‘I’m Waiting for Mom,’ Girl Says to Park Janitor, Next Day He Sees Her Still Sitting at Same Spot – Story of the Day

A park janitor meets a lonely little girl who says she is waiting for her mom. He is surprised when he sees her again the next day, still sitting on the same bench, and calls the police.

Albert Fairchild was the custodian of a lovely old Victorian park in the middle of the city, and his time was spent making sure it was a little corner of heaven, a place where lovers met, and people went to get in touch with nature or for a little peace of mind.

He loved his job. Every day he wandered through the park, raking the paths, emptying the bins, and making sure everything was perfect, and twice a week, the city gardeners came around to take care of the lawns, trees, and plants.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

One afternoon, Albert saw a little girl sitting quietly at one of the park’s picnic tables, coloring in a picture book. She was surely no more than four or five, but she was all alone! Albert looked around, but he couldn’t see her parents. Something had to be wrong…

Albert approached the little girl and greeted her. “Hello there, little miss. What are you doing out here all on your own? Trying to catch the fairies?”

The little girl looked up at Albert. “You’re a stranger, and I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” she said.

“No, you are not,” Albert agreed. “But you’ll see I’m not asking you to go anywhere with me, and I’m not offering you candy. I just want to know where your mom is and why you’re alone.”

“I’m waiting for mom,” the child said. “She had a job interview across the road, and she asked me to wait here for her. Mom said not to talk to strangers and not to go anywhere. I have my juice and a snack, and she will be back very soon!”

Nothing is impossible, so keep going until you accomplish what you want.

Albert frowned. It wasn’t exactly safe to leave a child in a public park, but he knew that sometimes single moms with no resources or family had to do the best they could — and it sounded as if this mom was unemployed and desperate to boot.

“What’s your name, little miss?” Albert asked.

The girl giggled. “My name is Margaret,” she said.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“That’s a HUGE name!” exclaimed Albert. “It’s three times as big as you are!”

“My mom calls me Meg,” she confessed, laughing. “And I DON’T believe in fairies!”

Albert gasped and clutched at his heart. “I’m shocked, little miss Meg!” he laughed. “I believe in fairies. In fact, I see them all the time! I have to chase them away from the fountains ’cause they insist on taking showers and breaking the rainbows!”

Meg was grinning. “That’s a LIE!” she giggled. “That’s BAD!”

“Well,” Albert said. “I have a lot of work to do, but I’ll be keeping an eye on you, making sure the fairies don’t pull your pigtails. If you need me, Meg, just holler, and I’ll come running, OK?”

Albert walked away, but he kept glancing back over his shoulder. He wished he had a little person just like Meg in his life, a little granddaughter, but he knew it was not to be.

He could not help but pause his work and silently cry as the little girl reminded him of his own granddaughter and the fateful tragedy that toppled his life.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

Five years ago, Albert was a cop who loved his duty more than anything else. At home, he was a loving and caring husband, a doting father, and an adorable grandfather. “But if it had not been for that day…” Albert reminisced about the fateful day.

It was a pleasant Sunday in May that year. Albert’s family was leaving on a much-awaited dream vacation by the sea in the neighboring city. He had taken a week off to enjoy himself with his family. Albert still remembered his granddaughter Emily running back inside to bring her teddy bear, Chelsea.

“How happy she was that morning!” he thought. Her laughter still haunted him because he never got to see her again. Albert wanted to drive and wouldn’t leave the driver’s seat even when his son-in-law, Josh, persuaded and pleaded.

“It’s your day, dad! I will drive. You need to rest and enjoy this trip,” he told Albert, who refused to get down from his minivan. Albert would’ve never moved out if it were not for a sudden call from the station.

“I’m on my way,” he spoke. “I got to go. I got an important lead for an investigation. You guys get going. I’ll catch up tomorrow evening!” he told his family. They were disappointed, especially little Emily. She wanted to sing songs and play with Albert.

“Sweetie, grandpa will be there tomorrow. It’s just a day!”

Albert and Emily blew endless flying kisses as the minivan sped past the gate. Albert left for work immediately, and it was almost time to return home in the evening when he got a call from the city station.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

An hour later, he was taken to the morgue in the city hospital. His heart dropped when four stretchers were wheeled out, the last was Emily’s. His whole world was destroyed in a car crash.

“The minivan lost control and rammed into a truck,” officers told him, patting his shoulder. In a wink, Albert had lost his family, and there was no coming back. No more laughter. No more vacations. And no more loud cries of a little girl shouting, ‘Grandpa! I’m home!’

Albert could not forgive himself. “I should have driven that minivan. I shouldn’t have allowed Josh to drive it,” he thought and cried over a million times. But nothing was going to change.

“Jose, I should’ve canceled that trip. I should’ve never let them go,” he cried to his best friend at the funeral, placing Emily’s teddy bear, Chelsea, on her grave.

Days, months, and five years passed. These questions still haunted Albert, but it didn’t matter to him. He knew he had lost his family forever. They were not going to come back; it was the ugly truth he had learned to embrace over time.

Albert could not focus on his work. The cop job he loved became a constant reminder of his tragic life. He quit it and started taking care of the park. He just wanted to stay away from everything that reminded him of his loss.

A gush of wind snapped Albert to the present as he wiped away his tears. The evening sun irritated his teary eyes as he looked around for the little girl. “Where is she??” he exclaimed when he saw Meg was not in her place.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Albert hastily looked around the park for the girl. But she was not there. “Maybe her mother took her,” he thought. Convinced Meg had gone home, Albert finished raking the lawn and went home.

But the following morning, when he returned to the park, he saw Meg again, sitting in the same spot, wearing the same dress, and holding her teddy. Albert was stunned.

“Hey, there, little miss!” he greeted the girl. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Mommy didn’t come,” she disappointedly said. “She never came for me.”

“What?? Where did you go last evening, then? And where did you sleep?”

“Home,” Meg replied, resting her teary face on her teddy. She refused to look up at Albert. She was least interested in talking to him and kept looking around to see if her mother had come to take her.

“What happened to her mother?” Albert wondered.

“Hey, there, I’m a former policeman. You can trust me, alright?” he said. “I’m afraid your mother got lost in this huge city. Can you take me to your home? We will find your mother, alright?”

But Meg wouldn’t move. Her strong belief her mother would come for her didn’t let her move from that bench.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

“Meg, listen, I know you are frightened. But there’s nothing to be afraid of. You can trust me, okay? What’s your mother’s name?”

When Meg told Albert her mother’s name, she had difficulty pronouncing the surname. Albert asked Meg to repeat the word several times because he knew he could not search for her mother without knowing the surname. He needed her full name to probe everywhere, including online databases. After hearing Meg out repeatedly, Albert guessed her mom’s surname could be ‘D’Cruz.’

“Listen, we need to go to your home. Do you want to see your mother?”

“Yes, I want to see mommy,” Meg replied, finally looking at Albert.

“Then take me to your house.”

Moments later, Meg led Albert to a tarp tent under a secluded bridge not far from the park’s entrance. “This is my home,” she pointed.

Albert partially understood Meg and her mother were homeless. He inspected the tarp tent that barely had an old mattress and a camping stove with a pot smelling of stale porridge. There were a few old clothes of Meg’s in the tent, but no photos or pictures. At first glance, he thought Meg’s mother could’ve abandoned her. But something still didn’t add up to him.

“How long have you been living here?” he asked the girl.

“Few weeks,” replied Meg. “We once had a big house. But big, angry men in uniform shouted at my mommy for not giving money. Mommy cried, and even I cried. They threw our things out, and mommy brought me here.”

Albert once again checked the tent for clues but apparently found nothing that could help him find Meg’s mother. “Do you have your mother’s photo?”

“No, I had one, but it’s with mommy.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

Albert was puzzled about what to do next. “I cannot leave the girl alone here,” he thought, and before he could fathom anything, Meg asked him to take her back to the park.

“Mommy told me to wait there and not go anywhere. If she comes, she will scold me. Please take me to the park.”

Albert did not know what to do and agreed. Meg and he returned to the park, and he sat her down on the bench. Albert knew Meg would have starved the whole night, so he gave her his lunch.

“Mommy told me not to eat from strangers,” Meg refused, but her eyes and nose couldn’t deny the delicious aroma of the pie in Albert’s lunch box.

Ummm, that tastes delicious. Sweet. Ummm,” Albert ate a spoonful in front of Meg. “If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it fully. I can finish the whole pie in two minutes. You sure you don’t want it?!”

Meg grabbed the lunchbox and started devouring the pie. Albert was pleased his trick worked and went on with his work while Meg waited for her mother.

Hours passed, and it was close to sundown, but her mom never came. Meg burst into tears, and Albert’s heart wouldn’t allow him to leave her alone again.

“Do you want to go home with me? We will come back tomorrow and wait for your mother, alright?” he asked Meg.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

Meg agreed and went home with Albert. “Yeah, I only know her name is Margaret. But I don’t have a clue about her mother. Could you please let me know? She said her mom has blonde hair, is tall, age must be around 24 or 25, I guess,” Albert informed his former colleagues in the department.

Meg could not spell her mother’s name accurately and gave vague descriptions of her appearance. But Albert could not say anything for sure. He made out a name and a surname using Meg’s broken spellings but was unsure if it was correct.

“When will mommy come?” Meg asked Albert.

“She will come soon, sweetie. Now go to that room and change your dress. You’ll find a lot of clothes in the little cupboard. I’ll make dinner meanwhile.”

Meg returned minutes later wearing Emily’s pajamas. She ran around Albert as he whisked the eggs and giggled to an old song playing on the gramophone. For the first time in five years, Albert never felt lonely.

Albert was on the phone the whole night as Meg slept in Emily’s room. He wanted to find her mother at any cost and was busy working at it with his friends.

“No, pal,” an officer called him late at night. “We even checked reports of murders of young women with similar descriptions and surnames, but no lead. There were no instances reported recently.”

Albert sighed, assured Meg’s mother was alive somewhere. While putting out the lights in Emily’s room, he saw Meg curled up and fast asleep on her bed.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

Albert was up until the wee hours, gathering contact details of hospitals in the city. He suddenly woke up when the morning rays irritated his sleepy eyes. He was exhausted and had slept off in his armchair.

“Oh my God, Meg??” he ran to check on her, thinking she would’ve gone to the park alone while he was dozing. “Jesus, thank goodness!” he sighed when he saw she was still fast asleep.

Albert then contacted every hospital in the city to find out about Meg’s mother. He even reached out to a friend in the morgue, but nothing helped. Nobody had heard about the woman with his description and surname.

Albert was puzzled about what to do next. “Cops will hardly try and carefully look for a homeless woman. And if I have to send her to a foster home, she’ll likely never see her mother again,” he thought. Then, Albert realized that the only reliable way to help Meg was to search for her mother on his own. It was not for nothing he was a cop for 30 years.

Albert brought Meg to the park every day and sat her in the exact spot her mother last left her. He asked his friends to watch over her while he searched for the missing woman. Albert knew he could not do all this while working, so he took a few days off.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

He first started visiting all the homeless shelters in the city and neighboring towns. “Her name is Candy D’Cruz… Do you know someone with that name?” he asked almost everyone he encountered.

He checked with all the offices that had a “We’re Hiring” sign to find out if Meg’s mother had, by chance, attended any interviews. He even checked in several refuges he knew of, but nothing turned up. Nobody had seen a woman with the name Candy D’Cruz.

Albert even searched on social media and showed Meg the photos of several women with similar names, but none of them was her mother. He checked every street and traffic camera near the park but could not find a clue.

A month passed, and Albert almost lost hope of finding Meg’s mother. All his attempts were fruitless. But Meg never gave up and refused to do anything other than visit the park daily, waiting for her mother from dawn to dusk.

“How will mommy find me if I’m not there,” she often argued with Albert. One morning, as they left for the park, it started raining.

“Sweetie, I’ll take you to the park tomorrow. You’ll catch a cold,” Albert told Meg, but she was stubborn.

“No, we’ll go and wait there. Mommy will come,” she said.

Albert could not convince her. They took a bus to the park as they could not walk in the rain. The route was longer and passed several stations. And while crossing one such station, Meg started shouting.

“There she is! There is mommy!”

Albert was startled. “Where??” he rose from his seat. He thought she’d confused somebody else for her mother but still asked the driver to stop the bus.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

Albert quickly helped Meg out of the bus and hastily looked around at all the women he noticed. “Where is she??” he asked her.

Meg tugged his arm to a billboard on a sidewalk and pointed, shouting, “There…That’s my mommy!”

“Where? Which one??” Albert asked her.

“There…the second from the left…She’s my mommy…She’s my mommy!!”

The words on the billboard read: “Do You Know Me? Please Call On This Number” next to the name “Cadence Delacruz.” He gasped in shock after learning Meg’s mother’s name was Cadence, not Candy.

“What is written there?” Meg interrupted.

“It’s an advertisement for lost people,” he told her.

“What is that? What does it mean??”

“It means we are going to find your mother!!” Albert carried Meg cheerfully as he called the number on the billboard.

“City hospital,” the attendant answered. “Yes, she was admitted here.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

For illustration purposes only | Source: Getty Images

When they got to the hospital, they were told Meg’s mother had already left. “Mommy has gone? Where did she go?” Meg started to cry.

“Sweetie, hold on…One second,” Albert comforted her.

“How did she come here? What happened to her?” he asked the nurse.

“She was brought here with a severe head injury over a month ago. She’d suffered from a traumatic brain injury that caused amnesia,” the nurse said.

“Where is she? We want to see her,” Albert asked her.

“She needed expensive treatment. She was in a coma for a few weeks and could not recall anybody when she woke up. Nobody came to take her. We even advertised her name and picture, but nobody turned up. She was discharged last week and sent to a shelter for the homeless.”

Albert was afraid Meg would lose her mother again. He then rushed to the shelter with the girl.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

For illustration purposes only | Source: Unsplash

Meg clutched Albert’s little finger as she looked around for her mother. Then she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her toward a bed in a corner.

“MOMMY!!” she cried and ran to her mother. “Mommy, where did you leave me and go?”

Cadence had a photo of them together and remembered Meg was her daughter as soon as she saw her and heard her call her mommy.

“I don’t know, sweetie,” she burst into tears.

Albert was speechless and moved at seeing Meg laughing and crying with her mother. “You need to come with me,” he interrupted.

“Where? And who are you?” Cadence asked.

“I’m Albert. I’m a janitor in the park. I found your daughter…” he paused. “I’ll explain everything later. You and Meg need to come home with me now.”

Albert took Cadence home and offered to stay in his house as long as she wanted. He spent all his savings on her treatment. It took several months before Cadence could recall some crucial moments of her life. Being around her daughter helped her to a great extent. Gradually, Cadence remembered everything, and Albert was curious to know how she had hurt herself.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“My husband had mortgaged our house,” she recalled. “I was not able to pay the loan after he died in an accident. Our house was taken, and then I rented a small room with my daughter. I lost my job, and my landlord kicked us out for not paying rent.”

After she was stranded on the street, Cadence could not find a job almost immediately. She did not want her daughter to live in the shelter for the homeless, so they temporarily camped in the tarp tent under the bridge.

Albert felt sorry for Cadence and sighed with relief things ended well for her and Meg. “But how did you get hurt?” he asked her.

Cadence recalled that fateful day and broke down.

“I was going for a job interview. I left my daughter in the park because I thought leaving her alone in the tent would be unsafe. I told her to wait there until I came,” Cadence revealed.

“I remember I slipped and fell in the underpass. My head hit the edge of the staircase, and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. I could not remember anything.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pixabay

“I’m glad you are safe, my dear. And I’m really happy Meg found you. She missed you so much,” Albert teared up.

Cadence and her daughter lived with Albert until she found a job. A few months later, she dated Frank, a widower with two children, and married him.

Cadence and Meg moved into their new house and were always thankful to Albert for his help. He was happy for them, although he knew he would miss Meg terribly.

Time passed, but Meg and her mother never forgot Albert. They became a part of his family and constantly visited him on the weekends, and every summer, they even vacationed together by the sea.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

What can we learn from this story?

  • Nothing is impossible, so keep going until you accomplish what you want. Despite having little to no leads in tracking down Meg’s mother, Albert never gave up. Ultimately, he reunited the lost little girl with her mother.
  • Only light can drive out darkness; Only love can drive out sorrow. Albert was distraught after losing his family in an accident. His life was a dark hollow until he met little Meg in the park.

Tell us what you think, and share this story with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

Only the smartest minds can solve this! If you get it right, you have next-level observation skills.

Have you ever wondered how good your observation skills truly are? Some puzzles challenge our intellect, but others test our ability to notice small yet significant details that most people overlook. The image above presents such a challenge: Who is NOT pregnant?

At first glance, it appears that all seven women in the picture are pregnant. But if you take a closer look, you’ll realize that one of them is not. Can you spot her?

This puzzle requires a keen eye for detail, the ability to notice subtle differences in body posture, clothing, and physical alignment. If you can figure it out without help, congratulations! You have exceptional observational skills.

Let’s break this puzzle down step by step and reveal the correct answer.

Common Mistakes People Make When Solving This Puzzle

Many people rush to conclusions when solving visual puzzles. Here are some common errors that can lead to incorrect answers:

  1. Assuming that all the women are pregnant
    • Since they are standing in a maternity ward, wearing scrubs, and holding their bellies, it’s easy to assume they are all expectant mothers. This is a trap for those who don’t take the time to analyze each individual carefully.
  2. Focusing only on the belly size
    • Most people assume that the woman with the smallest belly must be the one who isn’t pregnant. However, belly size varies depending on the stage of pregnancy, so this method is unreliable.
  3. Not paying attention to posture and stance
    • Pregnant women often stand slightly differently due to the extra weight on their front. If you don’t observe their posture carefully, you might miss this key clue.

Now, let’s go through the correct way to solve this puzzle.

Step-By-Step Guide to Finding the Right Answer

To determine which woman is NOT pregnant, follow these steps:

Video : Who’s NOT Pregnant? 🤔 Brain-Sweating Questions by 7-Second Riddles

Step 1: Observe Their Posture

Pregnant women naturally adjust their posture to accommodate the additional weight in their abdomen. Their stance usually includes:

  • A slight backward lean to counterbalance the weight of their belly
  • A subtle curve in the lower back
  • A gentle widening of the stance for better balance

Now, look at all seven women carefully. One of them does not show these signs.

Step 2: Look at How They Are Holding Their Stomachs

In the image, six women are cradling their bellies—a common instinct for pregnant individuals. However, one woman does not seem to be holding her stomach in the same way. Instead, her hands are positioned differently, suggesting she does not have the same need to support a growing belly.

Step 3: Examine the Clothing Fit

One major clue is how their clothes fit around their stomachs.

  • The six pregnant women have shirts that are slightly stretched over their round bellies.
  • However, one woman’s shirt does not have the same tight stretch. Instead, it falls naturally over her stomach, suggesting she is not carrying a baby.

Step 4: Notice the Alignment of the Shoulders and Torso

A woman who is pregnant naturally shifts her posture. Their shoulders might be slightly pushed back, and their torso has a gentle forward curve. In contrast, one woman in the group stands completely upright, without any of these adjustments.

Step 5: Compare Their Overall Body Shape

When you look closely at the overall shape of each woman, six of them show clear signs of pregnancy-related weight distribution—particularly in their lower abdomen. However, one woman’s shape does not match the others.

The Correct Answer: Woman #7 is NOT Pregnant!

If you noticed all the clues, you would have identified the seventh woman (far right) as the one who is NOT pregnant.

How Do We Know?

  • Her stance is different – She stands upright, without the subtle backward lean seen in the others.
  • Her hand placement is different – Unlike the others, she is not cradling a belly.
  • Her clothing doesn’t stretch around a baby bump – Her top falls straight down instead of hugging a round belly.
  • Her body alignment is normal – She does not show the slight posture adjustments typical of pregnant women.

What This Says About Your Observation Skills

If you figured out the correct answer on your own, congratulations! You have an exceptional ability to notice details that others overlook. This skill is valuable in many areas of life, including:

  • Solving problems quickly
  • Identifying small changes in your surroundings
  • Being more aware of people’s emotions and body language
  • Making better decisions by considering small but significant clues

Video : Who’s NOT Pregnant? 10 Hard Detective Riddles With Answers

If you didn’t get it right—don’t worry! This type of puzzle is a great way to train your brain to pay closer attention to subtle details.

Final Thoughts: Keep Sharpening Your Mind!

This puzzle is a fun but effective way to test and improve your observation skills. Whether you got the answer right or not, the key takeaway is that small details matter.

If you enjoy challenges like this, keep practicing! The more you train your brain to focus on subtle differences, the sharper your observational skills will become.

Now it’s your turn! Did you figure out the answer before reading the explanation? Share your thoughts in the comments below and challenge your friends to see if they can spot the difference too!

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