When his car breaks down on a lonely street, Tony finds a lost little girl crying by the side of the road. He helps her get home and arrives on a doorstep that brings back her heartbreaking past.
Tony, a handsome young businessman, broke down on the street that day. “Damn! Should this car let me go now when I’m already late?”, he growled, kicking the flat tire of his car.
The 31-year-old ran a business seven kilometers from where his car broke down. Because his phone had no signal, he couldn’t call a mechanic immediately. He locked his car and started walking, hoping to find a taxi or a convenience store.
The scorching morning heat made him sweat. He was panting as he continued to walk and suddenly stopped after seeing a little girl crying alone on the side of the road…
Tony walked up to her and asked, “Hey you! What are you doing here? Where’s your mum?”
The girl looked up and said, “I ran behind the ice cream truck, and when I turned around, I found myself here. I don’t know how to get home.”
Tony realized that the little girl, presumably six years old, was lost. The area seemed isolated, so he decided not to leave her there. Tony picked up the girl and first comforted her.
“Is Chelsea my daughter?”, Tony burst into tears… He hugged the little girl to him and started crying.
“What’s your name?” he asked her.
“Chelsea!”
“Look, Chelsea, my name is Tony. Can you tell me a bit about your house? Do you know your address?”
Chelsea thought for a moment and said she didn’t know his address. Instead, she described it to him. “….And there’s a huge willow tree near the gate. There’s a pond with a little bridge at the entrance. And there’s a post office right around the first corner, and then there’s a ‘huge green bins in the shape of a rabbit along the road.’
“Hmmm!” thought Tony. “I think I know this place. I’ve driven past it several times. Let’s go. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
The walk lasted 20 minutes. Chelsea sighed in relief and pointed to a small house. “This is my house. Mom is inside!”
Tony knocked, and seconds later a woman answered the door. He was surprised because it was Andrea, his ex-girlfriend.
“ANDREA?!” he exclaimed.
Andrea was worried to see her daughter with Tony. She scolded Chelsea for leaving the house without her knowing. “I was about to call the police. Thank god you found her, Tony. Thank you,” she said.
Tony smiled. “It’s fine, but don’t let her go out alone anymore. Also tell your husband. It’s not safe to leave children unattended,” he said. Tony turned to leave when Andrea suddenly stopped him. “I want to tell you something… come inside, please,” she said, revealing a truth Tony had never imagined.
“I’m sorry for what happened six years ago, Tony,” she said. “You were so focused on your business that I thought you didn’t love me anymore.”
Six years ago, Tony and Andrea were madly in love with each other. Everything was perfect until Tony decided to start his own business.
He devoted himself to his work and began to spend less time with Andrea. It didn’t go over well with her, and at a time when Tony’s first investment fell apart, she began to argue with him.
As Andrea fought for his attention, Tony had mistakenly thought she had stopped believing in him or the possibility of him succeeding. Their misunderstandings caused a rift in their relationship, leading them to break up soon after.
Two months after the breakup, another blow hit Andrea when she found out she was pregnant with Tony.
“I’m not married, Tony. I found out I was pregnant after we broke up. I had nowhere to go. You know I have no parents or relatives. So I left town to move in with a friend and found a teaching job there,” Andrea said.
“Is Chelsea my daughter?” Tony burst into tears, coming to his senses. He hugged the little girl to him and started crying. “Andrea, why didn’t you talk to me sooner? I was having a hard time living on my own. I was unable to move on after you left. All the women I met after that only wanted my money. I couldn’t find true love again. I couldn’t love another woman like I loved you.”
It turned out that Andrea had wanted to reconcile with Tony after finding out she was pregnant. But at the same time, Tony’s next investment was booming, and his business started to boom. He became rich and famous.
“…I didn’t want you to think I was a diamond digger who was after your money and your popularity. My self-esteem wouldn’t allow me to contact you, so I left the city to raise our child on my own. I came back after finding a job teaching in a school here.”
Happiness and sadness flooded Tony’s eyes. He was happy to be reunited with his daughter, whom he had never known existed, but discouraged at missing an important part of her childhood.
Tony wiped away his tears and stood up. Squeezing Andrea’s shoulders tightly, he said, “I’m tired of living a rich and lonely life. I don’t want to be alone anymore. I’ll be back for you soon!”
Two days later, a delivery guy knocked on Andrea’s door. She opened the package and was moved to tears after finding a wedding dress with a note that read, “My love, be ready! Saturday is our wedding!”
