He was finally driving from Florida to Canada to see his mother, Olivia Miller, after she had been bombarding him with messages and calls for a week, emotionally blackmailing him about how he had forgotten her and not bothered to meet her even once in the past few months.
George, a textile merchant in Florida, couldn’t say no to his mother and assured her he’d be home the following weekend. However, instead of flying home, he chose to drive since he noted some time for himself to consider how he would battle his mother’s persuasion to get married, something she’d been obsessed about recently.
“Georgie,” she told him on a call last week, “you have everything that a woman would want. Why don’t you find a girl for yourself and settle down? If it’s too much trouble, I can look up some girls for you, Mom.” George had fallen silent on the call. “You see, I’m extremely busy with work right now, and you know after busy, you have your whole life to do these things, do you understand?
she insisted. “You’re coming home this weekend, and we’re talking to an agent for some marriage proposals. Mrs. Lawson, our neighbor, she told me about this matchmaker, and she said he’ll find you a partner in no time.” “Okay, Mom, whatever you think is right,” he said quietly and disconnected the call.
He had no plans of getting hitched anytime soon, but he didn’t want to turn down his mother’s request as she’d been quite lonely after the death of his stepfather. So, to save the elderly lady any further heartache, George decided to pay her a visit. When he was halfway through the journey, his gaze was drawn to a bus parked at one end, loading people into it like cattle. Their bodies were rubbing against one another, and the muscular men were shoving the other passengers aside. George had almost sped his car away, but then he noticed something in the rearview mirror that caused him to come to a halt.
He noticed a woman with a baby in her arms, pleading for help. She begged the driver to let her in, but he threw her stuff aside and drove away. She began sobbing hopelessly, and George couldn’t understand why he felt compelled to assist her, but he couldn’t see her in that state. He drove back swiftly, and when he came to a stop in front of her, he pulled down his window and asked, “Excuse me, may I help you?” The woman, clutching her baby close to her, stared at him a little terrified.
She was dressed shabbily, her face wrinkled, though she didn’t appear to be very old. “Don’t worry,” George reassured her. “I won’t harm you or your child. I just want to help you.” She looked at him for a moment and asked, “Could you please give us a lift to the city?
My baby and I are stranded with nowhere to go.” “Sure,” he said, smiling. “Please get in.” He assisted her in loading her stuff into his car and opened the door for her. She settled in the front seat, holding her baby close to her, and introduced herself.
“My name is Lillian. This is Amelia, my daughter. Thank you for helping us.” “Amelia, that’s a lovely name,” George said. “She looks a lot like her father.
If only he were with us today, we wouldn’t have to endure this,” she whispered, and George noticed how tears quickly replaced her grin. He was worried about what would happen if he told her about the idea that was forming in his head. “Well, Lily,” he said after a pause, “if you don’t mind, I can provide shelter for you and Amelia at my mother’s house. However, I’d need a favor from you.” Lily’s eyes slowly turned to challenge him.
She held Amelia tightly, as if she was scared of George at this point. “Look, you, I don’t want to do anything. Stop the car. I don’t want any help. I shouldn’t have trusted you,” she said, scared.
“Lily, please listen to me,” George begged. “Don’t misunderstand me. I just wanted to ask you to pretend to be my fiancée in front of my mother. That’s all. What do you say?
Lily’s eyes were wide open in astonishment. “My fiancée? Yes, my mother. She’s desperately after me to get married. All I want is for you to pose as my fiancée in front of her.
Can you please do it for me? I promise I’ll provide you and Amelia with the best facilities, and you two will never miss out on anything.” Lily paused for a moment and nodded in response to George’s request, considering she was alone, homeless, and with a one-year-old baby daughter to care for. However, she had no idea she was in for a surprise at George’s house. “You, what are you doing here?
Mrs. Miller gasped when she saw Lily. “Mom, what’s wrong? Do you know Lily?” “I ran into her on the way, and she needed help,” George said.
“So, Georgie,” Mrs. Miller said, trembling, “she’s Max’s wife, Lily.” “Of course, I know her,” George couldn’t believe his ears. He turned around to face Lily, who was sobbing. “My, now I’m sorry I refused your help, Mrs.
Miller. I thought I could look after Amelia alone, but I was wrong.” “It’s all right, honey,” Mrs. Miller said, hugging Lily. “Come in.
I told you to take my help with the kids these days.” Mrs. Miller brought Lily inside and served her tea and cookies. Then she took Amelia in her arms and started rocking her. “Mom, what’s going on?
George asked. “I don’t get it. What happened to Max, and what’s the deal with Lily and Amelia?” “Oh my goodness, Georgie,” Mrs. Miller exhaled a sigh.
“When Lily became pregnant a year ago, everything changed. Max divorced her and left. I knew that boy was a jerk from the moment he entered our home, but you know how I promised your stepfather that I’d look after him when he was diagnosed with cancer. I asked Lily to move in with me after seeing everything that happened, but she said she’d build a life for herself and her kid on her own, so I didn’t press too hard. But now that I see them, I regret not being more firm.
George was at a loss for words. He hadn’t heard from his estranged stepmother Max in years. In fact, Max didn’t invite him to the wedding because they never got along, and now that he knew he’d mistreated Lily, he despised him even more. “Your plan didn’t work out, George,” Lily whispered as Mrs. Miller took Amelia to her bedroom.
“I wish I could be more help.” “But I’m glad you and Amelia are safe, Lily. That’s all I care about,” George said. Lily was a little stunned by his reaction, but she started feeling something for George too, primarily for the kind and helpful person he was. She hugged him back and thanked him for his help again.
Mrs. Miller was quick to notice how the two of them had developed a fondness for each other. So, after a few days, she proposed to George and Lily that they get married. “Look, children,” she said. “I know I’m old, but not too old to see what’s going on.
I think you two would be great parents to our little Amelia. She’s only one and deserves to have a happy family.” Lily and George looked at each other and smiled. They knew there was a reason why they met. One month later, they tied the knot.
