Son Brings Mom to Nursing Home Promising to Return the Next Day and Disappears for 6 Years – Story of the Day

Molly's son, Dave, abandoned her in a nursing facility when she was 62 and turned her back on her for 6 "long" years. She couldn't believe Dave had done that to her and plunged into grief. Then she met Kira, a nurse at the facility who helped her overcome her sadness. Molly grew pretty close to her but didn't know Kira wasn't who she appeared to be.

Molly Decker was your typical stay-at-home wife, busy tending to her home and raising her son Dave on her own. Her husband, Charles, was a sailor who could only return home once every six months. But while Charles couldn't devote much time to them, he made up for it by sending them money every month, gifts on special occasions, and a letter to Dave on his birthday every year.

Dave held high regard for his father, and he adored Charles far more than he adored Molly because she would point out his mistakes and scold him for his studies, which Charles did not. He often mocked her about how Charles was a much better parent than she was.

"Look at dad, mom! He's so much better than you! He loves me and never yells at me."

Molly didn't say much to Dave after that other than to get back to his studies, silently muttering about how it was obvious for Charles to be so indulgent with him because he only saw him once every six months. However, at the end of the day, even Molly thought Charles was a wonderful parent and loving husband - at least that's what she felt, until the day everything fell apart...

That day, Molly, who was 41 then, got a letter from Charles. She had an odd feeling about the letter because Charles only sent them letters on Dave's birthday once a year. She opened it with trembling hands, fearful that there would be bad news inside, that Charles had died, and this was his final letter. As she read it, her suspicions weren't confirmed, but her entire world came crumbling down around her.

"Dear Molly and Dave,

I've been trying to tell you about this for years, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm not sure what got into me today, but I'm not going to keep this to myself anymore. I have a second family. I won't tell you where or with whom I'll be. I just wanted to tell you that I will never return home. It's not that I hate you both; it's just that I don't think I can love you anymore. I am sorry. I sincerely hope you will forgive me.

With love, Charles."

Molly broke down after reading Charles' letter. | Source: Pexels

As she finished reading, Molly dropped the envelope from her grasp and sank to the doorstep, sobbing bitterly.

16-year-old Dave, who was immersed in his phone, ran over to her, concerned. "Mom, what's the matter? Are you all right?"

She couldn't utter a word, so Dave picked up the letter to read it. As he finished, he was furious at Molly.

"Wow! I can't believe this! You forced dad to leave us, mom. Congrats!"

"What did you just say?" asked Molly, trembling. "I made him leave us?"

"Of course, mom! You've always been so forceful with me, and I'm sure you didn't spare dad too. You yelled at me for studying. You pinpointed even the smallest of my errors. You are so controlling, mom! No wonder he just moved away from us!"

"DAVE!" cried Molly. "You're getting ahead of yourself. Your father abandoned us! Leaving the family was his decision, not mine! And I have only scolded you for your betterment!"

Dave believed Molly was responsible for Charles abandoning them. | Source: Pexels

"Well then, do you have a better explanation for why he left us? No, right? I REALLY HATE YOU FOR THIS, MOM! Taking my father away from me!"

Molly couldn't believe her ears. How could Dave just blame her? She had always loved him and cared for him when Charles was away, and all she received in return was blame? Molly didn't know what she would do now.

While her son blamed her for her husband's sudden disappearance from their lives, Molly knew the next issue they'd be confronting was a financial crisis. So she started looking for a job, but everyone she approached turned her down due to her lack of work experience. She had married Charles shortly after graduating from college, and he was the breadwinner ever since, so she never had to work.

In the end, she got a job as a dishwasher at a nearby diner. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. She worked hard to provide for Dave, but he never bothered to help her. Instead, he went to parties with his friends, wasted her hard-earned money, and when it was time for him to join a college, he didn't because he didn't want to and blamed Molly's inability to pay for it, behaving like a complete brat.

Molly began working as a dishwasher to support Dave. | Source: Unsplash

Many years passed and when Dave turned 25, he began to look for work because he realized his "demands" wouldn't be enough to compete with Molly's wage. He tried his hand at a couple of low-wage jobs, but he was dismissed for being nasty to co-workers and supervisors. Then he ventured into the corporate sector with no success.

Meanwhile, Molly was diagnosed with musculoskeletal difficulties when she was 52. A decade later, she couldn't walk without her wheelchair, so Dave had to work alone to support the two of them.

One day, Dave came to Molly and claimed he'd been promised a good position in an accounting firm in another town and that he'd have to go to their main office for an interview. "But there's one problem, mom," he added.

"What is it?" asked Molly, concerned.

"Because I don't know how long it will take, I'll be gone for the entire day, and I won't be home to look after you."

"Oh," Molly smiled at her son's concern for her, which he didn't show very often. "That's all right. I can manage, Dave."

"No, Mom," Dave refused. "It would be too risky to leave you alone. You tried to use the restroom on your own last week, and you almost injured yourself if it weren't for my right timing...I thought I could drop you at The Sunrise Home for one day. I'll pick you up from there the next day. It's not too far, and you'd be well taken care of."

Dave told Molly he'd be sending her to a nursing home for one day. | Source: Unsplash

"The nursing home?" Molly paused, her heart suddenly racing fast. However, she eventually agreed. "Ok, ok. I think that would be fine as well."

So Dave dropped her off at The Sunrise Home and promised to pick her up the next day. The following morning, Molly kept waiting for Dave, and when he didn't show up, she called him to ask when he was going to arrive. Dave, on the other hand, did not return her calls. She messaged him and called him again, but there were no replies.

Molly burst into tears as she began to realize the reality that Dave had probably left her there intentionally. She cried all day, even when she was sitting in the recreation room, looking out the window, thinking about how her son had tricked her. Suddenly, a light tap on her shoulder distracted her.

Molly turned around to see a woman, probably in her 30s, with a kind grin on her face. "Mrs. Decker? Hi, I'm Kira. I'm new here. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm sorry, Kira, but I'm not in the right frame of mind. I'd like to be alone," Molly replied flatly.

"Oh, I'm sorry to trouble you," Kira apologized, kneeling down to face Molly. "But you know what, Mrs. Decker, sometimes sharing your pain with others can make you feel better. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

Kira introduced herself as a new nurse at the nursing facility. | Source: Unsplash

Molly wasn't sure what it was about Kira, but she couldn't help but confide in her. She sobbed uncontrollably as she told her everything that happened between her and Dave.

Kira hugged her and consoled her. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Decker. I hope he realizes his mistake and returns to take you home. I genuinely do...don't worry."

Kira felt terrible for Molly, and from that day on, she started spending more time with her to alleviate her loneliness. To some extent, she was successful, and Molly had started to come out of her sadness. Then one day, Molly noticed Kira's tummy was growing. It didn't take long for her to figure out that she was probably pregnant, and when she asked Kira about it, she confirmed her suspicions.

"It's a boy," she said. "I am very nervous, Mrs. Decker. I hope everything goes well."

"Oh," Molly cried. "That's how every new mother feels, honey. Look at how sweet and kind you are. I'm confident your son will be equally adorable..."

As time went on, Molly saw that Kira was overly dutiful and kept delaying taking maternity leave until her due date. When Molly asked why she did that, Kira explained that her boyfriend had abandoned her and that she needed money for the delivery, so she had no choice but to work until the last minute.

After Kira gave birth, she returned to work soon after, bringing her weeks-old baby with her. When Molly saw the baby, she couldn't contain her joy. "Oh, God. He's beautiful," she cried. "Look at this little angel. Kira, do you mind if I look after him while you're busy working?"

Kira revealed she was pregnant. | Source: Pexels

"Of course not, Mrs. Decker. I think he likes you too," she said with a smile.

And from that day on, Molly was never sad. She completely forgot her grief and was instead overjoyed to look after baby Aiden. She sang him lullabies, tickled him to hear his pleasant giggles, and played with him. And due to her heart being at so much peace, her health stopped deteriorating rapidly.

Several months passed like that and one day, Kira was busy attending to the residents while Molly was babysitting Aiden. Suddenly, a ringing distracted Molly, and she noticed Kira had left her phone in her room. She slowly rolled over her wheelchair to the table where the phone was lying and picked it up. What she saw on the screen made her go pale. The name that flashed across Kira's screen was "Dave" and the picture was of her and Dave smiling together.

Just then, Kira entered her room.

"Mrs. Decker, is Aiden—" But before she could finish her sentence, she saw Molly holding the phone, and she feared her secret was out.

"Why is Dave calling you, Kira?" asked Molly, stunned. "And the picture...you two...I don't understand!"

Kira apologized to Molly for keeping the truth from her. | Source: Pexels

"I am sorry, Mrs. Decker. You don't know the whole truth. It's just that—"

"I don't know the truth? WHAT IS GOING ON?"

Kira knelt in front of her, taking her hand in her own. "It all began three years ago, Mrs. Decker," she explained. "Dave and I fell in love. I am an orphan, and I was living alone in an apartment then. However, after I lost my job, I couldn't pay the rent and was kicked out. I was pregnant by then and didn't know where to go.

"Dave invited me to stay at his home, but he didn't want you to find out about us, so he brought you here. I felt guilty about it, so I got a job here to look after you. He had said he'd be home soon...I'm still waiting for the day he'll be back. He rarely sends us money and calls us only once every six months or so. He didn't even come for the delivery...In a way, I was forced to take this job to support Aiden."

"Well, Kira," she said. "What you did was absolutely wrong! And I would consider you no different from Dave! But being a mother, I can understand your concern. So you and Aiden can live in that house."

"Really? Good Lord! Thank you, Mrs. Decker," cried Kira, hugging her. "I'm sorry for deceiving you for so long... You know what, you are not staying here anymore! You are coming home with us! I am sorry again..."

Molly joined Aiden and Kira and became Molly's family over time. | Source: Pexels

"It's ok; it's ok. I am sorry too for screaming at you. Let's forget the past, ok?"

Kira brought Molly home, and they lived happily together. Molly enjoyed spending time with her grandson, and her love for him did wonders for her health. Her monthly checks revealed that she had significantly improved her dynamics in the previous months!

However, a year later, she was heartbroken again when Dave called Kira and informed her that he would not be returning home because he had fallen in love with someone else. Kira was devastated, but Molly comforted her, saying, "Don't shed tears for a man who doesn't deserve it, honey. Think about yourself and your son. Don't make the same mistake I did."

Though Kira couldn't get over her loss right away, with Molly's help, she gradually found the strength to begin fresh.

They never heard from Dave again, and they were relieved about it. But 6 years after severing all relations with Molly, he showed up on their doorstep, crying that his so-called wife had left him and that he had been sacked from his job. He urged her to take him in for a few days at the very least. But Molly made sure he remembered she didn't let him off the hook.

"I'm sorry, sir," she told him, "I guess you're at the wrong address. I never had a son. I only have a daughter and grandson, and I don't allow strangers in my house. So please leave!" and slammed the door on his face.

What can we learn from this story?

• You can't expect to grow a plant of love if you sow the seeds of bitterness. Dave deceived Molly and abandoned her in a nursing home, and later, he abandoned Kira as well. In the end, Molly taught him a lesson.
• Love makes a family, not biology. Molly accepted Kira as her daughter with open arms, and they became a family with Aiden.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an old lady who shares her fuel with a man rushing to see his sick mom and receives a shocking reward for her kindness.

This account is inspired by our reader's story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.