Our story today, inspired by the readers of AmoMama, is about a man named Gregory MacSimmon. Greg loved nature and being outdoors. He lived a quaint life working as a groundsman for the botanical park of his hometown. Gregory loved each day he had there, neatening up the pathways by relaying gravel, trimming weeds, and raking leaves. He loved doing landscaping, especially in Lover’s Corner. There was a little more creative freedom allowed in that area and Greg liked trimming the trees and hedges into heart shapes.
He had not always been a garden worker. In fact, he had a corporate job before this where he earned a wealthy salary. He kept at that for a few years, trying to convince himself that it would all be worth it in the end. It eventually left him feeling perpetually exhausted, and he had no time for fun on the weekends because he needed to rest. Greg’s work started getting a little sloppy until he got his first warning from his boss. The first turned into a second, and the third was not far behind. He made a grave mistake one day that could not be fixed. This meant he had a black mark next to his name, and finding a job after that became almost impossible.
Eventually, Greg was offered a job working on the grounds at the botanical park. The gig included housing, which was a beautiful little cottage nestled amongst the trees. It was Greg’s friend who had given him the job after he saw how desperate he was. Remembering how Greg had always been working on his garden with his mum growing up, he thought Greg would be a shoo-in.
He Worked There For Many Years
Greg started his job in the botanical park when he was around about 32 years old. He loved how refreshing each day was, surrounded by nature. He had originally planned to work there until he had a plan, or potentially another job offer. A few jobs came and went, but for some reason, Greg turned them all down. He had found his dream job, not to mention great benefits!
Fast forward a few years, and we find Gregory at age 64, and still going strong. He is still working in the botanical gardens, but he is now the site manager, making sure that the gardens in the park are always looking their best. He knew the grounds very well, which helped him with his fine attention to detail. One day, they were a little understaffed due to a nasty cold going around, so Greg was busy clearing the leaves along one pathway. He got to a small clearing in the trees, and he noticed a little girl sitting alone on one of the ar benches. She seemed to only be about 5 years old, he wondered where her mother could be.
Greg thought he would just make sure she was alright, and he walked over to her. She looked up and grabbed the book she was busy drawing in and closed it as if trying to hide her work from him. Greg smiled and said hello.
She Was Alone
Gregory had a gentle heart. He loved children dearly, and he had a daughter of his own. Her name was Erica, and she worked as a school teacher. Erica and her mother had been involved in a horrific car crash when Erica was just a little girl, not much older than the little girl on the bench. The crash had killed Greg’s wife, but his daughter survived. The critical injuries she sustained during the crash ultimately rendered her infertile. Erica had not realized as a young girl what this meant. When she grew up and developed her own fantasies of having a biological family of her own, it was like she had to deal with the trauma of it all over again.
The little girl told Gregory to go away
She told him she was not allowed to talk to strangers and that she was waiting for her mom. Gregory smiled again, he reassured her that he only wanted to know where her mother was. She opened her book again and told him that her mother was coming back shortly. He frowned and asked her again why her mom had left her alone in the park. She told him that she had a big job interview and couldn’t take her with her, so she told her to sit and wait in the park.
Gregory had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, her mother was probably struggling financially and desperate for this job. Maybe she didn’t have other family members to help her. He felt sad because this was a very real situation that many mothers had to face, and ultimately make do with what they had. Gregory told the little girl he would stay working in that part of the park for the rest of the day, and if she needed anything she must just ask. He went back a few times to check on her, but eventually, at the end of the day, she was gone.
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The Next Day She Was Back
Gregory started bright and early the next day. He walked past the same spot where the little girl was, and he was surprised to see her sitting there in the same spot, wearing the same clothes. After some enquiring, he found out that the little girl’s mother had abandoned her. He called his daughter to come and help him with her while he called social services and reported the lost little girl. When he got back to his daughter, he could see they got along very well.
Erica asked to be a temporary foster mother for the little girl. She couldn’t bear the idea of her going into the system and getting lost there again. Luckily, she was quite involved with social services, so she has approved almost right away. With the little girl under her roof, she almost felt complete. Her dream was to be a mother, but she was physically unable to. She wondered to herself how a mother could just throw away such a great gift.
The investigation to find the little girl’s mother was well underway. Erica had nudged the system a little by hiring a private investigator who solved the problem very quickly. Her mother had moved to another city, and Erica was disheartened to learn that she was only 19 years old. That meant she must have had the little girl when she was about 14 or 15 years old.
Erica’s Dreams Came True
Erica asked the social services to allow her to meet up with the little girl’s mother. They made a coffee date, and Erica almost suspected her not to show up, but she did in the end. She was wearing raggedy clothing, and her skin looked gaunt. Erica bought her a meal and spoke about her daughter. When the little girl’s name was mentioned, Erica noticed the woman wince. She clearly felt remorse for her actions.
Eric told the mother about the car accident she had as a young girl, how tragic it was to lose her mother, and also being told she would never be a mother herself. The teenage mom just stared at her, wide-eyed. Erica explained that she loved that little girl as if she were her own daughter, and she would like to make that official by adopting her. A look of relief flashed across the girl’s ace, and she agreed
A few weeks later, the little girl was officially adopted by Erica. She went from abandonment to gaining a new family who loved her.
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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