Son Learns His Aged Mom Disappeared Shortly after New Tenants Moved in with Her — Story of the Day

When a man learns about his elderly mother's sudden disappearance, he embarks on a harrowing journey to find her. Unaware of her whereabouts, he suspects her new tenants are hiding something important.

It had been a decade since James had moved out of his mother's house after finding a high-paying job in another part of town. He lived about thirty minutes away from his 60-year-old mother, Margaret.

Living away from his elderly mother worried him about her safety, but he was at peace knowing she had tenants living in the upper portion of her house. Besides giving her company, most tenants often checked up on her knowing how frail she was.

"My realtor told me the new tenants would arrive this evening," Margaret told her son over the phone.

"That's awesome, Mom," James replied. "Did he give you their information?"

"Yes. He told me it was a family of two—a young couple with no kids," Margaret said, her voice tinged with excitement. "I am sure they'll love it here."

After losing her husband and allowing her son to leave, Margaret felt lonely in her two-storey house. She always looked forward to having tenants because their presence made her feel safe.

Send me their details, Mom, okay?" James said. "I will visit you soon. Please be safe, and call me if you need help. Love you!"

"Love you too, sweetheart," Margaret smiled before ending the call.

Later that evening, Margaret's realtor arrived at her doorstep with the tenant couple. The elderly lady welcomed them with a warm hug and showed them their rooms. As always, she was excited to have new people at her house.

The news about criminals hurting the elderly in their town always made him feel scared. He could never imagine his mother going through something similar.

"I hope you like your rooms," she smiled at the couple. "What were your names, again?"

"I am Victor, and this is my wife, Julia," the man replied while looking at his wife.

"Nice to meet you, Victor and Julia," Margaret chirped. "You can always visit me downstairs if you need anything."

After welcoming her new tenants, the elderly lady slowly climbed down the stairs and entered her bedroom. Then, she picked up her phone and called James.

"Hi, Mom!" James immediately answered the call. "I was waiting for an update from you."

"The tenants are here; I must say they are a lovely couple!" Margaret told her son excitedly. "I asked Victor and Julia to knock on my door if they needed anything."

"Mom, you don't have to be so over-friendly around new people," James shook his head in disappointment. "We can't trust them, can we?"

Feeling concerned for his mother's safety, James always told her to be careful around strangers. The news about criminals hurting the elderly in their town always made him feel scared. He could never imagine his mother going through something similar.

"You always look at the negative side of everything, James!" Margaret grumbled. "No one is going to hurt me, okay?"

"I just care about you, Mom," James explained. "Your safety is my biggest concern living away from you."

"Fine. Fine. I will talk to you soon. I'm sleepy," Margaret said before hanging up.

The following evening, James called her mother again, but she did not answer this time. He waited a few minutes before calling again, but no one answered.

"She doesn't sleep so early and knows I call her at this time. Why isn't she responding?" James asked himself.

He called her multiple times during the next hour, but she did not answer any of his calls. Worried, James began thinking about all the bad things that could have happened to her mother.

"It must be the new tenants!" he said, holding his head with his hands while his elbows rested on his desk.

"I told Mom to be careful!"

Then, James thought he should call Margaret's neighbor, Lisa, to check on her. He thought she might help him connect with his mother. After all, he wasn't sure that the tenants had hurt his mother.

"Hi, Lisa! Could you please check where Mom is? I tried calling her, but she didn't answer," James requested his mother's neighbor over the phone.

"I haven't heard from her since last night," Lisa said. "And I believe she had new tenants living with her."

"Yes, it's Victor and Julia," James said.

"I'll go check and call you back, James," Lisa said before ending the call. Then, she rang Margaret's doorbell, but no one opened the door.

Standing at the doorstep, Lisa saw moving silhouettes through the upper floor windows. It meant that Victor and Julia were there but weren't opening the door. "That's fishy!" Lisa thought.

"I think your neighbors got rid of your mother and want to seize the house or something, James!" Lisa called him, her voice trembling with fear. "You need to come here as soon as possible and see what they are up to!"

"What?" James gasped. "Are you sure?"

"I don't think your mother is in there, James. Please come here now!" Lisa was on the verge of crying.

An hour later, James arrived at his mother's residence and rang the doorbell desperately. He kept banging on the door until Victor opened it.

"WHERE IS MY MOTHER? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" James yelled at his mother's tenant, grabbing him by his shirt's collar.

"Who are you, and what are you talking about?" Victor pushed James away from him.

"I am Margaret's son, James, and I am sure you have done something to her. Where is she?" James asked again.

"My wife and I haven't seen her since afternoon," Victor replied calmly. "I thought you would know where she is."

"What do you mean? She never stays outside for hours!" James was worried about his mother. "I will call the police!"

"Please calm down, James," Victor put his hand on James' shoulder, "I will help you find her, okay?"

James immediately dialed 911 and told them about his missing mother. He gave them her details but did not share his suspicions about the tenants because he thought they weren't involved in his mother's disappearance.

A few hours after the police began their investigation, the most unexpected explanation revealed itself.

"Mom?! Oh, thank God you're okay, Mom!" James hugged her in tears and couldn't let go.

Margaret had arrived home in a police car. Turns out she had gone to buy a loaf of bread from the nearest grocery store but forgot her way back home.

Instead, she ended up in a similar-looking neighborhood and kept walking from one house to another, hoping to find her home. The incident helped James learn that his mother had dementia. It was a heartbreaking truth, but at least now he could give her the best care.

James realized it was wrong of him to doubt Victor and Julia's intentions and apologized to them profusely. As months passed, he realized the couple were the perfect tenants for someone as loving as his mother.

What can we learn from this story?

• Spend time with your elderly parents. James had no idea his mother had dementia until he couldn't locate her whereabouts. He would have known about it had he spent some time with her.
• Never doubt people's intentions. James thought all of his mother's tenants wanted to harm her but soon realized it was wrong to question their intentions.

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Click here to read another story about a teenager who yelled at his mother, telling her his life would be better without her, unaware she would disappear the next day.

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.