Mom Notices Little Son Is Losing Weight, Learns New Teacher Takes His Lunch Every Day – Story of the Day

Single mom Amber's worries grow over her little son Johnny's sudden weight loss. She secretly follows him to his school cafeteria to make sure he's eating well but sees his new teacher grabbing Johnny's lunch. When Amber reports the issue to the principal, Johnny reveals a heartbreaking truth.

The front door creaked open as 10-year-old Johnny stepped inside carrying his backpack.

"Hey, there, honey!" Johnny's mom Amber, who was a single mother, greeted him with a warm smile. "...how was school today?"

"Fine, Mom! The usual. I have a lot of homework!" Johnny said as he tossed his backpack on the couch and hurried to his room to change into his casuals.

Amber nodded, thinking her son had had just another long day at school, and followed him to gather his uniform to put for a wash. But as she watched Johnny take off his school shirt, Amber's smile quickly turned into a look of concern laced with horror.

"Johnny! You've lost so much weight!" Amber was horrified. "Baby, come here. Let me see. You eat well at home...so how are you suddenly becoming so skinny??"

Johnny grew a little nervous, and his eyes darted for answers. Amber could see that worried look on his face, and fear was slowly taking over in her heart.

"Johnny? Is something bothering you, sweetie?" she asked.

However, Johnny decided to hide his nerves and pretended he was alright. "Nothing, Mom! I'm fine," he said. "I don't know why I'm losing weight. But I'm sure it's nothing. I feel alright...nothing to worry about!"

Amber could not quite put the finger on what was wrong with her son, and her eyes searched Johnny's face, hoping for reassurance that he was really okay. Deep inside, her motherly instincts told her something wasn't right.

"Johnny, honey, if there's something..." Amber approached the boy and placed her hand on his head. "...you can tell me. I'm afraid you're not eating properly at school…Is that so?"

"No…no, not at all! I eat at school, Mom!" Johnny replied, wanting to end the conversation as soon as possible. His response sounded a bit rushed, fueling Amber's suspicion.

"Well, I hope so! Oh, by the way, did you like the chicken parmesan I made you for lunch today?" she asked as her heart skipped a beat, waiting for her son's answer.

Seemingly trying to play along, Johnny replied with a light chuckle. "It was so delicious, Mom! You always make the best chicken parmesan. I bet even a restaurant chef can't beat you at it! I loved it…even my friends told me it was yum!" he said.

Amber's suspicion intensified. "Oh really, young man?" she snapped back as she grabbed Johnny by the shoulders and stared at him. "There was no chicken parmesan for lunch today! Only cheese sandwiches and mashed potatoes!"

Johnny burst into giddy laughter, although he was a bit nervous. "Oh, I forgot, Mom!" he said. "You often pack chicken for my lunch. I just got it mixed up. Of course, I loved the sandwiches!"

Seeing through Johnny's explanation, Amber's concern deepened. She knew something was bothering her son and that he was trying to hide something from her.

"Okay, Mom...I have a lot of homework today...I've got to wash up and get to it!" Johnny quickly excused himself, avoiding eye contact with his mother.

Amber gathered his uniform and walked out, unable to shake off her doubts. She knew she had to find a way to have Johnny open up and talk to her. It had to be linked to why he was losing weight all of a sudden.

But seeing how Johnny was dodging her questions, Amber decided to take things into her own hands and spy on her son to find out what was happening.

Amber drove to Johnny's school the following afternoon and waited until the children dispersed for lunch. Peering through the cafeteria window, Amber scanned the room anxiously, searching for Johnny.

"Oh, dear...what's wrong? Where are his friends?" Amber's heart sank when she spotted her son sitting all alone at the table.

Under normal circumstances, Amber would've expected to see her lively boy happily chatting with his friends and sharing his lunch with them. But for some reason, Johnny was isolated, and it hurt the doting mother to the core.

Amber curiously observed her son take out his lunchbox.

"Good Lord! Guess I was wrong!" she muttered to herself. "Johnny does have his lunch! He was not lying."

Just as Amber turned around to come out of hiding and surprise Johnny, she witnessed something troubling. Mr. Miller, Johnny's new physical education teacher, approached him and grabbed the sandwiches from his lunchbox.

The very sight drove Amber mad, and she clenched her fists in frustration.

"What's going on here?" she angrily whispered. "Mr. Miller?? What, is he not getting paid enough to get his own lunch? Is he doing this every day? Is this why Johnny has been turning skinny?"

Unable to contain her anger, Amber stormed to the principal's office to report what she had just witnessed.

"I'll make sure that today is Mr. Miller's last day of work in this school!"

"Mrs. Franklin??" Amber burst into the principal's office in the middle of an important meeting. "Do you even know what madness is going on in your school?"

The principal initially did not understand until Amber brought the issue to her notice.

"I just saw him with my own eyes. Mr. Miller took my son's lunch. Just casually took it! I don't know for how long this has been going on..." Amber said.

"Mrs. Stewart, that is...appalling! I sincerely apologize for what happened. Just a moment," the atmosphere turned tense as the principal immediately called Johnny and Mr. Miller for a quick meeting in her office.

"Alright, Johnny, Mr. Miller...please have a seat," Mrs. Franklin gestured. "There's an issue that has come to my attention…and I need an explanation from the both of you."

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Johnny was stunned when he saw his mother in the principal's office.

"Johnny, I want to hear from you first. Your mother told me she saw you giving your lunch to Mr. Miller. Can you please tell us why you're doing that?" the principal got straight to the point, pressing Johnny to speak up.

Nervous and realizing he was caught in the act, Johnny decided to confess the truth.

"I...I wanted to find my biological mother!" he said, bringing Amber's world to a colossal standstill.

"WHAT??" she exclaimed as tears slowly rushed into her eyes.

"A few months ago, while cleaning the attic, I accidentally discovered I was adopted," Johnny revealed further.

"I even found some adoption papers in my mother's room after that. There was this letter from a woman with the words: 'I promise to take Johnny back as soon as I can. But I can't do it immediately.' I found her address on the envelope and discovered she lived just a few hours away, in Springfield."

Amber's being was shattered to a million shards when she realized that Johnny had discovered the truth about his adoption — something she never wanted him to know until he came of age.

"I see," Mrs. Franklin looked intently into Johnny's eyes. "That must have been a lot to take in, Johnny. But why did Mr. Miller take your lunch? What's the connection?"

Johnny almost teared up at this point. "He was just trying to help me lose weight," he revealed.

"Lose weight? What for?" the principal raised an eyebrow.

"I started attending athletics training to attend a competition in the town where my biological mother lives. Everybody knows I'm bad at sports. I thought if I lost a little weight, it would be easier to qualify for the competition and find my mother. I had to come up with a reason to go there, and this was the perfect chance!" Johnny added.

Mr. Miller, who had been keeping his eyes downcast, jumped in his seat on hearing Johnny's true intentions. "I swear I didn't know about this, Mrs. Franklin."

"I thought Johnny only wanted to improve his athletic performance. The boy is not a natural athlete. He came to me a few weeks ago, telling me he needed help with losing weight to join the athletic team in school. Looking at him, I did think he was a bit overweight, and...I was just trying to help him! I didn't know he was up to something else."

"Ridiculous! Are you really a teacher, Mr. Miller? Or perhaps you are a dietician? You should've never agreed to help Johnny. Not without fully understanding his intentions, and certainly not without consulting his mother!" Mrs. Franklin spoke in a cold, piercing tone.

Meanwhile, Johnny's confession had hardened Amber's heart.

"No more sports training!" She angrily turned to Johnny. "...and you can forget about the competition. Do you understand?"

"But Mom..." Johnny pulled a face.

"Johnny, I said no," Amber sternly said. "Mrs. Franklin, thank you so much for addressing the issue. I know you will make the right call about Mr. Miller here. And Mr. Miller, I hope this is a lesson that we cannot mindlessly nod to everything children say without understanding their motive."

Amber was shattered. She knew Johnny would not stop demanding to meet his biological mother, now that he had found out the truth. Mustering her spirits, she left the principal's office and headed home.

As soon as Johnny got home later that afternoon, Amber led him to the living room, her expression stern and her heart heavy with worry.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at her son. "Johnny, I need to talk to you about what happened at your school today. You were putting yourself in harm's way by not eating your food. How could you hide such a big thing from your mother?"

Johnny's eyes welled up.

"And how could you hide from me that you were not my real mother? I was just trying to find my birth mom. I need to know who she is and why she left me...."

At this point, Amber lost it and decided house arrest was the only option for Johnny. "No more games or friends after school, do you hear me? You are only allowed to go to school…and once classes are over, you get on your school bus and head straight home. Am I clear?"

But a heartbroken Johnny refused to give in. "This is so unfair! I deserve to know who my mother is…" he argued.

"I understand that you're curious. But you'll know everything once you grow up, Johnny...I promise," Amber said. "You're still young. And there are certain things you cannot fully understand yet. I know what's best for you...and what's not. Coz I'm your MOTHER!"

Johnny's tears continued to flow as he sniffled, torn between his yearning to find his birth mother and adhering to Amber's strict rules.

"What if my biological mother wants me back? What if she's looking for me?" Johnny bolted to his room upstairs, sobbing. "You can't hold me back for long, Mom...I will find my mother one day..."

Amber was shattered when her son said that. A part of her kept nudging her to go after Johnny and explain everything to him. But another part held her back, convincing her time would heal everything.

As the night wore on, Johnny lay in bed, his mind racing with thoughts. He knew Amber would never allow him out on his own again until he dropped the idea of wanting to find his bio mother.

So he devised a plan to somehow get to the city where his biological mother lived.

A week went by, and it seemed to Amber that things were slowly getting back to normal. But the following Monday, Amber and Johnny barely spoke during their drive to his school.

Although Amber wanted everything to be normal, she was afraid Johnny would bring up the same topic of his biological mother all over again. So she drove quietly as Johnny sat in the backseat, staring out the window.

"Bye, honey! Be a good boy. Don't forget to eat your lunch, alright?" Amber finally broke the silence as Johnny got out of the car, dragging his backpack.

Johnny nodded, his eyes downcast. Amber understood his desperation, but there was nothing much she could do, and she hoped Johnny would get back on track pretty soon.

Little did Amber know there was a plan brewing in Johnny's mind as he disappeared behind the school gate that morning.

The little boy was secretly excited. Mr. Miller, who had been suspended for a week, was going to resume school today. As the day progressed, Johnny plucked up the courage and approached him in the games room.

"Mr. Miller, I want to go to the city where my bio mom lives…will you take me there?" Johnny said.

"Johnny? No, that's not possible, champ. Did you not hear what your mother told you the other day?" Mr. Miller replied, brushing aside Johnny's pleas.

But Johnny was dead set on making his plan a reality and started emotionally cornering his P.E. teacher.

"Mr. Miller, if you don't help me get there, I'll run away and do it myself!" Johnny looked up at his teacher, who was stunned at the boy's audacity.

"You heard me, Mr. Miller," Johnny added. "I've already planned to run away to find my bio mom, with or without your help. All I'm asking for is some help...but it's okay if you're not ready to do it. I'll find a way on my own."

Mr. Miller thought for a while and spoke up after a long pause. "Alright! Do you know exactly where she lives?" he asked.

"Yes! I have her address!" Johnny exclaimed, his heart pounding with excitement.

"Okay! Then wait for me at the school parking lot today after classes...I'll bring my car and drive you to the city, alright?" Mr. Miller said as Johnny's face lit up.

"Thanks, Mr. Miller!" Johnny said with a hearty smile. "I'll be ready with my luggage, alright?"

"Luggage?"

"Yeah...I have a set of home clothes hidden in my locker…I brought them to school some days ago!" Johnny said as he happily turned around and left.

The thought of finally meeting his biological mother consumed Johnny's mind as he marched to the parking lot later that day after school. But upon arriving, he noticed it was empty, and his smile faded.

"What's taking Mr. Miller so long?" Johnny muttered. "He said he'll bring his car...why's he delaying?"

As minutes ticked by, Johnny grew restless. Moments later, a sense of relief washed over him when he saw Mr. Miller's car pulling up in the parking lot.

"Hey, Johnny! Over here! Hop in, kiddo!" Johnny saw his teacher waving at him and happily bolted in his direction.

Suddenly, the boy froze in his tracks, and his heart started to pound when he saw his mother, Amber, stepping out of the teacher's car.

He knew Mr. Miller would have told her about his plans of running away from home and was afraid of having to explain everything to her. Fear gripped Johnny on all sides as he pulled his backpack straps closer and stood still.

"Care to explain what you were up to??" Amber approached Johnny, her voice tinged with disappointment and fury. "Get in the car, Johnny."

Johnny's heart sank like a stone as he looked up at Mr. Miller. "I didn't expect that from you, Mr. Miller," he said disappointedly. "You betrayed me."

"I'm so sorry, Johnny," Mr. Miller earnestly replied. "I couldn't let that happen...if I had refused to take you, you would've run away on your own. And we might not have found you. You could've put yourself in danger by doing that. So I did what was best and safe for you, Johnny. You need to go home with your mother."

"You got your answer?" Amber fumed at Johnny while opening the car door. "Now get in the car."

Frustrated and disappointed with Mr. Miller for foiling his plan, Johnny got into the car and sat quietly in the backseat.

Amber noticed her son's anxiety in the rearview mirror. Johnny's grave silence haunted her more because deep inside, she knew he would try to run away again. But she had fixed her mind not to let that happen ever again.

So as days passed, Amber never let Johnny go out alone. She started dropping him off at school and even picked him up. She never allowed him to play outside in the evenings without her supervision. Amber knew this would be hard on Johnny, but she had no choice but to make sure he was under her watch all the time.

Everything seemed to get better as time fleeted by. Johnny stopped talking about his bio mother and did not express his desire to see her.

Amber grew to believe Johnny's sudden change in his behavior and trusted him. But everything changed one Saturday afternoon when she was cleaning the basement of her house.

"Sweetie, can you please pass me that mop from the stairs?" Amber asked Johnny.

"Sure, Mom!" Johnny nodded and returned with the mop moments later.

As Amber got occupied with cleaning the basement floor, she heard faint sounds of footsteps growing distant from her. She realized Johnny was going somewhere. But before Amber could react or stop him, Johnny swiftly grabbed her phone and bolted upstairs, slamming the cellar door shut, locking Amber in the basement.

"Johnny, what are you doing? Let me outta here...please unlock the door!" Amber shrieked.

"I'm sorry, Mom...I'm going to find her," Johnny answered and rushed to Amber's room.

"Johnny, come back. Please. Don't do this! Running away like this is dangerous. Please come back."

But Amber's pleas fell on deaf ears as Johnny stole money from Amber's wallet and darted to the street.

With wads of dollar bills in hand and his bio mother's address in his pocket, Johnny ran as fast as he could, his footsteps fading in the distance as he approached a truck driver at the local gas station around 20 minutes later.

"Excuse me, sir...I really need to get to the city nearby. I'll pay you $100 if you can take me there in your truck?" Johnny told the stranger.

The truck driver was surprised at the mention of $100. "Well, that's a lot of money, kid! Why do you need to get there so urgently? You alone?"

Johnny was not in the spot to answer all of the man's questions. So he took out a hundred dollar bill and showed it to him. "Here...take the money. I'm not playing tricks on you. Drop me at the city…I am going there to look for my mother."

The driver's face twisted with suspicion. But he couldn't resist the offer and grabbed the money. "Alright, kiddo...hop in!" he motioned for Johnny and opened the truck door.

As the truck sped away from the gas station and rumbled down the highway, Johnny's heart started pounding. He was unable to contain his excitement and was looking forward to finally meeting his biological mother.

Three hours passed, and Johnny's exhaustion caught up with him. Using his backpack as a pillow, Johnny cozied up on the seat and dozed off.

When the driver took a sharp turn and sped over a speed bump, he noticed wads of dollars secured by a rubber band falling out of Johnny's pocket and landing on the seat. He slowed down and, moments later, pulled over by the roadside.

"Huh, looks like he's got quite a bit of cash on him!" he thought, a sinister grin glowing on his face. "A little boy on his own with so much money…on my truck and on a secluded highway!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the driver grabbed the money and hid it in his glove compartment while Johnny was fast asleep, unaware that he was being robbed.

"Now I should get rid of this kid on the way..." the driver muttered under his breath as he stepped on the gas pedal and sped away.

Several minutes later, the truck came to a screeching halt as Johnny groggily woke up with a start, thinking they had arrived at their final destination.

"Are we in the city?" he rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked at the driver.

"Nope!" the man chuckled. "We still have a long way to go, kiddo. You hungry?"

"No..." Johnny replied. "I want to get to the city as soon as possible. Are we at a gas station?"

"Yup! We were running out of fuel. We stopped to refuel the truck!"

"Oh...can you wait for a minute? I'll use the restroom real quick," Johnny held his tummy and asked the driver.

"Sure thing, pal! I'll wait for you right here! Hurry up!" the driver said as Johnny got out of the truck and headed toward the restroom.

Seizing the opportunity, the truck driver started the engine and immediately drove away, leaving Johnny stranded in a whirl of dust and disappointment.

"Hey, come back! You can't leave me here...come back!" Johnny ran after the speeding truck, shouting in disbelief.

But the truck was gone, and that's when Johnny slid his hand into his pocket and realized that his money was gone too.

Betrayed and stranded in the middle of nowhere, Johnny walked back to the gas station and sat on the curb, tears welling up in his eyes.

"What am I going to do now? How will I get to the city and find my mother without money?" he broke down.

Wiping away his tears, Johnny turned around, and when he saw the bustling gas station, an idea sparked in his mind.

He knew that long-haul buses would stop at regular gas stations for refueling. So he decided to seize his chance and sneak into the luggage compartment of any random bus that was heading to the city as soon as it pulled over at the gas station.

Desperate for his plan to work, Johnny waited for the bus to show up. Hours passed, and Johnny was still waiting, with no bus arriving any time soon.

He was exhausted and hungry. Yet, holding his hopes high, Johnny sat there under the scorching sun, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

An hour passed. Suddenly, Johnny woke up with a start when he felt a strange rumbling sensation and heard the honking of vehicles fading past him.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he was lying in the backseat of his mom Amber's car and had no idea how he got there.

"MOM?? Hhh-How did you find me? How did I get in here?" Johnny was startled.

As it turned out, Amber had managed to break the cellar door with an ax and escape. She then followed her instincts and knew her son would be taking the only route that led to the city.

When she happened to pass through the highway, she found Johnny at the bunk and had arrived on time just moments after he had passed out due to fatigue.

"Mom...where are we going?" Johnny grew nervous. But Amber chose to remain silent as an emotional war was exploding within her.

An hour later, they arrived outside an unfamiliar house in the city, and the car came to an abrupt halt.

"Get down!" Amber turned to Johnny.

"Where are we??" Johnny asked as he stepped out of the car and stared at the huge mansion nestled behind a colorful garden and a tree-lined porch.

"This is your biological mother's house, Johnny," Amber said, gathering her broken heart while holding back her tears.

"M-mm-my biological mother??" Johnny stuttered, tears gushing into his shocked eyes as he looked up at Amber.

"Yes, Johnny. I won't hold you back anymore. You are free to go now," Amber replied, pointing to the house in front of them.

It felt too good to be true. Johnny was overwhelmed with emotions as he turned to the house, a big, fat smile beaming on his face.

"Your biological mother lives behind that door, Johnny," Amber said, mustering all her courage not to drop those tears. "Go on, dear! I'm not angry with you...I love you...and I'll always be there for you, no matter what. If you're happier with her, then so be it!"

With eyes brimming with tears, Johnny shakily approached the grand foyer and stood still. He scanned the exteriors of the house, and it was evident that rich people, richer than Amber and him, lived there.

Cupping his face on the French window, Johnny saw a woman building a dollhouse with two little girls in the living room. A middle-aged man was sitting on the couch, engrossed in reading a newspaper. And everything, as far as Johnny's eyes could see inside, painted a picture of their luxurious life.

His eyes grew moist as he turned to Amber. "Is that her? Is that my mom?"

"Yes, that's her, Johnny! She's your mother, Kimberly!" Amber whispered. Unable to hold her tears back anymore, she stepped back and hurried to her car parked outside the gate.

Meanwhile, Johnny took a deep breath and, mustering his courage, knocked on the door.

Moments later, the door swung open, and a woman dressed in rich clothes and expensive jewelry stood on the other side, curiously staring at Johnny.

"Miss Kimberly??" Johnny looked up at her with big, pleading eyes.

"Hello there...yes! How can I help you?" the woman replied, wondering who Johnny was.

Johnny was lost in deep thought, and time seemed to stand still when he remembered his bio mother's letter he found in the attic all those months ago.

The words — 'I promise to take Johnny back as soon as I can.' — haunted Johnny as he thought over and over again.

"I...I'm so sorry to bother you," he looked up at the woman and said after a long pause. "I must have made a mistake...I thought you were someone else! I've come to the wrong address."

He immediately turned around and bolted outside the gate before the woman could question him further. Panting, Johnny approached Amber's car and knocked on the window.

"Jo-Johnny?? Are you okay?" Amber stepped down, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"She doesn't even recognize me, Mom," Johnny burst into tears. "I thought she would want me back...but she has her own family now…and has forgotten about me."

Johnny clung to Amber and bitterly sobbed.

"Johnny, there's something I need to tell you. I never intended to hide it...I was just waiting for the right time to tell you everything once you grow up. But now, I feel you need to know the truth..."

"Years ago, your bio mom Kimberly and I were best friends..." Amber revealed as Johnny sniffled.

"After she gave birth to you, her boyfriend left her, and Kimberly struggled alone. She asked me to take care of you while she found a job in the city. Months later, she met her future husband, who didn't want to raise another man's child. Your bio mom moved on with him, and I never heard from her again."

"She never wanted me in the first place!" Johnny said, snapping his tears away.

"Not quite, sweetie," Amber tried comforting his broken heart. "Sometimes, we adults are forced to make certain difficult decisions for the better! I guess it was God's wonderful plan that brought us together for a reason...to give you a mother and to give me a loving, precious little son! You were this tiny little angel, and I couldn't imagine letting you go...so I adopted you! I will always love you like my own, dear...

...Because I AM YOUR MOTHER!"

Johnny felt like a storm had calmed down. He threw himself in Amber's arms and apologized for letting her down, promising never to do it again.

"I love you, Mom! Can we go home?!" he whispered as he hopped into the car and raised the window.

"I love you, too, sweetheart!" Amber teared up. Fastening her seat belt, she turned around as they drove down the street back home.

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