A woman walks out on her family after her young daughter is confined to a wheelchair and steals the money for the girl’s surgery.
Beautiful Georgina Davies was an ambitious woman. Some want to be the best at their professions or the richest, what Georgina wanted to be was first. She wanted to be the center of the world, even if it was only in her own personal world.
She married a charming well-to-do older man who adored her and treated her like a princess, but when she gave birth to her daughter Mia, everything changed, Georgina wasn’t first anymore. ‘adventures.’
As soon as Georgina realized how besotted her husband was with their child, she was furious. SHE had brought her own rival into the world, and there was no displacing her.
By the time Mia was two, Georgina had filed for a divorce and demanded primary custody of Mia. She fought tooth and nail to have her ex-husband barred from contact with her daughter.
She made vicious allegations and virtuously refused any financial compensation, telling the judge with tear-filled eyes that her only concern was her daughter’s happiness.
Family is our greatest treasure.
The judge believed her, and the trial in family court was the last time Mia’s father would see her. Sadly, the broken-hearted man passed away shortly after, having spent a fortune trying to keep custody of his daughter.
When Mia was four, Georgina met Hank Farlan, a shy, gentle man who fell deeply in love with her. Hank was a contractor who had never been married before and had no interest in children.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
He was kind to Mia in a vague sort of way, but he adored Georgina the way some men devote themselves to religion. Finally, Georgina was happy, but the idyll was shattered when Mia was eight.
Mia was a happy, self-sufficient little girl, and there was nothing she liked more than to run around with her friends and have what they called “adventures.”
Hank had built a tree house in the backyard, and that was where Mia and her friends would hang out on weekends and dream up childish mischief.
One afternoon, Mia climbed the ladder to the treehouse just as she had a million times before, but something went wrong. Maybe she slipped, no one knew.
Hank and Georgina were alerted by the horrified screams of the children and ran out to find Mia in a tangled, fragile heap at the foot of the tree.
Mia had sustained several injuries, but the most serious was to her spine. Doctors explained that the chances of her walking again were very slim.
There was a revolutionary new treatment in Europe that had shown promising results in children, but it was prolonged and very expensive and Hank and Georgina’s health insurance didn’t cover it.
“I’m selling the house,” Hank told Georgina. “It will be enough to get Mia her treatment. You go with her to Europe…”
“Sell the house?” asked Georgina, bewildered. “Why would you do that?”
Hank said quietly: “Because it’s Mia’s best chance of walking again.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“But what about me?” asked Georgina.
This time Hank was bewildered. “I don’t understand,” he said. “You’ll go to Europe with Mia for the treatment, of course.”
Georgina was indignant. “You’re going to sell our house?” she demanded. “Where will we live? In some poky little apartment? I don’t agree! There is no guarantee that treatment will work and we lose everything.”
Thus, Hank reluctantly agreed to take out a mortgage on the house to pay for part of Mia’s treatment. The little girl’s school also started fundraising, and the rest of the money miraculously appeared.
Hank was delighted. He rushed to Mia’s side and took her hand. “Hey, little bit,” he said tenderly. “Guess what? You and your momma are going on a trip and you’ll be just fine.”
Georgina watched and saw the tenderness on Hank’s face and a dark fury filled her heart. Once again, her daughter had supplanted her in a man’s heart!
A week later, Hank was stunned to come home from work and find Georgina gone, along with the huge sum of money set aside for Mia’s treatment.
Hank was devastated and couldn’t imagine how he was going to break the news to Mia. There would be no treatment, and no mommy to come home to.
Hank was determined to make the best of it for Mia’s sake. He spent weeks preparing the house for Mia and her wheelchair and threw her a welcome home party, inviting all her friends.
Hank and Mia’s new life slowly took shape. Mia adapted to her wheelchair and soon was nearly as fast on two wheels as she’d been on two feet and just as mischievous.
Hank threw himself into his work, determined to earn as much money as he could. The doctors had said the treatment was most effective in children up to 10 years old, so time was short…
Six months after Mia’s injury, Hank was hired by a rich older woman to restore her beautiful Victorian mansion. It was a massive job, and it paid extremely well.
Hank hoped that it would be the first of many similar jobs, so he could save up the money they needed. He started to work on weekends and sometimes he brought Mia along.
The woman took a liking to the happy, boisterous girl who didn’t allow the wheelchair to steal her joy. She asked Hank about the injury, and the whole sad story poured out.
To Hank’s surprise, two day’s later, his rich client gave him a check for the exact amount needed for the treatment. Once the work on the mansion was finished, Hank and Mia were off to Europe.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
The treatment was a success, and a year later, Mia was back on her feet and living a completely normal life. The years sped by, and suddenly Mia was fourteen and becoming a beautiful young woman.
It was then that they received an unexpected visitor. It was a Saturday afternoon and Mia was coming back from a swim at a friend’s pool when she saw a woman standing on the porch, ringing the doorbell.
Mia walked up and the woman turned around. It was Georgina! “Excuse me,” she said to Mia. “Do you know if Hank Farlan still lives here?”
“Mamma?” asked Mia, incredulous. “Don’t you know me?”
Georgina’s mouth hung open as she stared at the lovely slim girl standing on her own strong legs. “Mia?” she asked, then she rushed forward with open arms. “Oh, my sweet baby..”
But to her surprise, Mia sidestepped her. “What are you doing here, mamma?” she asked, just as Hank finally opened the door, wiping his floury hands on his apron.
“Hey, little bit,” he said. “It’s pizza night…” Then he saw Georgina. “What are you doing here?” he asked coldly.
“Baby,” Georgina cried, and her big eyes filled with tears. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry…I was so scared and…I couldn’t stand seeing my little girl so sick…”
“Do you realize you took the money that would have helped her get well?” asked Hank.
Georgina fumbled for an excuse and couldn’t find one so she was silent. “I suppose the money ran out?” Hank asked. “Is that why you’re here?”
“No,” Georgina sobbed. “I missed you, and my baby girl…I wanted to come home…”
“This isn’t your home anymore, momma,” Mia said quietly. She walked past Georgina into the house and closed the door. Georgina was left where she’d placed herself, on the outside of the family she’d abandoned.
What can we learn from this story?
- Family is our greatest treasure. Georgina never understood that a family is all about loving every single person and caring for them.
- Difficult times are when people’s true character comes out. After Mia’s injury, Hank showed himself to be a loving devoted dad, and Georgina showed her true, selfish colors.
This story is inspired by the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
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