I gave him the address of the gas station where I was parked.
« Don’t move. I’m coming. I’ll be here in forty minutes. Mary, listen to me carefully: you won’t be spending another night in this car. Do you hear me? Not one more. »
He hung up before I could answer.
I stared at the phone, unable to believe what had just happened. Sam was coming.
The boy I had raised. The one who called me Mama Mary when his mother wasn’t around. The child I had taught to ride a bike. The one who had cried in my arms when others made fun of him. That child had become a powerful man. And he had come to save me.
For the first time in days, I felt something akin to hope. But also fear. What if he had changed? What if money and fame had coldened him? What if he was only coming out of obligation, out of pity?
Thirty-five minutes later, I saw the lights.
It wasn’t a normal car. It was a huge, shiny black SUV, the kind you only see in movies. Tinted windows. Immaculate tires. Behind it, another identical vehicle.
The SUV parked in front of me, and a man in a dark suit got out of the driver’s seat. He opened the rear door, and Sam got out.
My Sam.
But he was no longer the chubby, bespectacled boy of my memories. He was tall, slender, with perfectly styled hair, a monster probably worth more than anything I had ever owned in my life. He wore an impeccable gray suit, a white shirt, and exuded the presence of someone accustomed to power.
But when he saw me, his face changed, his eyes filled with tears. He ran towards me and hugged me like a child.
« Mary, my Mary. »
His voice broke. He held me close to his chest, and I felt his heart pounding. He smelled of expensive cologne and success, but his embrace was the same as when he was five years old and afraid of thunderstorms.
We stayed like that, embracing in the middle of the gas station parking lot, while the driver and two bodyguards waited respectfully at a distance.
« Forgive me for not calling sooner, » he whispered. « Mom told me you’d moved, that you wanted your independence, that you didn’t want to be bothered. I looked for you on social media, but I couldn’t find you. I thought… I thought you wanted to forget us. »
I shook my head, unable to speak.
He stepped back a little and looked into my eyes. His eyes were the same as before, clear, honest, full of kindness.
« It doesn’t matter. I’m here now, and I swear to you that no one will ever treat you like that again. »
He took my arm with infinite gentleness, as if it were made of porcelain, and guided me towards the SUV.
The driver, a man named Dave, greeted me respectfully.
« Mrs. Mary, it’s an honor. The doctor talks about you all the time. »
Sam helped me into the back seat. The interior was like another world. Soft leather, built-in screens, perfect climate control. Bottles of mineral water, a folded blanket.
« Dave, let’s go home, » Sam ordered, sitting down next to me. Then he turned to me. « But first, I need to know something. Where does your daughter live? The one who locked the door on you. »
I gave him Beth’s address. I saw his gaze harden.
« Very well. We’ll start there. »
I tried to stop him.
« No, Sam. I don’t want any trouble. »
He took my wrinkled hand.
« Mary, you raised a child who wasn’t yours as if he were. You gave him love, patience, your whole life. You sacrificed time with your own family for me. And now, that family treats you like trash. No, Mary, it can’t stay like this. »
During the drive to Beth’s house, Sam told me about his life. After university, he studied medicine. He specialized in cardiovascular surgery. He opened his own clinic. He now had three, in different cities. He operated on celebrities, politicians, and executives. He charged sums I couldn’t even imagine.
« A complex surgery earns me between $50,000 and $150,000, Mary. And you know what I think about every time I go into the operating room? »
He looked at me.
« I remember you taking care of me when I was sick. The way you taught me that caring for others is the most important thing. You taught me to become a doctor, without even realizing it. »
His words moved me deeply. This rich, respected man was giving me, the unqualified cleaning lady, credit.
“Mom lives in Europe now,” he continued. “She remarried. She’s happy. But she still talks about you. She says you’re the best decision she ever made. That without you, I wouldn’t be the man I am.”
It felt strange to hear that. Lucille had always been decent to me. She paid me well. She respected me. But she was never really there for Sam. I was her constant. I was there every step of the way. And decades later, this child was giving it all back to me, multiplied.
« And you, Sam, do you have a family? » I asked.
He gave a faint, sad smile.
« Divorced. No children. My ex-wife used to say I was married to my job. She was right. But you know what, Mary? My job saves lives, and now it’s going to save yours. »
We arrived in the Beth neighborhood. One of those middle-class housing developments with identical houses and small gardens. The SUV and the security car immediately attracted attention. Neighbors gathered at their windows, some opened their doors.
Dave parked right in front of Beth’s house. Sam got out first and helped me out. The guards positioned themselves discreetly around.
« Ready? » asked Sam.
I wasn’t, but I nodded.
We walked to the door. Sam rang the bell firmly. I heard footsteps inside. Robert’s voice muttering.
« Who’s that again? »
He opened the door, looking annoyed. His expression vanished instantly when he saw Sam, tall, elegant, imposing, with the shiny SUV and the guards behind him.
» Yes ? «
Sam didn’t smile. His voice was icy.
« Good evening. I’m Dr. Sam Roman, a cardiovascular surgeon, and I’ve come to talk about Mary. »
He pronounced each word like a blade.
Robert looked at him, uncomprehending. Then he noticed me behind Sam. His face went from confusion to unease.
« Mary, what do you have to do with… »
Beth appeared behind him, wiping her hands with a cloth. Her expression hardened.
« Mom, I told you we couldn’t help you. Now you’re bringing strangers to our house? »
Sam took a step forward, calmly, but with unquestionable authority.
“I am not a stranger. I am the child this woman raised for 18 years. The child she fed, cared for, educated, and loved while her own daughter grew up without her. That child called me ‘Mama Mary’ when I was scared at night. And I just learned that you left her to sleep in her car after her building collapsed.”
The silence that followed was brutal. Beth opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Robert tried to compose himself.
« Sir, you don’t understand the family situation. It’s not that… »
Sam cut him off completely.
“No, you’re the one who doesn’t understand. This woman sacrificed time with her own daughter to take care of me. She would come home exhausted and make sure that YOU,” he said, pointing at Beth, “had a good school, food, and clothes. And when she needed help, you publicly humiliated her on social media. I read your post.”
He took out his phone.
« I have two million followers. I’m a public figure. If I tell this story, your name, Robert Vega, will forever be associated with a man who left an elderly woman to sleep in his car. And you, Beth, will become known online as ‘the girl who abandoned her mother.’ Is that what you want? »
Beth took a step forward, panic in her eyes.
« No, please, no. My business… I have clients. It could… »
Sam looked at her coldly.
« Exactly. It could ruin your life the same way you ruined your mother’s dignity. But you know what? I won’t do it. You know why? Because Mary taught me to be better than that. »
He turned towards me, his expression softening.
« Mary, do you want to say something to your daughter? »
I looked at Beth, my child, the baby I had carried, the one I had raised between grueling shifts, the woman who had become a stranger. I had so much to tell her, so much pent-up pain, so many regrets. But when I opened my mouth, only one sentence came out.
“Beth, I’ve always loved you. Even when I didn’t know how to show it, even when I made the wrong choices. But today, I understand that I can’t force you to love me back. So I’m letting you go. Live your life. I’ll live mine.”
Beth burst into tears.
« Mom, I didn’t want to… It was Robert who said… »
Sam interrupted her.
« It’s always Robert’s fault, isn’t it? You make the decisions he wants, and when things go wrong, he’s the one to blame. Grow up, Beth. Take responsibility for your actions. »
He gently took my arm.
« Come, Mary. There’s nothing left for you here. »
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