“Can you babysit tonight?” Sabrina begged her neighbor, Erica, who was all dressed up and ready for a night out with her husband, Arnold. Sabrina was a single mother and lived in an apartment complex in Orlando, Florida.

“Oh, we actually had plans,” Erica responded, unsure. She really loved Sabrina’s daughter, Lily, as she had no children. She and Arnold were in their late 40s and never had time for kids. But they got to babysit Lily every once in a while, which was awesome.

“Please! I beg of you. I have a date tonight, and this man might be the man of my dreams. A new daddy for Lily,” Sabrina pleaded her case, and Erica pursed her lips. She looked at Sabrina’s desperate face, not noting that something more was going on. Then she saw beautiful Lily, who was three years old and had the biggest eyes.

“I’m here for my daughter. I told you I would be back,” she answered.

Erica finally nodded, taking Lily in her arms and grabbing the bag Sabrina passed on. “Thank you! Thank you!” the young woman added and ran off.

She did not return that night. Erica and Arnold worried for hours while Lily cried for her mother.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. She’ll be back in the morning,” Arnold comforted his wife and tried to distract the baby.

“I hope you’re right. I’m worried about that new man she said she was meeting,” Erica muttered, going to the door and peeking through the peephole.

Soon it was morning and Sabrina had not shown up. Erica went directly to her apartment and knocked many times. “Sabrina! Sabrina!” she called, getting increasingly worried and desperate with her knocks. Finally, Arnold came and brought her back to their place.

They decided to call the police, and Erica told the officers they were worried about this new man Sabrina had met. Sadly, they didn’t know more about this date. The cops tried knocking on her door, too, but no one answered. Finally, one of them kicked the door open, and they were shocked by the scene before them.

The apartment was empty. “Are you sure this is where she lived?” the officer asked Erica, who nodded but covered her mouth with her fingers in pure concern.

Had Sabrina abandoned her baby? she wondered in horror.

“What happens now? We don’t want Lily to be taken away,” Arnold asked one officer while Erica entered the apartment with the other. They encountered several of Lily’s things, which suggested that Sabrina had truly abandoned the baby.

“We’ll have to call CPS, and the social worker will decide. You guys might want to get certified for foster care to keep the baby. Otherwise, she’ll go into the system if we can’t find her mother,” the cop told Arnold, who frowned at the idea.

He stared at Erica from outside Sabrina’s apartment, and she met his eyes with a worried expression. It was like they both decided at that moment. Lily was not going anywhere.

The police tried to find Sabrina for many months, but their search didn’t work. It was like she disappeared into thin air.

***

Years later, an 18-year-old Lily was getting ready for prom. She grew up with Erica and Arnold who had adopted her shortly after her mother abandoned her. Lily was aware of what happened, but she didn’t care anymore. She was raised well by the older couple and she couldn’t have asked for better parents.

Erica was helping her with her hair when a knock sounded at the door. Arnold was still at work, so Erica put the hair straightener down and went to see who it was.

“Sabrina?” Erica breathed in astonishment when she opened the door. Fifteen years had passed since she left her daughter, and for some reason, Sabrina was back. Erica was understandably angry. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for my daughter. I told you I would be back,” she answered. The years had not been kind to her face. She looked almost older than Erica. Something had clearly happened, but the older woman didn’t care.

She scoffed at Sabrina’s words and used all the disdain in her heart to speak. “You have the gall to come here after YOU abandoned your child 15 YEARS AGO?”

“SHE’S MY DAUGHTER NO MATTER HOW MUCH TIME HAS PASSED!” Sabrina yelled in response to Erica’s angry tone. “WHERE IS SHE? WHERE ARE YOU KEEPING HER?”

“I will call the police immediately if you don’t leave. Lily is my daughter now, and you lost all your rights a long time ago,” Erica continued, ice in her voice.

“YOU DON’T GET TO SAY THAT! SHE’S MY DAUGHTER! I’LL CALL THE POLICE ON YOU!!” Sabrina yelled and looked like she wanted to make a bigger scene but stopped suddenly, looking behind Erica at something.

Lily had heard the commotion and came out of her room to see what was happening. “What’s all this yelling, Mom?” she asked Erica, confused until her eyes saw the woman outside the door.

“Lily! Darling! You look so beautiful! Come hug your mother!” Sabrina said sweetly and opened her arms. She tried to come inside, but Erica got in her way.

“Come in and I’ll have you arrested,” she threatened the younger woman.

“Mom, wait a second,” Lily spoke up and approached the door. She touched Erica’s shoulder and gave her a small smile of reassurance. Then her eyes focused on the woman who had abandoned her all those years.

“Sabrina? My only mother is the woman standing beside me,” she began calmly. “I remember crying the night you left me here. I remember everything. But I never lacked love because Erica and Arnold had so much to give. I am their daughter. Not yours. Please leave now.”

“Lily! They had brainwashed you! I’m your mother! I know I made a mistake, but let me explain!” Sabrina begged, tears running down her face.

Lily had absolutely no sympathy for the woman. “I don’t care,” she stated, shaking her head and raising her eyebrows. “Leave now or we will call the police.”

Sabrina pursed her lips and looked at Erica in anger. “This is not over!” she exclaimed and stormed off.

As soon as Erica shut the door, Lily hugged her tightly, not letting go for a few minutes. “Thank you for everything,” she told her, and Erica couldn’t help but cry. It was amazing to know that all those years had not been in vain.

Arnold got home a few minutes later, and they told him everything. He decided to call the police, and eventually, they filed a restraining order against Sabrina. Lily wanted nothing to do with her, but the woman kept harassing them and coming to their door.

Eventually, she disappeared, and Lily went off to college. But she returned home as much as possible, reminding her parents how much she valued them. They were the only real family she recognized.

What can we learn from this story?

• A real mother is not the one who birthed you but the one who raised and loved you. Erica raised Lily when she was abandoned, and Sabrina could never break that bond.
• You might not always earn forgiveness. Sabrina obviously regretted her decisions, but Lily had not forgotten and would never be able to forgive her.

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