No good story is complete without love.
Eight-year-old Emily walked home from school when an overwhelming longing to see her mother seized her. Her mother lived in the next village over, and instead of going back to the house she shared with her father and grandmother, Emily turned toward the bus stop, waited, and boarded the next one.
“Why is my mum like this?” she wondered. “She didnt want to stay with Dad, even though hes so kind. I did live with her once, but I hated itshed leave me alone, bring home that bloke Tony, and theyd both be drunk. Even though Im happy with Dad and Gran, I still miss her.”
Emily stepped off the bus and headed toward her mothers house. As she walked down the lane, she finally spotted Sarah sitting on a bench outside the houseclearly not sober.
“Oh, love, whered you come from?” Sarah slurred, pulling her into a rough hug.
“Mum, I missed you,” Emily admitted, clinging to her.
They exchanged a few words before Sarah asked bluntly, “Emily, you got any money on you?”
“Just enough for the bus back.”
“What, thats it? Whats the point of coming then? I need cashdont you get it?”
“But I dont have any, Mum,” Emily replied quietly.
“Well, sod off back to your dad then. Weve said our bits, now clear off. Ill find my own money.” With that, Sarah spotted another woman and hurried off after her.
Emily stood in the middle of the road, heart heavy with hurt. Only now did she realiseher mother didnt want her. All she had was Dad, William, and Gran. Stumbling away in distress, she wandered the wrong way, mistaking a small grove for the woods, tears blurring her vision. The further she went, the more lost she became, until suddenly she stopped, realising she was deep in the forest. Panic set in, and she sobbed harder.
William and Sarah had met at the village dance, where Sarah and her friends had come from the neighbouring hamlet. William was smitten straight away and barely let her out of his sight all nightand Sarah didnt mind one bit.
All autumn, William rode his motorbike to visit her. When winter came, he proposed.
“Sarah, lets get married. Im sick of riding back and forth. Well live at minemy mums lovely, youll get on with her fine,” he urged.
She didnt need convincing. Shed gone to that dance for a reasonno decent blokes in her own village fancied her.
“Alright, lets do it,” she said simply. William was over the moonshed be a beautiful wife.
After the wedding, they moved in with Williams mother, Margaret, who treated Sarah like her own daughter. A year later, little Emily was bornMargarets beloved granddaughter. For a while, life was good. But as time passed, William noticed Sarah resented motherhood.
“Dont fret, son,” Margaret soothed. “Its just the baby bluesshell come round.”
But Sarah changed drastically when Emily turned three. She started disappearing with friends, coming home drunk. The monotony of family life bored her. William hoped shed snap out of itinstead, it got worse.
“Im off to Nancys birthday,” she announced one evening.
“Course, love, have fun,” William said, knowing she was restless.
She didnt come home that night. When she finally stumbled in the next morning, William and Margaret were having breakfast.
“Oh, whyre you up?” she mumbled, swaying. She staggered to the bedroom and collapsed, still dressed, sleeping till noon.
William never suspected Sarah had a drinking problem. In her village, everyone knew shed followed her mothers footstepsbut no one told him. He hadnt been back there since the wedding.
Emily grew up with little attention from her mother. Doubt crept into Williams heartdid he still love his wife? She was often drunk, unkempt, vanishing for days. Once, she left for her old village and didnt return for a week.
“Dad, wheres Mum?” Emily would ask. “I miss herwhens she coming back?”
“At her place, love.”
“Please bring her home,” the five-year-old begged.
One weekend, William went to fetch her. She wasnt homeher own mother pointed him to Tonys house. Inside, a drunken crowd laughed raucously, Sarah perched on Tonys lap, giggling wildly.
Spotting William, she slurred, “Oh, Will, its not what you think! Good thing youre hereI missed you…”
For a week, Sarah stayed soberalmost like a different woman. William wrestled with whether to forgive her. But for Emilys sake, he did. He didnt understandalcohol had its grip on her. Ten days later, she was drunk again, worse than ever. She caused a scene in the yard, screaming:
“Im sick of the lot of you! You, your nagging mumIm done pretending! I dont even want Emilyshes old enough now!”
That was the last straw. William knew he had to save his daughter. Sarah stormed off to her village but returned two weeks later, snatching Emily while William was out. She shoved Margaret aside and left.
The next day, William went to fetch Emily. Sarah screamed, refusing to hand her over. So, he went to social services. When they arrived, they found Sarah passed out drunk beside TonyEmily staring sadly out the window.
They took Emily back to William. He filed for divorce and stripped Sarah of parental rights. Emily started school. One evening, William came home from court and called out:
“Im back, Mumstarving! Emily, look what I got you!”
Margaret laid the table while Emily rushed out, thrilled. William swung her around, laughing. Margaret watched tenselyuntil he nodded, and she sighed in relief.
“Mum, not all at oncewell burst!” he teased as she piled food on the table.
But Margaret frettedthough William was thirty-three, raising Emily alone was a heavy load. Later, she asked quietly, “Howd it go, son? What did Sarahs solicitor say?”
William scoffed. “What could he say? Sarah showed up drunk, couldnt string two words together. The judge didnt hesitateEmily stays with me. Sarah lost her rights.”
“She brought it on herself,” Margaret muttered. “What kind of mother is drunk all the time?”
Life with Dad and Gran was good. Emily missed her mum sometimes, but rarely. Margaret knew a mothers love matteredbut not *that* kind of mother.
Twenty-six-year-old Beatrice loved nature, often foraging alone for mushrooms and berries. Shed gotten lost before, even spent nights in the woodsbut she wasnt afraid. Her grandfather, George, a former gamekeeper, had taught her to build shelters and light fires.
One September afternoon, Beatrice wandered deep into the forest, distracted by mushrooms. Only when the sun dipped did she realise she was lost again.
“Right, better rest. Might as well make a sheltersomeonell come looking,” she reasoned. Shed told her mother she was foraging.
The air grew chilly, but shed worn layers. As she lit a fire, twigs snapped behind her. She turneda little girl stood there, trembling, face streaked with tears.
“Whore you?” Beatrice asked.
“Emmilyyy,” she wailed. “Im looost!”
“None of that nowcrying wont help. Where dyou live?” Beatrice wrapped her coat around the girl.
By the fire, Emily spilled everything.
“Dad and Gran must be looking for methey dont know I went to Mums…”
“Right. What villages your mum in?”
Once Beatrice knew, she figured out roughly where they weremiles from her own village.
“Lets rest. At dawn, well find the road.” Exhausted, they slept. At first light, they set offuntil Beatrice heard distant traffic.
“Listen, Emilythats the main road! I know where we are now!”
Meanwhile, William had rallied the village. The constable went with him to Sarahs, but she barely remembered Emily visiting. William nearly struck herthe constable stopped him.
“Dont, mate. Not worth it.”
Beatrice and Emily trudged along the roadside when a car screeched to a halt.
“Dad!” Emily shrieked, sprinting to him. Beatrice stayed put. “This is Beatriceshe saved me!”
William, still furious, snapped, “Who the hell are you? Whered you take my daughter?”
“Dad, dont! She found me in the woods!”
“Get inwere seeing the constable.”
“So much for helping people,” Beatrice muttered, climbing in.
After giving statements, they stepped into the sunshine. William, sheepish, said, “Ill drive you home. But come ours firstGrans worried sick. Shell feed us.”
“I shouldnt intrude…”
“*Im* the one who should apologise. I was out of line.”
Beatrice smiledshe knew his story from Emily. And she had a feeling this wasnt the end. She liked William. He liked her too. And as any good story goesit wasnt complete without love.
Six months later, William and Beatrice married. No one was happier than Emily.
*Sometimes, the family you find is the one you were always meant to have.*
