay his medical bills.

Mrs. Miller worked as a seamstress at a small-time garment factory. While she spent around 16 hours at work, she had instructed Daniel to look after his father in her absence. As a result, the 12-year-old tended to his father's needs after returning from school.

"Get away from me!" Mr. Miller would yell out of frustration whenever Daniel tried to feed him. "I can take care of myself!"

The boy would feel sad watching his father yell at him for no reason. He was too young to understand how the accident had affected his father's emotions.

Instead of doing his homework after returning home, Daniel would spend hours painting in his room. Stroking his paintbrush on a clean, white canvas for hours made the young boy feel at peace. Painting helped him escape into a world where he didn't have to watch his father feel helpless.

"What's this, Daniel?" The English teacher gave him an angry stare when she saw his drawing.

As a result, Daniel's grades at school dropped significantly. His teachers were shocked to see his name on the grade retention list because he was one of the best students in his class. His grades had dropped because he never got time to complete his homework or study for tests as he did before.

A few days later, Daniel was in his classroom, taking an English Literature test, when he recalled what happened at home last night.

"Have you checked the time? It's past midnight!" Mr. Miller yelled at his wife, who had just returned from work. "What have you been doing all night?"

"I was at the factory, honey," Mrs. Miller replied calmly. "You know I have been working double shifts to save enough money for your medical bills."

"Oh, please!" Mr. Miller grumbled. "You stay out of the house because you have lost interest in me. You have stopped loving me because you know I'm stuck in this wheelchair for life! Are you seeing another man now?"

"Come on, honey," Mrs. Miller sat beside her husband's wheelchair and held his hand. "I can never think about someone else when I have you."

Daniel was in his bedroom when he heard his parents argue. He covered his ears with his fingers, trying his best not to pay attention to his father's mean remarks. However, he still heard their conversation and felt heartbroken to learn that his father doubted his mother's loyalty.

While reading the test paper, Daniel could only focus on his parents' quarrel from last night. He couldn't comprehend a word on the question paper, so he began drawing on his answer sheet instead of writing answers.

"What's this, Daniel?" The English teacher gave him an angry stare when she saw his drawing. "Why didn't you answer the questions on the test?"

"I'm sorry," Daniel apologized halfheartedly.

"I don't know what happened."

"Go to the principal's office right now!" the teacher yelled, pointing towards the door.

Feeling helpless, Daniel followed his teacher's instructions and walked toward the principal's office. However, he was shocked to see his mother sitting inside.

"Daniel!" the principal, Mr. Anderson, smiled. "Please come sit next to your mother."

Daniel obeyed and sat on a chair across from Mr. Anderson, fearing his mother might scold him after learning what he had done in class that day.

"Mrs. Miller, it's unfortunate to see how Daniel's grades have deteriorated over the past few months," Mr. Anderson shook his head in disappointment. "His teacher just handed me his answer sheet. Instead of writing a composition, he drew this picture. It's a beautiful picture. I must say he's a talented artist."

"What's this?" Mrs. Miller was shocked to see the answer booklet.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Miller. I'll give him another chance," the principal smiled. "Daniel, I want you to answer the test paper at home. I will check your composition myself next week. Okay?"

"Thank you, Mr. Anderson," Daniel heaved a sigh of relief. "I won't disappoint you this time."

"That's great," the principal cheered. "Now, go back to your class quickly. I want to have a word with your mother."

Once the boy left, Mr. Anderson talked to Mrs. Miller for a few minutes in confidence before she left. No one except them knew what they had discussed in the office.

Two days later, Daniel decided to complete the task Mr. Anderson gave him. He slid the question paper out of his bag, sat on his desk, and opened his notebook to write, but he couldn't think of anything.

"What am I going to do?" He covered his face with his hands, his elbows resting on his desk.

"Why can't I concentrate on anything as I used to before? What's happening to me?"

Then, Daniel stood up, turned off his table lamp, and got into bed. He decided to sleep and planned to work on the task with a fresh mind the following morning.

However, the boy kept tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep because his mind kept focusing on the problems between his parents. His heart was restless thinking about their relationship. "What if Mom leaves Dad? How am I going to live without her?" he wondered.

While thinking about his parents, Daniel suddenly heard footsteps outside his room. He immediately sat in his bed upon hearing the floorboards creak because he wasn't expecting his parents would be up in the middle of the night.

Feeling curious, Daniel jumped out of bed and twisted the doorknob to open his bedroom door. He peeked through the narrow opening but couldn't see anyone outside. Suddenly, he heard someone slam the main gate.

"Who's that?" Daniel wondered and immediately left his room. He rushed towards the main door and noticed his mother's shoes were missing. She had left the house.

"Where did she go at this hour?" he thought while opening the door. Concerned about his parents' relationship, Daniel tiptoed outside and followed his mother. He watched her walk towards the adjacent street and stop outside a house he had seen before.

"That's the principal's house!" Daniel gasped in shock. "Why is she going there?"

He watched his mother look left and right after she rang the doorbell. It seemed like she wanted to ensure no one was watching her. Then, Daniel saw Mr. Anderson open the door and smile at Mrs. Miller. His unusual smile suggested he had been waiting for her.

Daniel silently watched his mother walk inside the house and slam the door behind her. It took her hours before she exited the principal's house, exhausted and disheveled. Looking at her condition made the boy wonder what she did inside.

"How did I score an A when I didn't write anything?" Daniel asked himself in the locker room.

Daniel rushed back to his house before his mother and waited for her in the living room. He confronted her once she entered the house.

"Mom? Where were you?" Daniel questioned his mother, keeping his voice down so his father wouldn't hear him.

"I went outside for something important," Mrs. Miller replied as she took off her shoes.

"I want to know what's going on!" Daniel snapped at her. "What the hell did you do in the principal's house?"

"I can't tell you yet, son," his mother smiled before entering her bedroom. "Goodnight!"

"I'm sure Mom is cheating on Dad!" Daniel thought. "I never thought she could do this to him!"

Daniel watched his mother visit Mr. Anderson's house the following night, but he didn't have the guts to confront her again. Instead, he slept and decided to mind his own business.

The following morning, Daniel submitted his composition task to the principal. He knew he wouldn't score any marks because he handed Mr. Anderson a blank copy. However, he was shocked to see his grade the next day.

"How did I score an A when I didn't write anything?" Daniel asked himself in the locker room.

After thinking for a while, it hit him that his assignment score might be related to his mother's night visits. "That's ridiculous! I won't accept this grade!" he said before marching towards the principal's office.

"Mr. Anderson, I want to talk to you about something important," Daniel said sternly.

"Sure, Daniel. Please take a seat," the principal gestured for him to sit.

"I know Mom visited your house twice during the last two nights. What's going on? Why does she secretly sneak out of the house in the middle of the night? Are you—" Daniel demanded answers.

"It's not what you think, Daniel. Please calm down," Mr. Anderson said. "Your mother came to my house because she needed help buying prosthetic legs for your father. She told me her factory wasn't generating enough profit because she had to fire most employees after Mr. Miller's leg surgery. She didn't have enough money to pay their salaries."

"But why does she visit your house, Mr. Anderson?" Daniel asked.

"My wife is a fashion designer and has worked as a seamstress for years. She wanted to help Mrs. Miller fulfill her latest order of a hundred suits," Mr. Anderson revealed. "Your mother didn't want to tell you or your father this, so she thought the best time to meet my wife was after Mr. Miller had slept. She wants to save money for your father's prosthesis, Daniel."

"Really?" Daniel was shocked to learn about his mother's true intentions. At that point, he regretted suspecting her of cheating. Since he felt overwhelmed, he forgot to ask the principal about his grade.

It wasn't until he returned home that day that he learned why he scored an A. "I wrote the composition for you while you were asleep, Daniel," Mrs. Miller said. "I know you couldn't focus on your studies because of me. I just wanted to make it up to you."

"What?" Daniel was surprised. "You could have told me about it, Mom. I doubted Mr. Anderson's intentions. And I doubted yours too. I'm sorry."

After telling his mother what the principal told him, Daniel offered to help her. "I can draw dress designs for you, Mom," he said. "I want to help buy prosthetic legs for Dad."

"But you don't have to do that, honey," Mrs. Miller ruffled his hair.

"You should concentrate on your studies. I want you to be one of the high achievers again."

"Please let me help you, Mom," Daniel requested his mother. "I will draw a few samples for you to decide if you want my help, okay?"

Mrs. Miller didn't want her son to focus on anything besides his academics. However, after seeing his passion, she allowed him to do a few sketches.

A few days later, Mrs. Miller showed her son's sketches to the principal's wife. "Your son is super talented!" Mrs. Anderson exclaimed. "Besides helping us with the designs, Daniel can also paint ornaments on the dresses. I want to talk to your son."

"I'll bring him with me tomorrow," Mrs. Miller smiled. She felt proud after hearing the principal's wife praise Daniel.

So after coming home from school and completing his homework on time, Daniel helped his mother design dresses for their latest collection. He also met Mrs. Anderson, who helped the mother-son duo set up their garment exhibition.

After selling their first collection, Mrs. Miller and Daniel raised enough money to pay for Mr. Miller's prosthetics. Mrs. Miller scheduled surgery for her husband, and soon, the doctors allowed him to walk with his prosthetic limbs.

It took him some time before he could walk without support. Until then, Daniel and his mother helped him practice walking with his new legs. It made Mr. Miller feel better about himself.

When Mr. Miller could walk independently, he offered to help his wife sew clothes. "I can't work as a builder anymore, but I can help you launch another collection!" he told his wife.

A few months later, Mr. and Mrs. Miller established a bigger and better garment factory and launched consecutive dress collections. While their garment business flourished, Daniel worked hard at school and soon returned to being the best student in his class. He had never imagined his drawing skills would help his father walk again.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Mrs. Miller never asked anyone for help because she thought she could do everything independently. However, her perception changed when she met Mrs. Anderson and saw her business grow.
• Your family will always support you. Mrs. Miller had no idea that her son's artistic skills could help her raise money for her husband. She felt shy asking him for help but soon realized there was no harm in it.

Share this story with your friends and family. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

If you enjoyed reading this story, you might like this one about a girl who saw her mother leave her parents' bedroom in tears every night. Curious to discover why, the girl sets up a camera inside the room.

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.