Sue was left in a cardboard box as a small child. Luckily, a store clerk took her home and changed the course of her entire life. Now, in the form of an unexpected knock at the door, Sue has to face her past and the disappointment that comes with it. Is this a grand reunion or the biggest disappointment of Sue’s life?
I was left in a cardboard box in a supermarket twenty years ago. I was just a few months old, and all I had to my name were a few photos of my mother and a note.
The note read: I will always love you, Sue.
Nobody knew my surname or whether I had a middle name. Nobody seemed to know my mother or what had happened to my father. I was all alone in a world that didn’t know anything about me.
But even then, at a few months old, I seemed to be fortune’s fool. I was found by a kind store clerk, Ruby, who took me in.
“I couldn’t leave you there, Sue,” she would say whenever the story came up. “I became your guardian shortly after and raised you as my own. You became my little bug.”
Ruby was everything to me. And as I grew, the closer we became.
I was forever grateful that she gave me everything I needed. But still, I never stopped wondering why my mother left me and if she would ever come back.
“I know that it bothers you, darling,” Ruby told me one day as she made lasagna for dinner. “But she’s an enigma now. We have nothing that could lead us to her.”
“I know,” I said, grating more cheese for when the dish was ready. “It’s just frustrating when I start thinking about it.”
“You love the internet, you love social media, Sue. Use it, share your story, maybe it will resonate with people, and you can connect with others just like you.”
She opened the oven and put the tray of lasagna inside.
So I did just that, and I became a well-known video blogger, sharing my story with the world.
“You’ve created a safe platform for people to share their stories, too,” Ruby told me when I read comments from my latest video to her.
“It means something to me,” I said, helping myself to the eclairs on the table.
Fast forward to the present. I am successful and able to provide for myself and my guardian.
“So much for being an abandoned baby,” I said to myself as I washed my face one night.
But imagine my surprise when an unexpected knock on my door changed everything.
I opened the door to find a frail, older woman standing there, her eyes filled with regret and desperation.
“Sue, darling,” she said. “I am your mother, and I need your help!”
I just looked at her, unable to blink for fear of missing the moment.
“Do you still have the note I left with you when I left you safely in the store?”
Safely? I thought to myself. I stood there, paralyzed by the flood of emotions that had come in when she entered my home.
“Yes, I have it,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I kept it.”
“I know I have no right to ask for your help after what I did, but I need you to believe me when I say I had no choice back then. I was running from a dangerous situation. And I thought leaving you in a safe place was the only way to protect you. I needed to disappear.”
15 Gifts With Packaging That Turned Out to Be More Exciting Than What Was Inside
Winter holidays help us discover hidden skills and talents, be it with house-cleaning, cooking, or wrapping presents. Some creative individuals manage to turn even the most trivial gifts into masterpieces. In such cases, this inspired packaging proves to be more interesting than the present itself.
We at Bright Side appreciate all things expressive and original. So today, we present you with 15 creations from people who transform the task of wrapping gifts into a special kind of art.
“I have a talent for wrapping gifts in misleading ways!”
“My grandma decorates wrapping paper with hand-drawn patterns!”
“I’ve just finished wrapping a gift for my sis. The outward shape is a ruse — there’s a necklace inside!”
“I guess this is the start of a new tradition. This year, I wrapped the presents in the colors of my favorite flags!”
“My wife’s present to me — whatever is inside, I hope it survives until tomorrow!”
“I’m finally done wrapping the present for my brother. He’ll sure be surprised to find it’s a toolset!”
“Each New Year, my brother and I compete to give the most difficult-to-open gift.”
“This time, I wrapped his present in concrete!”
“This Christmas, I used old maps as wrapping paper for the presents. Quite pleased with the results!”
“My idea of gift-wrapping a couple of concert tickets…”
“No wrapping paper on hand? No problem! I used cardboard grocery bags and metallic markers!”
“I bought my girlfriend’s parents a gift for Christmas and managed to wrap it like this!”
“Each year, I wrap the last present with the leftovers of other gifts’ wrappings.”
“Mom, are you proud of me now?!”
“These are my friend’s presents for his wife. The left package contains perfume, and the right one, a sweater.”
“I’m 23. I can rebuild a car engine from scratch and make unique spare parts for it. I can drive anything that has a steering wheel. But I’m really lousy at wrapping Christmas gifts!”
And what about you — do you like giving presents to your loved ones? Do you have any cool gift-wrapping tales to share?
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