Life is unpredictable. The truth is that we can never know what awaits us in the future. What we know is that we need to be the best version of ourselves and things would simply fall into place.
Nathan, a bus driver, noticed something strange one day. A boy on the bus didn’t get off the last bus stop so Nathan approached him and asked where his parents were.
The boy said that his mother was supposed to wait for him at a certain bus stop but she was nowhere to be seen and he had no idea what to do. The little one explained that he and his mom had just recently moved to town and he couldn’t say where exactly their home was. He then asked Nathan if he could let him spend the night inside the bus.
Nathan explained that he couldn’t possibly let him sleep there and offered to take him home instead until they learn where his mother was.
The boy said his mom’s name was Melissa G, and that was a good start.
Once home, Nathan prepared some dinner which the boy, who introduced himself as Carlson, ate very quickly. It was obvious he hadn’t eaten all day.
Nathan took his phone out and called the police, asking if a boy named Carlson was reported missing. The answer was no. He then asked about Melissa G, but there wasn’t anything they could tell him about her because her name was the only thing he knew about that woman.
Confused and uncertain of what to do next, Nathan thought of calling social services, but he then changed his mind because he didn’t want to involve them for what could be a simple error. He really didn’t want the kid to end up in the system before learning what prevented his mother from meeting him as arranged.
Before calling every hospital in the area, Nathan made the bed for Carlson and told him to feel like home.
“I know this is highly unusual. But I’m looking for this person. Her kid was on my bus all day yesterday, waiting for her to get on. Please, if there’s any Melissa G. interned right now, please, tell me so we can check,” he begged the lady who answered the phone.
Ok, I’ll help. But don’t tell anyone,” the lady replied, and Nathan could hear the sounds of her clicking a computer keyboard. “There’s someone with that name. But there’s no emergency contact. They must have gotten her details from an I.D. in her pocket or purse.”
Unfortunately, Melissa got involved in an accident earlier that day and was in medically induced come. Nathan took Carlson to the hospital first thing in the morning, but the hospital staff wouldn’t let them see her. They asked Nathan whether he was her husband, and just as he wanted to say no, Carlson put his arm around his leg and Nathan said he was Melissa’s husband.
After answering some questions he was forced to lie about, Nathan and Carlson were taken to see Melissa.
She was still in coma and remained in such state in the few days that followed. Eventually, doctors believed she was ready to be waken up as she started feeling better.
When she opened her eyes, Melissa saw her son and gave him a hug.
Carlson then told her about Nathan and Melissa was very grateful. She couldn’t believe that a total stranger could step in for her and her son.
“Thank you,” she breathed sincerely, not letting go of her son. “You’re welcome. But I did lie to these people, so if anyone asks, I’m your husband,” Nathan joked.
Nathan stayed for a while and then said goodbye, not planning to see the mother and her son again.
But in the evening, just as his shift was over, he felt the urge to go to the hospital and check on them one last time.
“Why are you back?” Melissa asked him a few hours later when Carlson had fallen asleep on the couch.
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I kept thinking about you and him the entire day. I can’t explain it. But I guess I wanted to see this through. I’ll help you return home and watch him whenever I can so you can recover.”
“That’s so kind,” Melissa replied, as she struggled to keep her tears falling down her eyes. “Other people would’ve called 911 or CPS, and they could’ve taken my son forever.”
“I almost called them, but then I thought, what if something happened to you? There had to be a reason why you didn’t appear, so I had to try to find you first,” he said. The two then looked straight at each other’s eyes.
Once Melissa was discharged from the hospital, Nathan visited her and Carlson in their home. The visits became more frequent and the two tied the knot around to years later.
Nathan adopted Carlson. Who could have thought that the scared boy from the bus would become her son one day.
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Bored Daddy
Love and Peace