Lori discovered something she never expected to see again while working as a nanny: a pair of shoes belonging to her daughter, who went missing 22 years ago. The shoes, a painful reminder of the past, were now strangely present at the home where she was caring for a young child.
Lori sat on the living room floor, her hands quivering as she removed the lid from another old box. Old memories rushed her head, filling the air with a weight she couldn’t shake.
Lori was caring for three-year-old Marissa, who stood close, her wide eyes filled with confusion. Marissa couldn’t understand why Lori was crying so much. Lori held a tiny child’s sneaker in her hands, tears flowing down her cheek.
This sneaker belonged to her daughter, who vanished 22 years ago. Her mind raced, attempting to make sense of everything, but nothing added up. The front door creaked open, and Lori heard footsteps. Emily, Marissa’s mother, entered the room, her expression filled with concern.
“Lori, are you okay?” Emily asked, her voice trembling with concern.
Lori did not look up. Her voice cracked as she asked, “Where did you get these shoes?” Emily’s heart raced. She glanced at the small shoe, then at Lori.
“I… ,” she stammered, unable to find the appropriate words.
22 years ago…
Lori sat on the floor, carefully folding clothes and storing them in a small suitcase. She glanced at the list beside her and checked off the items as she packed.
It was Olive’s first vacation without her, and Lori’s heart was heavy. Olive’s father, Chris, was taking her to Scotland. Lori was unsure whether she could trust him to manage anything.
Scotland felt so far away, and the prospect of being separated from her small baby made her nervous. Olive, four years old, burst into the room as she zipped up her luggage.
“Mom, why can’t you come with us?” Olive asked, looking up at Lori with wide eyes.
Lori knelt beside her, smiling. “I’d love to, sweetie, but this is a special trip for you and your dad.”
Olive frowned. “What will I do without you?”
“You’ll have fun with your grandparents,” Lori said, brushing a curly strand away from Olive’s face. “You’ll see where your dad grew up and learn about Scotland. It’s a part of who you are.”
Olive’s eyes filled with worry. “But I’ll miss you.”
Lori’s heart wrenched as she wrapped Olive in a hug. “I’ll miss you too, sweetheart. But it’s only five days, and we’ll be together again before you know it.”
Olive pulled back slightly, her expression serious. “Is five days a lot or a little?”
“It’s a little,” Lori said, stroking her daughter’s cheek. “The time will fly by.”
Olive nodded slowly. “Okay, but promise we’ll see each other soon. Promise you’ll miss me.”
Lori smiled and kissed the top of Olive’s head. “I promise, baby. I’ll miss you so much.” She clutched Olive tight, refusing to let go.
Several hours later, Chris arrived to take up Olive. Lori leaned down and gently slipped Olive’s small shoes on her feet. She had stitched little flowers on them herself, making them unique.
“Be good for your dad, okay?” Lori said softly, hugging Olive tightly.
Lori felt a tug in her heart as they headed for the airport, despite Olive’s nod and smile.
Her phone later buzzed. It was Chris, calling to inform her that they had arrived safely. He shared a photograph of Olive smiling at the airport. Lori smiled, relieved, but a knot of worry lingered deep inside. Something didn’t feel right.
Chris and Olive have been visiting Scotland for four days. They were expected to return the following day. For the first three days, Chris had been emailing Lori images of Olive. Each picture showed Olive smiling and discovering new locations, which brought Lori some serenity.
But on the fourth day, nothing arrived. No messages. No photos. Lori’s concern increased with each passing hour. She tried calling Chris, but her calls went directly to voicemail. She texted him, hoping to get a rapid response. Nothing. Her heart started to rush.
She called Chris’s parents, but they didn’t respond either. That’s when she realized something was awry. Her hands trembled as she dialed again, but there was still no response. Lori spent the entire day on the phone, her mind racing with dreadful ideas.
Finally, in the evening, her phone rang. She noticed Chris’s name on the screen. Without hesitation, she took it and responded.
“Chris, is everything okay? I was starting to worry,” Lori said, her voice tense.
There was a pause. “Lori, are you sitting down?” Chris asked quietly.
Lori frowned. “What? Why would I need to sit down?” she replied, her heart starting to race.
“Just answer the question, Lori. Are you sitting down?” Chris repeated, his tone firm.
Lori’s voice shook. “Yes, I’m on the couch. What’s going on?”
“Alright. Listen carefully. Don’t panic,” Chris said.
Lori’s breath caught in her throat. “What? Why would I panic? Chris, what’s happening?”
“Olive is missing,” Chris finally said.
Lori felt her world spin. “What? What do you mean, missing? How could she be missing?” she nearly screamed.
“We were walking in the city this morning. I lost sight of her for a second. She was just gone. But I’ve already gone to the police, Lori. They’re looking for her,” Chris explained.
Lori’s hands shook. “She’s been missing since this morning? And you’re only telling me now? You lost our daughter!” she yelled, tears streaming down her face.
“I’m sorry, Lori. I didn’t know what to do,” Chris said, his voice weak.
“I’m taking the next flight. I won’t stop until I find her,” Lori said, and without waiting for his response, she hung up the phone, her mind spinning.
Lori flew to Scotland the following day, desperate to locate Olive. She was unable to rest or think of anything else. She spent years in Scotland, putting all of her time and energy into the hunt. She walked the streets, put up posters, and spoke with everyone who had seen Olive.
However, Olive seemed to have vanished into thin air. Nobody had any information. The cops were initially helpful, but as time passed, they stopped looking. Lori refused to give up and pursued the hunt on her own. Her hope dwindled with each passing year.
A few years later, the cops contacted her. They discovered a body in the river and believed it belonged to Olive, but it was difficult to identify. Lori’s world collapsed in that instant. It felt as if her heart had broken.
She realized then that she had lost her daughter forever. With no hope left, Lori returned home, devastated and defeated.
Present Day…
Lori, attempting to hold back tears, looked at Emily, who stood quiet, unsure what to say. After a long silence, Emily spoke out.
“These are the shoes my family found me in,” Emily said softly. “I was very young then, and I don’t remember much. I just know that I got lost somehow. I remember arriving in a strange city by bus, where my family found me. They adopted me later.”
Lori could barely breathe. “That’s… impossible,” she said quietly, her voice full of skepticism.
Emily hesitated before continuing. “I didn’t know where I came from, or my parents’ full names. My adoptive parents tried to find them, but no one came forward. After a while, they gave up,” she explained. “When I was six, we moved here, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Lori wiped her face, her hands shaking. “Is Emily your real name?” she asked quietly.
Emily looked confused. “No. I had a different name when they found me. But they changed it when I was adopted,” she replied.
Lori’s heart ached. “Your name was Olive, wasn’t it?” Lori asked, staring at her.
Emily’s eyes widened in shock. “How… how do you know that name?”
Lori’s voice shook as she raised the little shoes. “These were my daughter’s shoes. She was wearing them when she disappeared in Scotland.”
Emily stared at her, tears forming in her eyes. “I lived there before we moved here.”
Lori’s voice cracked as she said, “I can’t believe you’ve been so close all this time. I never should have stopped looking.”
Emily’s voice broke. “So… you’re my mother?”
Lori nodded, her tears falling again. “Yes.”
Emily put her arms around Lori, who hugged her daughter fiercely, exactly like she had 22 years before when she was a child. Lori’s heart was flooded with delight and surprise as she realized she had finally been reunited.
They sat there silently, holding each other. Time seemed to stop for them. After a few moments, little Marissa approached, interested. She glanced at them with wide eyes before wrapping her petite arms around both of them.
Emily giggled softly, her eyes still moist, as she kissed Marissa’s head.
“So, you’ve already met your granddaughter,” Emily explained, her smile softening as she gazed down at Marissa, who was now seated between them.
“Yes, I have,” Lori replied, a warm smile spreading across her face. “I can’t believe I’ve been her nanny for two whole years without realizing she was my granddaughter.” Lori gently ran her fingers through Emily’s hair. “You used to have such bright red hair as a child. Marissa’s hair is the same color. What happened to yours?”
Emily chuckled. “I started dyeing it in high school. I wanted a change, and I guess I just never stopped.”
“That’s a shame,” Lori said with a hint of nostalgia. “You had such beautiful hair, just like Marissa’s.”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears again. She leaned in and hugged Lori tightly, overcome by the intensity of the situation. Lori, still stunned, clutched her daughter tight, marveling at the idea that after all these years, she could finally hug her beautiful baby again.
“If you hadn’t asked me to go through these old boxes, I might never have known you were my daughter,” Lori said, her voice soft.
Emily wiped her eyes and grinned. “So, does that mean I don’t have to pay you extra for organizing them?”
“I’m ready to give you all the money I have, just promise me you’ll never disappear again,” Lori said, her voice trembling with emotion.
“I promise,” Emily replied softly. She hugged her mother, feeling the weight of all those lost years.
Lori hugged her daughter fiercely, wrapping her arms around her as if she could keep her from leaving again. She closed her eyes and inhaled the familiar warmth she had craved for so many years.
The fear that Emily would vanish once more lingered in her heart. This was her daughter—no longer the little girl Lori had lost so many years before, but a grown lady with her own life and even a child of her own. Nonetheless, she remained Lori’s little Olive.
