At 34, Amanda had never imagined she’d be living a lonely life as a school teacher. She loved having kids around, which made her job bearable, but sometimes she wondered why God had given her such a life. She could have had a husband, a family, and a small tribe of children running around her house, none of which had happened.

But one day, Amanda’s life changed. She had no idea she would be left dumbfounded when she’d see her. The little girl, Milly, had big blue lovely eyes, ginger hair, and a pretty smile that reminded Amanda of someone, the one she had once loved with all her heart…

With that, Milly walked into the class, and Amanda felt as if her heart had stopped beating.

“Hello, everyone,” said Milly in the sweetest voice. “I’m Milly, and I would love to be friends with you all!”

Amanda had to take a deep breath before she could say anything. “Wel—Welcome, Milly. It’s such a pleasure to have you! How… um… how about you go join your friends?”

After finishing her lessons that day, when she left the class, Amanda felt a hand stop her. She turned around only to find herself face-to-face with Milly.

“Hi, darling,” she said, hiding her shock at the girl’s appearance. “Can I help you with something?”

Milly smiled her pretty smile, then said, “It’s you! I know you!”

“You do?” asked Amanda. “Oh, of course, I’m your teacher, Ms. Dudley… Of course, you know me!” Amanda said, her heart pounding fast.

Milly shook her head. “My dad has a pic of him kissing you! You’re the young, lovely lady in that picture!”

As Milly said that, Amanda found it hard to hold back her tears. “I’m sorry, Milly,” she said, swallowing hard. “I—I don’t understand!”

“Oh no, I—I don’t think so,” lied Amanda. “And… And what about your mommy, darling?”

“I don’t have a mommy,” she said sadly. “When I was very little, Daddy told me she went to the angel, but I’m a big girl now, and I know what he meant. My mommy died, so it’s just Daddy and me!”

As Amanda heard that, she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. She just walked away from Milly without daring to look back at her.

Amanda had never imagined her past would catch up with her in that manner. Milly was Dylan’s daughter! She was a vivid image of him!

His name was Dylan. He was tall, handsome, and had a charming smile. They met at a coffee shop where she worked part-time, and soon, their meeting became meetings and turned into romance.

Then one day, Amanda’s world collapsed. Dylan, who had joined the Army and promised to return soon, just disappeared. There was no news about him, so Amanda went to his house to ask his parents if they knew anything, and it was then she realized he wouldn’t be returning.

“He’s dead!” yelled his mother. “My son died! He’s not coming back! Never! Why don’t you guys just leave us alone? I don’t want people showing up with fake sympathy. We couldn’t even bury him! They said the body… it was in a terrible state!”

Not that Amanda didn’t date after that, but none of the guys were what Dylan was. She could never forget her first love, so she remained unmarried and alone.

But Milly changed everything. She gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, she could have Dylan back.

That afternoon, after classes were over, Amanda stayed back in the playground and watched Milly run outside the school’s front gate. Then she noticed a handsome man getting out of his car and hugging Milly.

Amanda’s hands went to her mouth. “Dylan,” she whispered. “It’s him!”

The man turned around, and he smiled. Oh, how much Amanda had missed that smile all these years!

“I knew it!” Milly chimed in. “Ms. Dudley is the beautiful lady, daddy! You found her!”

“You found her?” asked Amanda, confused.

“Amanda…” said Dylan with a smile. “Oh, it’s you! Jesus, it’s been a long time!”

“It has…” she said quietly. “It certainly has. And you’re alive…”

“Very much!” he laughed. “Hey, I’m sorry about what happened… Actually, chuck that. What are your plans for dinner tonight?”

“Could you recommend a good restaurant for us? Milly and I are new here, you see… And how about you join us for dinner tonight?”

“Festos at 8? Would that work?” she blurted out. “It’s a very famous one.”

“Perfect!” smiled Dylan. “See you.”

Amanda didn’t believe it. She still couldn’t believe it. Dylan was alive, and he invited her to dinner!

That night, she dressed in a lovely floral dress and joined Dylan and Milly for dinner.

“So, how’s life been for you?” he asked.

“Fine, I guess,” she sighed. “Dylan, is that really you? I just can’t believe it,” she added with tears in her eyes.

“When I couldn’t find you, I just moved on with life. It was hard, but I did it. I met Jade. We married and had Milly. But Jade passed away due to cancer when Milly was 3, and this is where we are right now. I got a job here, so I relocated.”

“And Daddy told me a lot about you, and he also told me about your love story… I think Mommy would have loved to meet you, Ms. Dudley! You’re sweet!”

With tears in her eyes, Amanda laughed. She hadn’t laughed so heartily in a LONG time. “And I think you’re a clever girl, miss smarty pants!”

“Would you like to be a mommy to ‘Smarty Pants?’ I like you and…” she covered her mouth and whispered. “Daddy loves you, too!”

Amanda smiled. “And I love you both, too,” she whispered. “I would love to be your mommy!”

Six months later, Amanda did become Milly’s mommy, and she finally had the family she had always dreamed of.

What can we learn from this story?

• Love is many things. It’s patient and kind but also painful and sad. Being in love with Dylan was one of the most beautiful times in Amanda’s life, but when that love disappeared, all she had was pain.
• Love and care are what build a family. Embrace the people you love. Milly accepting Amanda into her life healed Amanda’s heart and brought them together as a family.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a teacher who saw her orphaned pupil sharing lunch with a homeless man, only to learn later that the shabby man was the child’s father.