Valerie lay with her eyes squeezed shut, her head buried deep under the covers. She had been awake for a while, ever since her parents started shouting. Her mood was already ruined for the rest of the day.
It was Saturday. Her mom and dad had promised to take her to the zoo, but Valerie realized the trip was off. She knew exactly how these fights ended. Her mother would pack up and storm out, and her father would spend the day drinking in the kitchen, complaining about his unfaithful wife.
"To hell with you! Live however you want with your daughter!" Sarah screamed, slamming the door as she ran out of the apartment.
Valerie let out a heavy sigh and headed to the kitchen to see her father. She hoped that maybe today he wouldn't start drinking and they could still make it to the zoo. But she was wrong. Peter had already uncorked a bottle of wine, silently drowning his sorrows.
"Daddy, aren't we going to the zoo today?" she asked hopefully.
"No!" Peter snapped. "Go to your room and leave me alone!"
Valerie didn't argue. She decided to make herself a sandwich, but after discovering there wasn't even a loaf of bread in the house, she quietly poured herself a cup of tea and retreated to her room.
She cried for half the day before deciding to go outside. Sitting on a bench near the entrance of her building, she watched the playground where happy children ran around while their parents sat nearby. She burst into tears again.
"Sweetie, what's wrong? Are the boys picking on you?" asked Mrs. Hudson, a neighbor who was returning from the grocery store with heavy bags.
"No, my parents hurt my feelings," the little girl confessed honestly. "They fought all morning, then Mom left and Dad started drinking. We were supposed to go to the zoo today."
"You poor thing, don't cry. Would you like a piece of candy?" the neighbor said, trying to comfort her.
"Mrs. Hudson, why do you have so much food? You live all by yourself, don't you?" Valerie asked curiously.
"Oh, I'm not alone," the woman smiled. "I have my cat, Daisy. But you look hungry. Come on, let me treat you to a nice lunch."
"Thank you," Valerie said, brightening up.
Jane Hudson watched sadly as Valerie wolfed down a bowl of soup, tears welling in her eyes. She couldn't understand why fate was so unfair. Jane had everything: a career she loved, a spacious apartment, and financial security. The only things missing were a partner and the sound of a child's laughter in her home.
Jane had lost her unborn child in the final month of pregnancy. She had undergone a difficult surgery only to hear the verdict from her fellow doctors: she would never be able to conceive again. Shortly after, her husband had abandoned her. Jane had fallen into a deep depression for a long time, but eventually pulled herself together and dedicated her life to her work. Over the years, she had achieved a great deal, becoming the head of a local pediatric clinic and one of the most respected pediatricians in the city.
"Mrs. Hudson, why aren't there any children in your house?" Valerie asked innocently, touching a raw nerve.
"That's just how things worked out. But I have lots and lots of children at work. I take care of them," Jane explained.
"Wow! I want to be a doctor for kids when I grow up," the girl said dreamily.
"If you study hard in school, you'll definitely become a doctor," Jane smiled, patting Valerie on the head.
The girl stayed with her neighbor until late evening. When she heard their front door creak open, she rushed home.
"Mom must be back!" Valerie cried happily.
"That's wonderful!" Jane smiled. "Go on, run to her."
Valerie was right; Sarah had indeed come home. But when Valerie walked into the room, she saw her mother frantically packing a suitcase. Her father was already fast asleep, his loud snoring echoing through the apartment.
"Mommy, are we going somewhere?" the girl asked.
"Honey, they're sending me on an urgent business trip. You be a good girl and listen to your father," Sarah said quickly, grabbing her suitcase and heading for the door.
"Will you be back soon?" Valerie began to cry.
"Yes, soon," Sarah kissed her daughter and hurried out of the apartment.
In her youth, Valerie didn't realize that her mother couldn't have been sent on a business trip for the simple reason that she hadn't held a job in eight years. From that day on, Peter began drinking heavily. He couldn't forgive his wife's betrayal and tried to numbed the pain with wine. He quickly lost his job and his dignity, paying no attention to his daughter. His only concern now was where to find money for the next bottle. Gradually, Peter sold off everything in the apartment that could be traded for a drink. A dark period began for Valerie. She lived in a constant state of hunger, surviving mostly on scraps.
September 1st was approaching. Valerie was starting first grade, but she didn't even have a backpack or a school uniform. She spent her days looking out the window, hoping her mother would return from her "trip," that her father would stop drinking, and that life would go back to the way it was. One day, returning from a walk, she realized she had lost the house key. Fearing her father's temper, she went back to the playground and searched for an hour, but it had grown dark and she couldn't find it. When she finally went upstairs and knocked, her father was already in a drunken stupor and heard nothing. Not knowing what else to do, she curled up on the welcome mat and waited for him to wake up. The poor girl fell asleep right there in the hallway.
Early the next morning, Jane stepped out of her apartment and gasped at the sight of the sleeping child.
"Valerie! Why are you sleeping in the hall?"
"Mrs. Hudson, I lost my key, and Dad is asleep and won't open the door," the girl said, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"Well, this is the last straw!" Jane said indignantly. "Where is your mother?"
"Mom hasn't been home for a long time. She went on a business trip and hasn't come back, and Dad drinks all the time," Valerie explained.
"What business trip?" Jane muttered, knowing Sarah hadn't worked a day in her life. "Come on, get up. You're coming with me. I'm not letting this go."
Valerie obediently followed her neighbor. Jane fed her, gave her a warm bath, and tucked her into a clean bed.
"Valerie, I have to step out to work for a little bit. If you wake up and I'm not back yet, stay here and play with Daisy or watch TV. I left some sandwiches on the table. I'll be back soon to deal with your parents."
"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson," the girl smiled, feeling the warmth and protection radiating from this kind, strong woman.
Jane handled her business at the clinic quickly and headed home early. In front of the building, she ran into Peter and was horrified by his appearance. He had changed drastically; he looked like a shell of a man, interested in nothing but his next fix.
"Hello, Peter. Where is your daughter?" Jane asked pointedly.
"Probably home asleep, where else would she be?" he muttered, clearly in a hurry and uninterested in chatting.
"Have you no shame? Look at yourself! Valerie slept in the hallway last night because she lost her key and you were too drunk to hear her knock. I'm calling Child Protective Services today. A child cannot live like this!" she threatened.
"Go ahead," he said with total indifference. "Now move, I'm busy."
Jane realized that threats wouldn't work; he truly didn't care about his daughter's fate.
"I will never understand why God gives children to people like you and your wife!" Jane snapped.
But Peter wasn't listening; he was already scurrying toward the liquor store.
When Jane walked into her apartment, she saw a sweet sight: Valerie was sitting in the armchair with Daisy the cat purring in her lap.
"Hi there, are you awake?" Jane smiled.
"Yes. I ate the sandwiches, gave Daisy some milk, and washed the dishes," Valerie reported proudly.
"What a helpful girl! Let me change my clothes and we'll bake a pie together."
"Yay!" Valerie cheered. Then she asked quietly, "Mrs. Hudson, can I stay here with you until my mom gets back?"
"I... I don't know," the woman stammered. "Won't your father mind?"
But she remembered her conversation with Peter and knew he wouldn't care at all.
Jane spent the rest of the day in deep thought. The next morning, she went to speak with Peter. It took a while for him to open the door; he looked terrible, clearly suffering from a hangover.
"Jane, please, lend me twenty bucks. I'll pay you back, I swear," he begged as soon as he saw her.
"Can I come in? We need to have a serious talk."
"So, will you give me the twenty?" he asked hopefully.
"I want to take Valerie. From what I understand, Sarah has left for good, and you don't want the responsibility. Valerie is a bright, lovely girl, and I don't want to see her end up in the foster system. I can provide for her. It would be better for everyone," Jane said, holding her breath.
Peter was silent for a long time, lost in thought. Jane didn't rush him, letting him process the idea.
"What do you mean, 'take' her?" he finally said. "She's not an object. She has a father."
"Peter, think of the child. I won't let her stay here like this, but she's better off with me than in a group home. What if I gave you some money?" Jane played her final card.
"How much?" His eyes instantly lit up.
"I don't have a fortune," Jane said, seeing that he was willing to negotiate for cash. "Would a few thousand help?"
"Make it five thousand?" he asked excitedly.
"Fine. But you have to sign the papers to make me her legal guardian," Jane stipulated.
"For that kind of money, I'll sign whatever you want!" Peter grinned. "Give me a down payment."
"No. You have to clean yourself up, show up to sign the paperwork, and only then will you get the money."
Peter frowned, but of course, he agreed to her terms.
***
Nine years had passed since then. Jane had sold her old apartment and moved with Valerie to a different part of the city. She didn't want the girl to have to see her father; those occasional encounters never brought joy, only painful memories.
Valerie was graduating high school at the top of her class and preparing to enter medical school.
In the beginning, she had waited a long time for her mother, hoping she would return and take her back. She was happy with Jane, but a neighbor could never quite replace a biological mother in a child's mind. However, as she grew older, Valerie realized that her mother had simply abandoned her. She grew to love Jane with all her heart, grateful that the woman had taken her in and given her a life full of love and care.
One day, Valerie came home from school to find Jane in tears.
"Mom? What happened?" the girl asked, frightened. In all those years, she had never seen Jane cry.
"In there..." Jane gestured toward the living room and sobbed even harder.
Suddenly, a well-dressed, striking woman walked out of the room. Valerie didn't recognize her at first, but when she did, she froze.
"Valerie, my daughter! Look how you've grown! You're a real beauty—just like your mother!" Sarah smiled, rushing forward to hug her. "I've come for you. I'm so sorry, but I had a difficult life and couldn't come for you sooner. Your father passed away three months ago. We can finally go back home."
"Sarah, that apartment belongs to Valerie now. You have no right to it. It hasn't been your home for a long time," Jane intervened, unable to stay silent.
"Jane, I'm grateful you looked after her, but she isn't your daughter. You don't have children. She has a real mother who loves her," Sarah sneered.
"You're wrong, Sarah," Valerie said, her voice cold. "Jane has a daughter. It's me. And I only have one mother, and that's Jane. You should leave now and don't come back."
Every word was a struggle, but she meant them. Valerie had spent years wishing for this reunion, but seeing the coldness in the woman's eyes, she realized Sarah was a total stranger. She loved her mom, Jane, and didn't need anyone else. Sarah flashed a bitter look at her daughter and stormed out of the apartment.
"Thank you, sweetheart! Thank you!" Jane cried, pulling Valerie into a hug.
"No, thank you, Mom. Thank you for everything. I'm never leaving you," Valerie promised.
That day, she knew for certain that this was her home, her family, and her mother. This was where she was wanted, loved, and where she would never be betrayed.
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