Every morning, I woke up early. First, I would wake the girls.
That morning was no different. “Emma, Lily, time to get up!” I called softly, opening their bedroom door.
Lily rubbed her eyes and sat up. “Good morning, Daddy,” she said, yawning.
Emma, still half asleep, mumbled, “I don’t want to get up.”
I grinned. “Come on, my love. We need to prepare for daycare.
I assisted them in dressing. Emma selected her pink shirt and pants, while Lily selected her favorite dress—the one with the flowers. We all went downstairs after they were dressed.
To prepare breakfast, I headed to the kitchen. The plan was simple: oatmeal with milk. However, I came to a complete halt when I walked into the kitchen. Three dishes of freshly baked pancakes with fruit and jam were on the table.
“Girls, did you see this?” I asked, puzzled.
Lily’s eyes widened. “Wow, pancakes! Did you make them, Daddy?”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. Maybe Aunt Sarah stopped by early.”
I picked up my phone and called my sister, Sarah.
“Hey, Sarah, did you come by this morning?” I asked as soon as she picked up.
“No, why?” Sarah sounded confused.
I hung up, ‘Never mind, it’s nothing,’ I said. The doors and windows were locked, I checked. No one had broken in.
“Is it safe to eat, Daddy?” She looked up at them big and hungry eyes asking her, ‘Why are they so big?’
So I tasted them first. Seemed ok, and delicious. “I think it’s okay. Let’s eat,” I said.
The girls dug into their breakfast, the girls cheered. I was thinking who can have made the pancakes? Strange, I chose to just let it go for now. I had to get to work.
I dropped Emma and Lily off at daycare after breakfast. ‘Good day my loves’, I kissed each goodbye.
At work, I couldn’t focus. My mind kept going back to the mysterious pancakes. Who could have done it? Why? When I returned home that evening, I got another surprise. The lawn, which I hadn’t had time to mow, was neatly cut.
I was scratching my head in my yard. I muttered “This is getting weird.” I looked in the house again, but everything was fine.
The next day I decided to find out who this was who was helping me. Usually I woke up earlier and hid my face in the kitchen, trying to get a look at it through a tiny gap in the door. At 6 a.m., A woman came up through the window.
Old postal worker clothes is what she was wearing. She began washing dishes from the night before and I watched. And then she pulled some cottage cheese out of her bag and started making pancakes.
My stomach growled loudly. The woman turned around, startled. She turned off gas as fast as she could, and ran towards the window.
I stepped out of my hiding spot, just in time for me to say, “Wait, please, I won’t hurt you.” “You made those pancakes, right? Tell me why you are doing this please. No, don’t be afraid of me, I’m the girls’ father and would never do anything to harm a woman when you’ve helped me so much.”
The woman stopped and slowly turned to face me. I saw her face and thought she looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I knew her from.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” I asked, confused.
The woman nodded, but before she could speak, Emma and Lily’s voices came from upstairs, “Daddy, where are you?”
I glanced towards the stairs, then back at the woman. “Let’s sit and talk. I’ll get my girls. Please, don’t go,” I pleaded.
The woman hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said quietly.
I smiled in relief, then hurried upstairs to get Emma and Lily. “Come on, girls, we have a surprise guest downstairs,” I said.
They followed me down, curious. When we entered the kitchen, the woman stood by the window, looking unsure and ready to bolt.
“Please, don’t leave,” I said gently. “I just want to talk and thank you.”
Emma and Lily looked at her with wide eyes. “Who is she, Daddy?” Lily asked.
“Let’s find out together,” I replied. Turning to the woman, I added, “Please, sit down. Can I get you some coffee?”
She hesitated but then nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said softly.
We all sat down at the kitchen table. “I’m Jack,” I started, “and these are my daughters, Emma and Lily. You’ve been helping us, and I want to know why.”
The woman took a deep breath. “My name is Claire,” she began. “Two months ago, you helped me when I was in a very bad place.”
I frowned, trying to recall. “Helped you? How?”
“I was lying on the road, weak and desperate,” she added. You halted, but everyone else went past. I was taken to a charity hospital by you. I was terribly dehydrated and could have died. I persuaded the parking guard to give me your car number even though you had already left when I woke up. I chose to thank you after learning where you lived.
A realization came to me. “I now recall. You were in very bad health. I could not abandon you there.
Claire’s eyes were wet as she nodded. “I was saved by your generosity. My ex-husband fooled me, transported me from Britain to America, seized everything, and abandoned me on the street. I have no one or anything to turn to.
Emma and Lily listened intently, their small faces filled with concern. “That’s so sad,” Emma said, her voice barely a whisper.
“But why are you here?” I asked, still puzzled.
“Your assistance gave me the strength to keep on,” Claire explained. I told them my story when I visited the embassy. They put me in touch with a lawyer to defend my son and helped me obtain fresh paperwork. I was hired to work for the Postal Service. But as a token of appreciation, I wanted to pay you back. I chose to assist you with little things since I could tell you were exhausted every day when you arrived home.
I was touched by her story. “Claire, I appreciate what you’ve done, but you can’t just break into our home. It’s not safe, and it scared me.”
She nodded, looking ashamed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just wanted to help.”
Emma reached out and touched Claire’s hand. “Thank you for making pancakes. They were yummy.”
Claire smiled, tears in her eyes. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
With a mixture of relief, curiosity, and empathy, I inhaled deeply. “Let us approach this in a different way, Claire. Please do not sneak in any more. Why do not you occasionally join us for breakfast? We can learn more about one another.
A hopeful smile spread across her face. That is what I want, Jack. Thank you.
She cooked pancakes, and we ate them and spoke for the remainder of the morning. Claire gave us additional details about her son and her intentions to get back together. I became aware of her strength and willpower.
As we finished breakfast, I felt a sense of new beginnings. Claire’s gratitude and our mutual support created a bond. She had found a way to repay my kindness, and in turn, I wanted to help her reunite with her son.
Emma and Lily seemed to adore her already, and I felt a glimmer of hope for the future. “This could be the start of something good for all of us,” I thought.
As we cleaned up, I said, “Thank you, Claire, for sharing your experience.” “Let us support one another going forward.”
Grinning, she nodded. “Jack, that would be really appreciated. Thank you.
Thus, a new era of hope and support for one another started for both of our families.