Caroline had just been hired as a housekeeper in New York and was heading to her first assignment. It was a beautiful house in Manhattan, but something shocked her: in the office, there was a framed photo of her mother on the fireplace. Then a man entered.
“I’m going to do a perfect job,” Caroline repeated to herself for courage. She and her friend Melissa had moved to New York a few days earlier to chase their dream of becoming Broadway stars.
But before that, they needed jobs to rent an apartment. Luckily, Melissa got hired at a clothing store, and Caroline through a cleaning service agency.
It was perfect: the jobs weren’t too time-consuming, and Caroline enjoyed cleaning because it calmed her. And if the house was empty, she could even practice singing.
Unfortunately, just before entering the first house, her mother’s face came back to her mind. Her mother, Helen, didn’t want her to pursue such dreams, and especially not to live in New York.
Caroline was born and raised in Philadelphia, not too far away. She didn’t have a father, and her mother had never said a word about him. For some unknown reason, Helen hated New York. She had also been very protective of Caroline all her life, which pushed the young woman to run away.
When she and Melissa prepared to leave, she knew her mother would never allow it. Caroline even suspected she might pretend to be ill to keep her there. But Caroline had to fight for her dreams: this was her life. So she left a little note on her mother’s dresser while she was sleeping and ran away.
Several days had passed, and Helen hadn’t called her, which was strange. Caroline assumed she was simply angry. Hopefully, she would forgive her when Caroline made her Broadway debut. For now, she had to focus on cleaning this house.
According to the agency manager, an older man lived alone here; so the house wasn’t very messy. Caroline finally entered using the key hidden under the doormat, as instructed, and got to work without delay: starting with the kitchen, then the living room, before moving toward the bedroom.
She hesitated a moment at the threshold of a solemn-looking office, but no instructions forbade her from entering. She decided not to touch the items on the desk too much and continued cleaning.
A beautiful fireplace dominated the room, with a shelf above it, and huge bookshelves covered the opposite wall. It was the kind of office Caroline had only seen in movies.
She tidied quickly but carefully, then stopped dead in front of the fireplace. Several photos were placed there, but one caught her attention: her mother’s face. She seemed at least eighteen years younger, but it was definitely her. “Why is my mother’s photo here with this man?” she murmured.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps and an older man entered the office. “Oh, hello! You must be the new housekeeper. My name is Richard Smith. I own this house,” he introduced himself with a warm smile. “Have you finished here yet?”
“I’m almost done, sir. But may I ask you a question?” Caroline hesitated, afraid to upset him by mentioning the photo. “Who is this woman?”
“Who?” he asked, coming closer and putting on his glasses. “Ah, yes. That’s Helen. She was the love of my life.”
Caroline’s senses alarmed. “What happened?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“She died in a bus accident. She was pregnant at the time. I couldn’t even attend the funeral because her mother hated me. It was insane… I tried to move on but never succeeded. To this day, I love her and miss her,” Richard replied, taking off his glasses before sitting down.
“Sir, I’m sorry for being intrusive, and thank you for telling me. But this woman… she looks exactly like my mother. It’s disturbing,” Caroline admitted.
The man furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”
“Well, my mother, Helen, is this woman’s double. Of course, she’s aged, but the resemblance is striking. I’m 98% sure it’s her,” she said, turning to Richard while pointing at the photo.
“Helen? Your mother’s name is Helen? Where did you grow up?”
“In Philadelphia,” she shrugged. His eyes widened: if it was indeed Helen, then this man might be her father.
Richard put his hands to his mouth. “It’s not possible… Can I have your mother’s phone number?”
“Of course,” she said, giving it to him.
“Can you stay here while I call her?” he asked. Caroline nodded.
He dialed the number from the office phone, and her mother’s voice answered after a few rings. “Hello? Is that you, Caroline?”
Richard looked at Caroline for a second and then spoke: “Am I speaking with Helen Geller?”
“Yes. Who’s this?” Helen asked from the other end.
“Helen, it’s Richard,” he said, his voice already trembling.
“Richard who? Wait… Richard Morris? What do you want after all these years?” Helen’s voice hardened suddenly for some obscure reason.
Caroline and Richard exchanged confused looks, but he continued: “What do you mean, ‘after all these years’? I thought you were dead!”
“What?”
Richard explained what he knew about the supposed accident when he lost his future wife and their unborn child. He also said Helen’s mother had forbidden him to attend the funeral and refused to tell him anything afterward. But Helen had no idea what he was talking about and told him her version.
“My mother told me you called to say you didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. So I raised my daughter alone,” Helen revealed, and Caroline was stunned by this revelation.
“That’s not true… Helen, I would never have abandoned you. I never moved on. I thought about you every day. I mourned you. I suffered for you and our child for nearly twenty years,” Richard continued. Helen remained silent.
“I can’t believe Mom could do that to us. But it was typical of her. I don’t know what to do now,” she finally said.
“Wait. How did you find out I was still alive?”
“Mom, I’m here,” Caroline finally spoke up. She quickly explained what had happened and reassured her: she was doing well in New York.
“I can’t believe all this is happening. And I can’t even ask my mother why she did such a thing: she died years ago. Anyway, when are you coming home, Caroline?” Helen asked in a firmer tone.
“I won’t come home until I make it on Broadway. And now… well, I have one more reason to stay,” Caroline answered with a small smile at Richard.
“Alright, but I’m coming to New York soon,” Helen concluded before hanging up. Richard and Caroline stared at each other silently for a few moments before speaking.
“So… I guess you’re my father,” she said cheerfully. He laughed, and the ice was broken.
What to take away from this story?
Let your children chase their dreams. Caroline ran away because of her mother’s overprotection. Parents should guide their children but also let them decide their own lives.
Some parents don’t always act in their children’s best interests. Helen’s mother committed a terrible act against her daughter and Richard, and they will never know why.
