Man Opens Door and Girl Greets Him with Note in Hand Saying, ‘Hello, Dad! This Is from Mom’ — Story of the Day

Opening my front door one night, I found a little girl standing on my porch. "Hello, Dad! This is from Mom," she greeted, handing me a note. As I read it, my jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

"Who could it possibly be at this time?" I mumbled under my breath, reluctantly setting down my fork. There I was, enjoying dinner with my wife, Giselle, and our daughter, Mia, relishing another serving of the delicious spaghetti, when the doorbell interrupted us.

"I'll check who it is," I announced, pushing myself up from the chair. Walking to the door, I found myself face-to-face with a young girl who looked to be no more than 10.

"Hello, Dad," she greeted me, a hint of expectancy in her voice. "Can I please come in? This is from Mom," she added, offering a note.

I couldn't help but laugh, thinking she must have mistaken me for someone else. "Hi, sweetie. I think you've got the wrong house. I'm not your Dad."

Yet, she persisted, unshaken. "I know who you are. You're Vance. Your last name is Sanders, right?" Her words struck me, leaving me momentarily speechless.

"How do you know my name?" I managed to stammer.

"Can I come in first?" she implored again, shivering slightly. "I'm feeling cold."

Seeing her in her tattered clothes, I couldn't bring myself to turn her away, so I ushered her inside.

"Mom told me to give this letter to you," she said as she made herself comfortable. "Please read it."

Giselle was curious about what was delaying me, so she left her dinner and came into the living room. Her confusion was clear upon seeing the little girl. "Darling, who is she?"

"Just a minute, honey," I replied, my attention fixed on the note I was unfolding.

"Dear Vance,

I would've never reached out to you if it weren't for my illness. I can no longer care for our daughter, and it's time she met her father. Please don't turn her away. This is a plea.

With love,

Laura."

"Giselle, it seems she'll be staying with us tonight. What's your name, dear?" I asked, turning to the girl who bore a striking resemblance to me.

"I'm Beth," she replied with a smile. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Dad."

"Dad?" Giselle's eyes widened. "Vance, why is she calling you dad?" Her voice rose, enough to make Beth tremble.

Then Mia wandered into the living room, confusion written all over her face. "Mommy? Why are you yelling? Who is she?"

"Oh, we just have a visitor," I reassured her. "Please go back and finish your dinner, honey, okay? Mommy and I will join you shortly."

"Okay, Daddy," Mia nodded reluctantly before returning to the kitchen.

"I'll explain everything, Giselle," I whispered as Mia left. "But first, let me take Beth to the guest room. You and Mia go ahead with your dinner."

I quickly showed Beth to the guest room, urging her to make herself comfortable. "You're welcome to stay here, Beth. I'll bring you some dinner, but please stay in this room until I say otherwise. I need to talk things over with Giselle, okay?"

Beth agreed, nodding and smiling carefully.

After bringing her dinner, I asked Giselle to tuck Mia into bed first. Once the girls were asleep, I took a deep breath and prepared to explain why I had allowed Beth to stay with us.

"You remember Laura?" I found myself asking my wife. My voice was gruff and tired. "My ex-girlfriend?"

"Don't tell me, Vance…."

"She's right, Giselle. Beth is Laura's daughter, and yes, I'm her father. I once mentioned Laura and I broke up, but I left out that she was pregnant at the time. I wasn't ready to be a father, and she was determined to have the baby. So, I walked away from them. It seems my past isn't as buried as I hoped. Laura left a business card in the envelope. She's at the Oliver Memorial Hospital…."

Giselle's reaction was swift and cold. "I don't care about your past, Vance, but I won't have that girl stay here. She is your mistake, not mine!"

"But Giselle, I can't turn her away...Laura is sick. Could we let Beth stay just for a week?"

"A WEEK? ABSOLUTELY NOT, VANCE! I won’t allow it…” Her words were sharp, cutting the air like a knife.

"I promise I'll talk to Laura this weekend and figure something out for Beth."

Giselle shot me a look filled with disdain. "Fine. But she leaves within a week."

I thanked her, though the air between us had turned frosty.

Giselle had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to let Beth stay. But I could tell she resented every moment of it. Whenever I came home from work, I made sure to spend time with both Mia and Beth, unaware of the growing bitterness in my wife’s heart.

Then, one day while I was at work, Giselle took Beth to the hospital and left her there without telling me. When I came home and didn't see Beth, panic took hold. "What have you done, Giselle? Where's my daughter?"

"She's in her room, Vance. I don’t know what you mean."

"Not Mia, Giselle. Beth! Where did you take her?"

Her response was chilling. "She’s where she belongs – with her mother!"

"How could you leave her there alone? She’s just a child! We agreed to keep her for a week."

Giselle shrugged. Her indifference was the most hurtful part of this ordeal.

"I'm going to get her back, and you're not going to send her anywhere else this time. I'll make sure of that!"

Determined, I drove to the hospital, finding Beth with Laura. "Oh, Laura, I'm so sorry. I never wanted…"

"Vance," Laura’s tears began anew. "Promise you’ll look after Beth. I don’t understand why your wife would do this."

"I was coming to see you, Laura. I’m sorry about Giselle’s actions. But what's happened to you?"

Laura’s next words were a plea. "I don't have a lot of time, Vance. I know I'm dying, but I can't afford treatment. I require heart surgery, and my odds of survival are slim. So please take Beth with you. That's a request."

"Look, Laura," I found myself saying as I took her hands in mine, a determination firming my resolve. "I won't repeat my past mistakes. I won't abandon Beth. You don't need to worry. And I'll cover your treatment costs. I promise nothing bad will happen to you."

When I brought Beth back home, I tried to explain to Giselle that I would care for Beth as I do for Mia. I even mentioned my plan to fund Laura's treatment, feeling guilty for leaving her when she needed me the most.

But Giselle's reaction was explosive. "If you do that, then you'll have to care for Mia on your own. I'm leaving you and this house!"

"Are you serious? Think about Mia. I'm taking care of Laura's treatment, and once she recovers, she can take care of Beth. I'm trying to prevent our family from falling apart, Giselle. Please, just bear with me."

Mia suddenly appeared, interrupting our discussion. "Please don't go, Mommy! Beth and I are sisters. Daddy loves us both."

But Giselle remained unmoved. "Thank your daddy for making our home a complete mess, Mia! I hate him, and now he will be the one responsible for it!" She packed her bags and left, swearing never to return.

A week later, the divorce papers arrived. Surprisingly, Giselle didn't seek custody of Mia, only her share of our assets. I signed without hesitation, saddened by the realization that her departure meant she never truly valued our family. I was relieved, though, that she didn't try to take Mia from me.

Laura's surgery was successful, and she began to recover well. Navigating single fatherhood for Mia and Beth was challenging, yet fulfilling. Over time, as Laura recovered, something unexpected happened between us. Our old connection, reminiscent of our college days, resurfaced.

When Laura was ready to leave the hospital, I greeted her with, "Let's go home, Laura."

"Home? But where's Beth?"

"She's waiting for us, along with Mia, at our home. The place we've all been longing for you to return to."

I introduced Laura to our shared life with patience and care and explained the events during her hospital stay. Mia was initially hesitant, but she gradually warmed up to Beth's mom, thanks to her welcoming and loving approach.

And when Laura and I felt certain that both girls were comfortable with us as a family, we decided to marry. Our family found contentment and peace, and I hope Giselle will find a way to heal, too.

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If you enjoyed this story, here's another one: I became a single mom in college. Every man I dated since then disappeared when they discovered I had a son. But then, I met Glenn and decided to keep my child a secret until my child showed up at our wedding and taught me a lesson.

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