'Mom, It's Me!' Two Years after Losing Her Son, Mom Hears Someone Knocking on Door — Story of the Day

After mourning her son for two years, Maria heard a knock on her door and someone who said words she never expected to hear again. Sebastian was right outside with the truth about a bird-watching research in Colombia that went awry.

Maria had just finished washing the last of her dishes. She was drying her hands in a towel when a loud knocking outside startled her. She turned to the wall clock, frowning and wondering who would be crazy enough to pop by unexpectedly at that time of night.

"MOM, IT'S ME!" her son, Sebastian, called. The loud, excited voice had her running to the door with extreme shock and desperation running through her body. She opened the front entrance to see her handsome boy smiling right at her, and the sobs rocked through her body.

"Mi amor (my love)!" she wailed, lunging as his arms opened wide. It had been two years. Two years since they had seen each other. Although Maria never lost hope, she was also cynical and didn't expect his return.

"Mamá (Mother)," he said softly, rocking her body back and forth as a few tears shed from his eyes.

"Come in, baby!" she demanded when they separated, but as they walked inside, she couldn't stare away from his face.

Sebastian was scruffier than ever. Her bright, only child, with a Ph.D. in Ornithology, was usually well-groomed all the time, especially after the way she raised him. But now, he had a ponytail and an overgrown beard. She disapproved but didn't say a word.

They sat on the couch, and Maria kept wiping the tears that came as they looked at each other in wonder and disbelief. Sebastian was not crying as profusely, but the emotions of their reunion couldn't be contained.

It had always been the two of them against the world. Maria lost her parents in her teen years. They had immigrated to the United States when her mother was pregnant, and Maria was their daughter, born in a small town in Texas, where she still lived and raised her son.

Sebastian was her proudest achievement. The first in the family to go to college and graduate with honors. She didn't understand his fixation on birds or how that would bring money, but it didn't matter as long as he was happy.

So, when he was offered an exceptional opportunity to study the native birds of Colombia, Sebastian took it immediately. Maria was excited but worried for her son, who only spoke a bit of Spanish. Still, it would advance his career.

However, he disappeared shortly, and some authorities called her, telling him he was dead. It was the worst moment of her life… until his ashes arrived in the mail. Nothing mattered anymore, but now, he was in front of her again, confirming what her motherly intuition had told her all along.

"Mom, I know what you did. But how did you do it?" he asked, smiling and shaking his head in wonder. "I had lost hope myself. I thought I would be taken through the border and never see you again."

"Oh, my boy. It wasn't easy. Two years ago, they sent me 'your ashes.' I thought that was the end. I didn't know what to do with my life, but I saw your picture four months ago… and something in me knew I couldn't lose hope…," Maria began, looking away for a second and thinking of what had happened.

***

Maria woke up, went to work, cleaned her house, talked to some neighbors, ate, and went to sleep. That was her life. There was no color anymore. Sebastian was dead. Nothing made sense anymore. She shouldn't have let him go to Latin America.

After all, her parents immigrated from Mexico for a reason – to be safer and make a better life for them. Colombia also had a tricky reputation. But her son was so happy and excited. She couldn't say no. In fact, they lived so well that she had forgotten the things her parents had told her. She didn't imagine that he could be hurt.

But it was worse. He was killed, and life didn't matter now. All she could do was go through the motions and find ways to distract herself, like a magazine she had bought about Colombia. Despite the pain, she wanted to know more about the country, what her son may have seen, the birds he so wanted to study, etc.

So, she leafed through the pages, knowing logically that the country wasn't at fault for anything. There were bad people everywhere. She only blamed herself as she saw pictures of smiling folks in Bogotá, Barranquilla, Calí, and Cúcuta.

"Cúcuta is a city near the Venezuelan border," Maria read aloud and skimmed through images. Something in her periphery told her to look closely at one photo in particular. It showed a huge crowd of people walking with bags and belongings.

The article stated that many were Venezuelan immigrants, some of whom walked all the way to Colombia to find better lives. But among the clearly, tired people was… Sebastian.

Maria jumped from her sofa, almost tripping as she rushed to a nearby lamp to see the photo better. A man with wide eyes – fearful and confused – stared straight at the camera. His expression seemed to almost beg for help. But he wasn't the focal point.

The photographer focused on several people who were helping an immigrant family. Sebastian was off to one side, not blurred, but no one would've noticed him… if they weren't actively looking. Suddenly, Maria realized she hadn't bought this magazine to learn about Colombia.

She was looking for her son, and there he was. Sebastian had light brown hair that was unkempt in the picture. His beard had grown significantly, but what stood out the most was his bright green "Green Lantern" T-shirt.

"Sebastian," Maria said, touching her mouth. Her eyes went to the bottom of the picture, which luckily included a date. It was only taken two months earlier, meaning that her son hadn't died two years ago like the Colombian authorities wanted her to believe.

He was alive but scared and alone. And Maria would not rest until she found her son. Her feet acted almost before her, but she soon clicked awkwardly in front of her PC to buy a ticket directly to Cúcuta, Colombia. She clung to the magazine the entire time.

***

"Señora Maria, please stay calm," Detective Ramirez said in a heavy accent, holding his hands up for a second. Maria was too agitated, as they had made her wait too long at the police station.

"No! I don't want to calm down. Colombian authorities told me my son was dead! But he is clearly alive! I need answers! Where is my son?!" she yelled.

Detective Ramirez sighed as he viewed the files on Sebastian's case. According to the original investigation, Maria's son had disappeared in the Norte de Santander area and was declared dead when they found a body.

But the detective turned to the magazines and the pictures Maria had provided. It was her son, although he looked skinny and messy. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Señora Maria, your son's body was found with his I.D. This doesn't make much sense," the detective continued carefully, his tongue wetting his lips. "This picture must be older. I can't justify opening the investigation again at this time."

"No! Please! Do you have children?" she asked, but the detective shook his head. "I know the ashes I received didn't belong to Sebastian, and that picture is proof! I know it."

"Don't yell at me. Getting hysterical won't help anything. Getting a loved one's ashes is better than nothing. It's closure. This is not a fairytale. Bad things happen here. Go back to your home in Texas and move on. This case was closed. There's nothing else to investigate!" he exclaimed angrily, frowning and snapping the case file close.

Maria stood quickly, the force of her movement sending the plastic chair in the police office skidding away.

"I will not rest until I find out what happened to my kid! Mi hijo está vivo y nadie podrá detenerme (My son is alive, and no one will be able to stop me)!" she screamed, pointing her finger at Det. Ramirez, who could only shake his head. "I know his original route. I will go find him myself."

She turned to storm out of his office, but the detective stopped her. "Señora, this country is different. What happened to your son on that route could happen to you. You go out there at your own peril."

His frowning, almost disdainful eyes bore into Maria. She gulped at that, remembering what she had read about the kinds of groups operating at the border between Colombia and Venezuela. She also thought of her mother's words about the Mexican cartels. They were the same kind of dicey organizations.

But it didn't matter to her. She would risk everything for Sebastian, even her life.

"I understand, but I'm a mother. I can't stop," Maria said with trembling lips and stormed out.

***

Maria's rented old SUV backfired while she drove through the road. According to the routes Sebastian had given her, there were several national natural parks in Cúcuta, Colombia. Some were family-friendly places, with closing times, like Serankua Park. But if Maria went around them, it was just woodlands.

These areas were right against the border with Venezuela, and she had to be careful. Luckily, no one had stopped her, but soon enough, the forests got deeper and scarier, even in the middle of the day. Maria decided to start early so that she could see her map, where Sebastian had shown her the exact routes he would take.

He had just been excited about his research back then: Maria had even yawned a bit when he showed her some pictures, but now, she was grateful for the information, as she could recognize some geological features.

However, her SUV was not magical. The dirt road ended, but she had to keep going according to her route map. After grabbing her bag with water and food, Maria started her journey on foot.

The journey was tough. Mosquitoes were killing her, and she wasn't thinking about surviving in a jungle when she decided to take this path where her son had disappeared. In hindsight, that was stupid, but she had already started. She was not looking back.

Hours had passed. Maybe. Maria wasn't sure because the sun still shone harshly, and sweat covered her entire shirt. Still, there was no stopping. She kept going. Sometimes, the sound of birds accompanied her journey, almost as if telling her she was on the right path.

Her son came here to see birds, and he went missing. "These animals want me to find him," she told herself to keep from giving up and quickened her speed.

The sun had hidden behind a few clouds when Maria finally stumbled upon a few rock formations. She wasn't expecting them, but perhaps, it was a sign to take a break and eat. She was ready to face danger and any life-threatening situations for her son.

However, dying of thirst before she could find him would be ridiculous. So, Maria got close to the rocks, looking for somewhere to sit, but there was an opening. "Oh! It's a cave," she said and went inside.

When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Maria witnessed something that only strengthened her resolve. It was Sebastian's bag. The one she had gotten him for the excursion. "Díos mío! (My God!) Sebas, my love. You were here!" she exclaimed, plopping to the floor, not caring about her knees.

To her surprise, the bag was almost full of his things. "Oh no," she stated, rummaging through it. There was no food, obviously, but his other items, like a pocket knife and a lighter, were intact.

On one side, Maria found Sebastian's camera bag. It was empty except for several SD cards. She knew her son had to photograph the birds, so the camera was part of his job, and he needed gigabytes of memory to take as many pictures as possible.

She palmed the little things and wondered about taking them. His clothes and other things didn't matter much, but these memory devices could have evidence to help her convince Det. Ramirez to pick up the investigation again.

"Yes, this is it. This is where the birds have been guiding me," Maria nodded and placed the cards carefully in her bra, thinking that it was better to keep them close just in case she had to discard her bag somewhere.

But she also took the pocket knife, lighter, and an old flashlight. After exiting the cave, Maria noticed she would soon lose daylight. So, instead of going further and risking death or worse, she decided to hike back to the car. Hopefully, it wasn't too far away.

Det. Ramirez would have to at least look at the SD cards, and she prayed as her feet moved. "Please, God. Let it show something to find my baby," she whispered to the jungle. A bird cackled in the distance; hopefully, that was a sign too.

Night had fallen too quickly, but Maria was confident she would reach the car soon. However, the path was too dark for her to notice anything except the reflection the flashlight made against the headlights of the SUV.

"¿Quién está ahí (Who's there)?" a man broke the silence of the jungle night with a bark, stopping Maria in her tracks. Suddenly, several men dressed in cargo attire surrounded her, pointing their guns at her.

"No, please. I'm sorry. I got lost trying to find some birds. Don't shoot!" Maria responded in Spanish, afraid.

"You think we're going to buy that story?" the same man, who looked like their leader, scoffed and spat on the ground. "Emiliano, grab her. We're leaving."

"Yes, boss," another man answered. But a third voice spoke up as hands grabbed Maria, who tried to remain calm.

"What are we going to do with the SUV?" he asked.

"Leave it. We'll find it later," the boss commanded, and they all moved, shoving Maria into the back of a truck. It was like those that transported vegetables and fruits. Her hands were wrapped behind her back.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her face and placed a blindfold over her eyes. Oh crap. I should've listened to Det. Ramirez, she thought as the truck started moving.

***

Maria didn't realize how tired she was from her trek through the forest, and even the harsh movement of the truck couldn't stop her from falling asleep. However, voices woke her up. She had no idea how much time had passed since the men had taken her. But they were talking about her.

"We take her to San Cristóbal with 'El Niño', and we get some money," one of the men said. It was the one called Emiliano.

"Don't be stupid, Emiliano. 'El Niño' won't use such an old woman for his things," their boss laughed, and the rest followed.

Their conversation wasn't exactly clear, even if she understood Spanish. She didn't know who "El Niño" was, but it didn't sound good. Still, Maria kept listening.

"We can't risk it again. This woman speaks Spanish, but it's broken and sounds Mexican. She's American like the other kid. Who knows if she's looking for him," another voice stated, one who hadn't spoken before.

Maria tried to stay calm, but she was downright panicking. However, the last guy talked about an American kid. Could they be referring to Sebastian? What happened to him? What did they do?

Suddenly, she felt the truck stop.

"What do you suggest, Rogelio?" the boss asked. His voice was getting farther, as if he had gotten down from the truck.

"I take her and solve this problem. You know me, boss. It'll be quick," the one named Rogelio said in a low, chilling tone.

"Do it. The rest, come with me," the boss barked, and Maria heard the sounds of boots walking away. The truck started moving again, and she didn't feel the presence of anyone on the back this time.

Her body began wiggling, but the movement made things harder. She only needed to get her hands free and try to jump from the truck. However, the ropes around her wrists were too tight and thick. It was impossible.

After a dangerous curve, her body plummeted to one side, making things worse, but she couldn't stop trying. After another eternity, the truck stopped. Argh, I'm out of time. This man is going to kill me, Maria thought. But I won't go down without a fight.

A pair of hands grabbed her ankles and pulled her from the truck. "NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" she yelled.

"Lady, calm down," Rogelio hushed, lifting her body as if she weighed nothing and setting her on the ground. She thought about running, but the blindfold was still covering her eyes. She wouldn't get far.

"Please. Don't hurt me. I was just looking for my son. I won't say anything about you," Maria begged, starting to get hysterical.

"Shush," the man quieted her and finally lifted her blindfold. He was holding one finger to his mouth. "Stop talking."

"You speak English?" Maria asked as he rounded her and freed her hands unexpectedly.

"Yes, but we don't have time. Listen to me," he grabbed her arm and pushed her to look in a direction. "You're gonna run as fast as you can. That's crossing the border to Venezuela. You'll see several tiny red brick houses. There's one with a plantain tree. You knock on their door. Tell them Rogelio sent you, and they'll help you get back to Colombia."

"What? Why are you helping me?" Maria looked at her him in shock.

"I'm not one of them. I'm undercover," the man lowered his voice even more. "I'm in deep with this cartel, but you're lucky I was with them tonight. These are dangerous people. One of the worst cartels in the world. They normally kill on sight."

"Sir, please. Have you seen my son, Sebastian? You talked about a gringo kid. Please, he's my baby. I came to find him," Maria started, not caring about his scary words. She told him the entire story about Sebastian's fake death, the magazine, and how Det. Ramirez didn't believe her.

"He refused to help me and said the case was closed, although I showed him proof. He also knew I had Sebastian's route. He's the only one I talked to about all this," she explained. "Rogelio, I need help finding my son."

"Ma'am. My name is not really Rogelio. I don't know that detective, but I'll see what I can do. You need to run because I have to get back right now," the agent stated.

"Ok, I'll run, but take this, please," Maria nodded and reached into her bra. "My son took pictures with his camera. I don't know if there's something that could help you. But maybe, there's a way for your team to find him. I beg you."

The agent stared at the SD cards and nodded, storing them in his pants.

"I'll do my best. Maria, my team is going to destroy this cartel from the inside. I can't promise your son is alive. I have not seen him. But I'll try," he promised and used his nose to point back towards the border. "Now, go. Don't tell anyone else about me or what happened. I'll have to fire some gunshots, so don't yell or be startled, either."

"Thank you," Maria almost cried and began to run in the direction he explained. She covered her ears, and soon enough, two gunshots broke through the night. But she was still running, running, running.

***

"I ran until I reached the house he told me," Maria told Sebastian, wiping a tear and laughing at the relief of feeling her son beneath her hands. "A family there fed me, and in the morning, they helped me get back to Cúcuta."

"Wow, Mom," Sebastian breathed. "You did all that for me?"

"My baby, of course," she stated, holding his cheek. "But I wondered if maybe I should've kept the SD cards with me or given them later to Det. Ramirez. I went to sleep thinking of everything I could've done differently. But you're here."

"Thank you, Mom," Sebastian choked up on his words. "I would've died without you."

"Oh, baby," she said, holding him again as a fresh round of tears popped up. When they calmed down again, she made him dinner while talking about receiving some ashes and how Det. Ramirez said his I.D. was with a body.

"It must have been them," he said. "They didn't want anyone to look for me."

"Them?" Maria inquired. "What happened out there?"

"It's a long story, too," he began. "But on my third day of the research, I was deep in the forest or jungle or whatever. I was covered in leaves and down on the floor, trying to spot this bird, a Squirrel cuckoo. Very hard to see in the city. Did you know there are more than 250 species in that area?"

"Wow, but don't get distracted by birds," Maria urged.

"Right," he laughed, and the sound was glorious to her ears. "Anyway, a truck appeared out of nowhere, then another one. Some guys got out and started talking. I had no idea what they said, but I was recording everything. I was hidden, completely camouflaged by the leaves and all."

He took a break to chew on his food.

"I saw some 'stuff' getting exchanged. The locals told me we were near some coca plantations, so what they were doing was clear, even if I couldn't understand most of their rapid-fire Spanish," Sebastian continued. "But the whole thing was quick. Two minutes tops. The trucks flew away, and I stayed put for several more minutes."

"Ok," Maria nodded, enthralled by the story. After encountering the dangerous men and the undercover agent, she became interested in the cartels.

"I ran back to my shelter. I found these cave formations and camped there the entire time. I stayed there for a while, crazy afraid, and watched the footage again. Then, I took it out of the camera and stored it in my bag," Sebastian continued.

"Were you alone camping?"

"We had separated to find certain types of birds on our own, but we were supposed to meet a few days later," Sebastian explained. "It was honestly pretty fun being out there. The birds sang. I felt in Heaven. But then, I left the cave to go to the same spot where I was trying to see the cuckoo, and they grabbed me."

"That means they spotted you," Maria suggested.

"I think so, too. But I don't think they saw where I was hiding, or they would've ransacked that place," he nodded. "Anyway, they smashed my camera and the SD cards I had on me right then. Threatened me, too. But only one of the men spoke very broken English, and my Spanish is really terrible."

"Were you with them this entire time?"

"Yes. I thought I was done, but one of them had an idea to keep me so that I could run some deals. I looked different. They said no one would suspect me. They had some people coming in. They were Middle Eastern, for sure. So, I had to translate," he retold.

"Ay, mi niño (Oh, my boy)," Maria commented, not knowing what else to say. "So you worked for them for two years?"

"Yeah, Mom. Most of the time, they held me with some other people. Sometimes, it was bad, Mom," Sebastian answered carefully. "I won't tell you everything, but they took me out to the streets sometimes to make some deals. I could walk among crowds without looking out of place or too dangerous."

"That's how that photographer must have captured you," Maria stated. "Thank God."

"Maybe. I don't even know. After all that time, I began to lose hope. I thought this would be life until they finally…" he gulped. "Well. As long as I behaved, they treated me fine. I was a slave to them."

"Mi niño," Maria said, putting down her fork and holding his hand on the table.

"Yeah, but one day, these guys stormed in, yelling in English and Spanish. It was a raid of the entire plantation," Sebastian stated, moving from maudlin to excite. "It was like a movie, Mom. They took all quickly to a hospital to get checked. There were police all over. And then this guy came to me."

"Who was it?"

"He said, 'Are you Sebastian?' I said, 'Yes.' He never told me his name, but he said, 'Everyone here is free because of Maria,'" her son revealed and stared into her eyes, grabbing her hand on his wrist. "Mom, you saved like 20 people being held hostage. Thank you, Mom."

"That must have been the agent," Maria said as a new round of tears popped up. "Rogelio. I wish I knew his real name."

"Yes, it must be him. He also said the videos I took were the only reason they could raid the plantation. It was like the last proof they needed to act or something. I'm not sure about that," Sebastian added.

Maria was confused, so he tried to explain better.

"Growing coca leaves is technically illegal, but many families depend on that agriculture, so authorities look the other way unless it's drugs. That's what I've learned. But the exchange I recorded sealed the deal," he continued. "There was a government person involved. The agent said some policemen were also in on the deal, so he said I couldn't trust many people because he didn't know who was covering things up. But well, he left quickly after. I don't think we'll ever know who he was."

"But he saved us both. Him and his team," Maria nodded, thanking God for the existence of men like him who risked their lives to do some good. "I'll pray for him for the rest of my life."

"Me too," Sebastian said. "I wanna learn some Spanish, Mom."

"You're not going back to Colombia ever!" she scolded humorously.

"No, experiencing Colombia was fantastic in the beginning. The music, the culture, the beauty. It was incredible. I want to see more. I think you and I should go to Mexico, connect with our roots, and then, I want to see the birds I can't see here," Sebastian expressed vehemently.

"Oh, son."

"We can't let this experience destroy our image of a whole country. Horrible things happen everywhere, and you can't let the bad stop you from finding the good. Also, I will never see the birds I want to study if I stay in one place," he stated, smiling the entire time. "Latin America has so much to offer. We're Latinos, Mom. We thrive through the worst times and come out better."

Maria was nodding, concerned, but knowing her son was right. "We are Latinos. We don't let anything stop us. Let's start planning."

What can we learn from this story?

• Bad things can happen everywhere, but the key is to keep fighting to see the good. Despite the harrowing experience, Sebastian came out seeing the bright side of everything.
• A mother's intuition and love are powerful forces. Maria followed her instincts and fought for her son, risking her life to save him.

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 woman who heard her son's voice five minutes after his life support was turned off.

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.