When We Were Opening Christmas Gifts, My 5-Year-Old Shouted, “Yes! The Other Mom Kept Her Promise!”

He hesitated.

That pause told me everything.

“She came by when you were at work,” he admitted. “At first, it seemed harmless. Then one day I overheard her telling Simon to call her his ‘other mom.’ I told her to stop. I told her she couldn’t come anymore.”

“And the gift?” I asked.

His face crumpled. “I didn’t put it under the tree. I thought it was one of ours.”

The realization hit me hard.

She had been inside our home.

While we slept.

That’s when Simon stepped into the doorway.

“Mom,” he asked quietly, “is the other mom bad?”

I knelt down and hugged him. “She’s confused, sweetheart.”

He nodded, then added softly, “She came to see me at school. She asked for a key so she could surprise us for Christmas dinner.”

I felt cold all over.

A key.

Mike and I looked at each other, both understanding at the same time.

Continue reading…