Losing a child is one of the most devastating experiences a parent can endure, and this nightmare was Mary’s reality. The mother of three lost her eldest son when he was only a toddler, and despite searching for her son for decades, the mother got no closer to finding answers. That is until one day; she got a call from a stranger.
Source: Daily Story
When Mary thought she had reached the end of her will to fight, a tip unexpectedly reached the hands of the police, and this new piece of information catapulted the now-elderly woman on a goose chase which led to her finally reuniting with her long-lost child.
Young Love
Mary’s story starts on the west coast; she is only 18 years old. The young teen fell head over heels in love with Peter, a boy in her neighborhood. And despite being madly in love, the two shared nothing in common.
Source: Daily Story
The teen was quiet, shy, and reserved, while Peter was the life of the party and a few years older than Mary. And despite Mary wanting to take things slow, the teen accidentally became pregnant just a few months into their burgeoning relationship.
Pregnant
The societal pressure of that time left the lovebirds with only one option, get married and have a child. And while this was absolutely not what the couple had planned for, least of all Mary, who hadn’t even gone to college yet, they both knew the “right” option.
Source: Daily Story
Mary wanted to keep the baby and get married, and after much discussion, Peter also agreed. And despite knowing all the pressure this new baby would put on them, the duo decided to get married quickly and prepared to weather the storm together.
Clear
A few months later, their son Joshua was born, and it was all worth it for Mary. Looking at her son made the past months’ stress, anger, and struggle worth it. She fell head over heels in love with her little angel in a way she never thought was possible.
Source: Daily Story
It might have come a lot sooner than expected, but this was the life she had always envisioned for herself. And despite all the money troubles, the little family of three was making enough to survive.
Happy
Peter had found a job in the harbor. Thankfully, it paid enough to allow Mary to stay at home and care for young Joshua, but his work also meant that Peter wasn’t able to spend quality time at home with either Mary or his child.
Source: Daily Story
Through the little free time that Peter did have, he devoted himself to his family, and despite all the obstacles, the next couple of years were spent happy. That is until the family was hit with another surprise.
Another Surprise
Mary got pregnant again! But this time around, it felt different. While the couple had stayed optimistic and prepared for a challenge the first time around, this pregnancy felt like an obstacle rather than a gift.
Source: Daily Story
Peter already struggled to ensure that Joshua was well-taken care of financially; he worried that it would be nearly impossible with another mouth to feed. And things just got worse when the couple learned that Mary was expecting twins!
Upset
But Mary didn’t have the same perspective on the situation. Raising Joshua had proved to the mother that Peter and she made a good team and could meet life’s unpredictability head-on.
Source: Daily Story
And this news felt like something the couple could easily handle. But Peter, the family’s breadwinner, disagreed, and nothing would change his mind. Mary even offered to get a job to help raise the babies, but Peter wouldn’t hear of it.
Pick One
Instead, her husband had one feasible option: Mary gets an abortion. Peter was happy with only one child and couldn’t see himself taking care of three kids, and he was so confident of this decision that he ended up giving Mary an ultimatum.
Source: Daily Story
It was him or the twins. If Mary decided to keep the children, he would leave her. And no matter what Mary said or did, there was no convincing Peter to change his mind. After months of fighting and her due date approaching fast, Mary gave Peter her answer without hesitation.
Alone
She refused to give up the twins. On top of that, she told Peter that if he left, she would ensure that the father would never see his kids again. Even Joshua, the son he adored. And despite all that, Peter had made up his mind.
Source: Daily Story
May’s loaded threats weren’t enough, and the father thought it was better to be alone than be a father of twins and left the same day. And with no job, expecting twins, and a young son, Mary had no choice but to move into her parent’s home.
Supported
Thankfully, her parents highly supported Mary’s decision and reassured her that she had made the right decision. They also helped Mary find a job she would start after the twins were born.
Source: Daily Story
And just a few months after Peter left Mary, she gave birth to the twins, who were both in good health. And thanks to the mother’s pre-planning and help from her parents, she could find a new routine with three kids and work.
A Family
In the end, her parents and her kids became a new and happier family, and by the time the twins turned a year old, Mary had tried her best to forget all about Peter. She was saving money and getting ready to move into her own space.
Source: Daily Story
In her eyes, this was the beginning of a new and happier family without Peter. She was looking forward to the future. But, just when things started to look up, another tragedy shook Mary and her family to the core.
Missing
Four days after turning four, Joshua vanished while playing in the garden! Mary was at work, and her mother was meant to look after the kids. But while she was occupied with the twins, Joshua disappeared without a trace from the front garden.
Source: Daily Story
Panicked, Mary’s parents searched the neighborhood, finding no trace of him. They promptly contacted the police. The grandparents also called upon friends and family to search for the toddler, as they were confident the young boy had wandered around the neighborhood and would be found soon.
Frantic
Of course, when Mary heard the news on call, she abandoned her work and hurried home, consumed by anxiety. The mother was panicked and felt like she was going to go mad. Every parent’s worst nightmare had just become their reality.
Source: Daily Story
Mary didn’t even have time to be angry at her parents for losing Joshua. The police were already there, and they immediately put every available agent on it and spread a picture of him through the neighborhood.
Jobless
But what was meant to be an easy search and rescue mission turned into a living nightmare. There was no sign of the toddler, and Mary became inconsolable with each passing minute that Joshua wasn’t found.
Source: Daily Story
Mary called everyone she knew, and all her attention went to the search for Joshua. This, however, brought other problems along. She was spending so much effort looking for Joshua that she couldn’t work. And while her bosses were sympathetic towards the young mother, after months of sick days, they started to get impatient.
Trance
But Mary didn’t care. She would spend her days and nights searching alone for her son and wouldn’t sleep or eat. Her condition went from terrible to worst, and she was soon fired from both jobs. But Mary still had tunnel vision; she needed to find her son.
Source: Daily Story
She only broke out of her trance when her mother became sick. Joshua’s disappearance also immensely impacted Mary’s parents, who became so physically sick that they couldn’t care for the twins.
Growing
And it was only after seeing her parents suffer, did Mary finally decide to find some balance in her life. She abandoned her twins entirely in search of Joshua and finally noticed the young babies were being neglected.
Source: Daily Story
So, with a heavy heart, Mary decided to step back and let the police hand the search for her son and focus on her two growing twins. Sadly, by the time the mother returned to her senses, she had already been replaced at her old jobs.
Responsibility
Her parents also couldn’t take responsibility for the twins anymore. Mary’s mother blamed herself for what happened to Joshua and didn’t want to be alone with the kids anymore since her parents didn’t want to take care of the kids and urged Mary to find childcare with no job; the young mother had to find work soon.
Source: Daily Story
Which she did Mary found a good job, but it was in another state. And while once, leaving her parent’s home might have been an impossible choice; Mary needed a fresh start from the haunting memories of Joshua.
Life
It took Mary a few years to settle down in her new job without having her eldest son with her, but soon the mother did it for the sake of her twins. She created a small yet sweet social circle and became an involved mother.
Source: Daily Story
And while the pain of losing Joshua never subsided, Mary did learn to cope with it. Soon, the months turned to years, and her twins had become grown-up adults. Both of them moved away for college, and Mary was able to see them get married and have their own families.
Truth
Mary never got married again and had spent all her energy providing for her kids and being lost in the memory of her son. And now, in her 80s, the mother had all but given up hope of finding her son.
Source: Daily Story
That is until she received a call from the police station. The officer on the other line seemed young and excited. He quickly got to the point. A person had called in and said they knew about Joshua’s whereabouts and even confessed to taking him.
Reunion
Despite having lived without her eldest and spent years trying to console herself, hearing these words brought Mary back to the day she had lost him. She quickly asked for all the officer’s details and was at the station within five minutes. And that is when it all started to make sense. Her ex-husband, Peter, had called the police station and claimed responsibility for abducting the young boy from his home.
Source: Daily Story
He confessed that he had told Joshua that his mother and siblings had passed away, and it was only now that his son was a grown-up man and kept asking questions about his family did Peter come forward. All Mary could do was listen in horror! The police had initially ruled out Peter as a suspect, even though he was the most obvious choice. But it turns out they were wrong. Mary, though, at that point, didn’t care about why Peter did what he did. All she wanted to do was reunite with her son, and she did exactly that. Within days, Joshua was told the whole truth, and Mary could spend the rest of her days with her family.
