A woman noticed a set of triplets playing on the beach. No adult looked after them, and they spent the entire day alone, arriving in the morning and leaving at sunset. Concerned, the woman set out to find out their story and help them. All she wanted was to help those in need, but she had no idea that she was saving out her future grandchildren. This story was inspired by a reader of AmoMama, where the incident was originally published.
The Lone Triplets
The children were there again, alone, playing on the beach. They were triplets, with sun-streaked hair, probably six or seven. Agnes saw them from her balcony as she put the laundry to dry in the arid Florida heat. She had noticed them before; she noticed all of the locals who frequented that beach. Agnes spent most of her time on that balcony, reading, talking on the phone, and mostly sitting, enjoying the summer. Sometimes, her son Marvin would join her and they would tell each other stories of Fred, Marvin’s father, who passed away many years ago from a stroke. Marvin had worked at the same hospital where Fred had passed away.
But today, Agnes was alone and so were the triplets. The sky was overcast, discouraging other beach visitors. The lot of empty sand made the little boys look even smaller. Agnes believed she had seen a woman with them before, sporting the same blond hair. Probably the mother. She usually lay on a towel, sunbathing or, more likely, napping. Then she would get up and join her son’s games. But she was nowhere in sight, and she hadn’t appeared all week.
Agnes tried to ignore the sight as she finished setting the laundry and opened a novel. But she couldn’t help but keep an eye on the triplets, especially when they began swimming. There was no lifeguard on this beach. Unable to concentrate, Agnes got up and went down to the beach, moving as quickly as she could despite stiff arthritis in her knees.
“I’m calling your mother”
However, when she tried to talk to the boys, they took off. They grabbed their sand toys and dashed away from the beach. Agnes debated calling the police but she didn’t know if that was the right choice. After all, perhaps she was worrying over nothing. She decided she would try to talk to them again tomorrow, and if that didn’t work, then she’d call the authorities.
She hoped the boys wouldn’t show up at all, but they did, as they had for over a week now. So Agnes went out to meet them. This time, when they scurried away, she followed them and handed one of the boys her cell phone. She told him to call his mother. The boy looked stricken and tried to give her phone back, but Agnes gently insisted, saying, “It’s alright. I’m sure your mother would like to check in with you.”
The boy shook his head. “She’s in the hospital. She doesn’t have her phone.”
Agnes hesitated. “Let’s try calling the hospital then.”
He brightened but his triplet chimed in. “We can’t. They can’t know we’re by ourselves.”
“We won’t tell them,” promised Agnes. Since the boys didn’t know which hospital their mother was at, she decided to try all of the local ones. Fortunately, she was right on the first try. There, she asked for Cara Wilhelm, the name the boys gave her, pretending to be their temporary guardian. Finally, Cara was on the line.
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Meeting the Boys’ Mother
The boys all began talking at once, asking how she was, when she was coming home, how they missed her. Cara calmed them down as much as she could before asking who Agnes was; that was the name the receptionist had given her.
So Agnes went on the phone, explaining that she had seen the boys on their own from her apartment. Cara thanked Agnes for looking out for them but she begged her not to call the cops. She was separated from her abusive husband and won full custody over the triplets. However, he has continued to try to get them back from her, failing each time. But when she fainted and landed in the hospital with a newly diagnosed heart condition, she pretended her mother — who had died when she was seven — was watching the triplets. She had no friends after her years isolated in her abusive marriage and she feared the authorities would contact her husband and she’d never see her children again.
Agnes immediately reassured Cara that she wouldn’t call anyone. She offered to take care of the triplets, giving Cara her address and personal information. She also called Marvin, who worked at the same hospital, to visit Cara and reassure her about his arrangement. Finally, Cara agreed, telling her boys they could go with Agnes who would take them to visit Cara. On the way, Agnes bought them lunch at a drive-through. She purposely ordered extra food, and the boys ate it all. She became worried about how much they’ve eaten since their mother was hospitalized. After they ate, the boys introduced themselves as Will, Johnny, and Edward. They were slowly warming up to Agnes, singing loudly along with the radio and cheering when they drove into the hospital parking lot.
“Welcome Home”
Cara cried when they entered her room. She was worried about them the entire time. She thanked Agnes for offering to help. Agnes, determined to reassure the mother, took out her I.D. cards, gave her contact information of her neighbors, and any other information she could think of to prove she was who she said she was. After a while of this, Cara laughed and hugged her, saying she believed her. Plus, Marvin had visited to reassure her earlier. She was already on board with this arrangement.
Afterward, Agnes drove the boys home and was shocked at the state of it. Of course, it was messy from the boys living alone for a week, but the dishevelment went beyond that. This was the home of a family who couldn’t afford proper repairs and of a parent who worked long, exhausting hours. For the next few days, Agnes began to tidy up. The boys were eager helpers, especially when Marvin came to help with the repairs. The boys’ father had never helped around the house and the friendly man with jokes and a power drill became their new hero.
When Cara returned, it was like she had a new home. Agnes, Marvin, and the boys prepared a special “welcome home” dinner for her, and they talked as if they had all known each other a long time. Of course, they all stayed in touch, spending the boys’ summer vacation together like a family. And in the fall, Marvin and Cara got engaged, making it official. They married the following summer at the very beach where Agnes had saved her now grandchildren.
This story was inspired by an original piece of fiction that first appeared on AmoMama. Any similarities between this story and actual people are purely coincidental.
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