The crumpled diaper package tumbling from Theo’s backpack stopped my heart. My 14-year-old had been acting strange for weeks – guarding his bag, avoiding questions. Now this? My imagination ran wild with teenage pregnancy scenarios and health crises.
What I discovered when I followed him was far more surprising. Instead of trouble, I found my son gently rocking a baby in a shabby living room. Gerard, a former library colleague, explained through tears how his daughter had vanished, leaving him with an infant he couldn’t care for alone. Theo had stumbled upon them by chance and quietly become this baby’s guardian angel – buying supplies with his lunch money, coming straight after school to help.
That day, I didn’t just uncover Theo’s secret – I saw a compassion in him that humbled me. Now our family of two has grown to include Gerard and Maxime, bonded by one teenager’s extraordinary kindness.
