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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/KiddKnyghtMarez on 2025-01-18 20:37:25+00:00.
I never did find out what happened to my mother. In fact, I’ve never met her. Soon after my birth I was taken into care by another woman who I assumed to be my biological mother all the way up until I was five years old. This woman wasn’t my blood mother, but she was so caring and nurturing that she provided the emotional warmth of any good mom. My childhood with her consisted of nothing but great memories. After my fifth birthday she started telling me about my biological mother. She said that my mother was homeless and just showed up at her doorstep one night.
“I’m sure your mommy was a good woman,” she started, “but she didn’t have a house to keep you in.”
Five year old me was transfixed on my step mother as she told me this.
“She just couldn’t keep you anymore, and the winter time was harsh. She lost her job, and didn’t have any money. So she left you with me.”
There were a lot of unanswered questions but my step-mother kept the story simple and straightforward, easy for my child-like mind to comprehend and understand.
She went into more detail on the story as I got older.
“I just happened to be sitting here in the living room one night. Your Uncle Teddy was sitting across from me. We both heard someone knock on the door, and when Teddy went to open it there was a very young, petite, and beautiful woman on our porch.”
When she described my mother to me I couldn’t help but to feel pure joy on the inside.
“How young was she? Like in her teens…twenties?” I asked, excited.
“You know what…she very well could’ve been within that age range. She may have been anywhere from her late teens to her thirties, actually. But I do know she was young enough to face the struggles of having no money to support herself and a child alone, “ she explained.
“What’s her name?” I asked.
“Janice……Janice Edwards.”
From there she went on to fill in just about all the details I’ve been itching to hear for years at that point.
“First thing we noticed was the baby she was holding.” My step-mother gave me a heart-warming smile as she pointed a finger at me.
“It was January, in the middle of winter, but she was just standing outside with only a thin flannel shirt. No jacket. She was shivering from head to toe as she held you in her arms. It looked like she used the jacket she was wearing to wrap you up and keep you warm.”
She continued to comfort me with her smile, that kept me consoled while listening to this otherwise sad story.
“It was obvious that this woman was in great need, but I still asked if she was okay anyways. Of course she shook her head no. That’s when Teddy led her in and seated her on the couch. I gave her some hot chocolate and threw a warm blanket around her. Then she had a long talk with me and your Uncle Teddy,” she explained.
“What did she tell you?”
“As I already suspected, she was at a really low point in her life. The place she was working at was already on the verge of permanently closing down, and they had cut her pay by a lot, as they could no longer afford the wage they paid before. When they eventually did close the company down, she stayed with many relatives for months until they got tired of her and ended up abandoning her.”
My step-mother’s smile was no longer enough to stop me from becoming teary-eyed.
“Then where is she now?..Where has she been all this time?” My voice was quivering.
My step-mother walked over to me and embraced me into her arms before saying,
“I hate to have to tell you I don’t know. When your Uncle Teddy and I went to the kitchen we heard the front door pry open…she was gone when we went back to the living room. She also left you lying on our sofa.”
She hugged me tighter, then kissed me on the forehead.
“Your mother just wanted you to live a good life. She didn’t want you to spend your childhood in a hassle, constantly struggling beside her. So please don’t resent her. She would’ve been a great mother if the circumstances were better.”
I didn’t know how to feel at the moment. I didn’t resent my mother at all. I just wanted to see her face, and hug her like I was my step-mother at that moment.
“But the following morning I woke up and saw a note that’s been slid beneath the front door. It was from her. She said she was leaving the area for a while. But if we decide to keep you, she’ll be back to pay you a visit, or at least see if you’re still around. She didn’t say when, but she said she’ll eventually return for sure,” she finished.
Although most of what she told me should’ve made me feel down, that last part cheered me up for the rest of the day - for every year from then on. The fact that I was actually going to see my birth mother later on down the line filled me with unlimited hope.
Ever since that day I always came home after school asking,
“Did she come?..Is she here?”
The answer was always no, unfortunately. Sometimes I didn’t want to ask simply because I was afraid of hearing no, as it would result in me being down again. But I never gave up hope. A few years had passed by, and I was still returning home asking if my birth mother made the visit. It was always at the back of mind. Often I’d be out and think, ‘I wonder if she’s at the house waiting for me?’
Overall I often find it hard to recall a single moment in which there was bad tension between my step-mother and I. Even during my teenage years. When I was young, she never threw birthday parties or allowed me to have any friends over, though I had many. But she still made sure I was happy when my birthday did come around, celebrating it in ways she knew would leave me satisfied. My birthday celebrations typically consisted of more simple pleasures along the lines of going to see the most recent superhero movie, or going to the yearly carnival that always seemed to start around my birthday. Other times I’d do some outdoor activities with my uncle, Teddy. Even though I was happy enough with this, I secretly still craved some social interaction with my friends outside of school. I always wondered why she insisted that I avoid this.
My uncle Teddy has been around since I was born as far as I know. He lived with my step-mother and I. He’s never been married and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him go on a date, or be with a woman at all.
Teddy spent most of his time outside, out in the more wooded areas either fishing or camping. Sometimes he’d choose a spot out there and set up some camping gear, staying for two or three nights at a time. This was routine, and he usually did it twice a month. Often when he returned it was in the middle of the night. When I was younger I would be awakened by the sound of the door opening downstairs, then I’d go rushing down to greet and hug him quietly.
“Does Theresa know you’re up?” he once whispered, giving me a wide grin, knowing what would happen if my step-mother caught me wandering the house in the middle of the night.
He started taking me with him on his short camping trips when I reached middle school. But of course I couldn’t always straddle along with him every time, as he did this year round. It was probably every other month when I went with him, but during the summer it was more often.
I loved Uncle Teddy. Besides my step-mother, he was another joy to be around. Except he was my blessing to loosen up and break some of the rules my step-mother had put in place. Since I wasn’t allowed to spend any time with friends, I hung out with Teddy whenever I wanted to have some fun. He allowed me to do many things my step-mother wouldn’t from time to time, especially when I got older in my teenage years. Thanks to him I was frequently sneaking out roaming the woods with him at night. Usually he started a fire for us to sit around, then we’d just chill and enjoy the stars. It was during one of these times when he gave me my first beer at sixteen.
As he chugged a can of beer down he picked up the six pack and handed them to me. Confused, I gave him a ‘what am I supposed to do with this’ look. He grinned.
“C’mon, I don’t have anything else for us to drink anyways,” he said.
I glanced at the beers in my hand then back at him again before popping one of the cans open.
He giggled before saying, “You tell, I’ll kick your ass!”
I awakened in our tent one morning only to find that Uncle Teddy was gone. His sleeping bag was abandoned, opened, and lying amongst the scattered clutter in his area. This was typical. I was usually a later sleeper than he was and he often liked to start off his mornings fishing by the lake.
I usually didn’t follow behind him until about an hour after I woke up, but that morning I decided to choke down some of the canned food we brought and snatch my fishing pole right away.
When I reached the lake Uncle Teddy was nowhere to be seen there either. All I saw was his fishing pole lying at the edge of the lake, along with his water bottle and pail of bait. He also had his chair sitting nearby.
After scanning my surroundings in an attempt to spot Uncle Teddy, I finally did. He was standing in front of the hospital that sat many yards away from the lake. I was a bit confused. We’ve been fishing at this lake for years and have never paid that hospital any mind, despite it being right next to us. I often forget that the hospital exists.
What was even more strange was the fact that he was talking to a young woman. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like he was flirting. Whatever it was they were discussing seemed t…
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