A dad gets worried about his stepdaughter crying every day before getting on her school bus, so he bursts into it one day to figure out what’s happening. The reason behind it enrages him, and he immediately takes action against the bus driver.
Candace was still in her mother Lily’s womb when her father abandoned them, claiming he had nothing to do with them. After that, Candace had Lily as her only companion, but things changed when Lily met Derek.
Derek fell in love with Lily and Candace and embraced them. He became a devoted husband and father and loved Candance so much that nobody believed he was the little girl’s stepfather and not her biological dad.
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Both Lily and Derek were working parents, so they sent Candace to school by bus every day. Lily left for work early as her office was a little far from their house, and it was Derek’s duty to drop Candace off at her bus stop before heading to work.
One day, Derek was dropping off Candace at her bus stop and noticed she seemed upset. “Honey, are you all right?” he inquired, concerned. “Would you like to discuss something with Daddy?”
Candace remained silent, but her eyes welled up. Derek noticed that and wondered what was wrong. “If there’s anything that’s bothering you, honey,” he continued, “remember that daddy is always here to listen, okay?”
Candace nodded lightly then grabbed her backpack and alighted the bus as it arrived. Derek hoped she would be alright, but she wasn’t.
“Justin!” Derek exclaimed emphatically. “What were you trying to prove by yelling at Candace? For Christ’s sake, she’s a child!”
With time, Derek noticed Candace would cry every day, reluctant to take the bus to school and insisting on driving her. He told Lily about it, but all she said was: “You know how much she loves you, Derek! It’s because she wants your attention all the time! Kids do such things sometimes to get their parents’ attention!”
Believing Lily was right, Derek didn’t give it much thought and sometimes gave into Candace’s request and dropped her off at school. But doing so every day was impossible because he’d have to be in his office on time, and Candace’s school was in the opposite direction of his workplace.
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One morning, Candace began crying again, not wanting to take the bus to school. Derek was really late for a meeting, and he yelled at Candace. “Stop being so fussy, Candace! There are a lot of kids who take that bus every day, but you’re the only one who causes problems!”
Candace lowered her head, sniffing, but her tears didn’t stop. She boarded the bus as soon as it arrived, and Derek felt a pang of guilt now that he had cooled down and understood he shouldn’t have been so angry with her.
“Oh, God! Why did I have to be so mad? I’ll apologize to her when she gets home,” he mumbled as he started walking towards his car. But the bus driver’s words stopped him in his tracks.
“You go and sit at the back, you little girl! I don’t want to see your face! And yeah, you better follow my orders or get the hell out of my bus!” he yelled.
Candace pleaded with him, teary-eyed, that she had motion sickness and needed to sit in the front, but the bus driver wouldn’t budge. “You do what I say, or you’re out!” he yelled.
Derek turned around and saw the bus gate was about to close. He stormed into the bus before the door closed and froze in place when he saw the driver’s face. He would never fail to recognize him.
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He composed himself and forced a smile on his face. “I’m sorry for the trouble, sir,” he told the bus driver. “I just thought I’d drop my daughter off at school myself, so I’m here to pick her up…Come on, honey,” he told Candace. “Let’s go!”
Derek scooped Candance in his arms and got off the bus. Then he dropped a text to his boss, saying he wouldn’t be able to make it to the meeting due to an emergency, and dropped Candace off at school.
After Candace entered the campus, Derek spotted the bus she was supposed to be taking and confronted the bus driver. The children on the bus had already left for their classes by then.
“Justin!” Derek exclaimed emphatically. “What were you trying to prove by yelling at Candace? For Christ’s sake, she’s a child! I didn’t want to cause a ruckus in front of the kids, but this has to stop!”
Justin laughed. “Yo, stepdaddy, why don’t you just drop her off at school on your own if you’re worried about her? I’m tired of seeing her nasty face every day! I was right to leave her and Lily! I wish she had never been born! She’s been getting on my nerves since I started working here!”
“And who the hell do you think you are to yell at her?”
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“Why shouldn’t I?” Justin retorted. “She and her mother are such evil omens! After I dated that stupid Lily, my business began to suffer losses! As if that wasn’t enough, she wanted to impose her child on me! I’m here today because of them, so I will continue ridiculing that child and exacting my revenge! Do you get that?”
“You’re impossible, Justin! Are you even human?” Derek was furious and went straight to the school principal to complain about Justin. Luckily, he’d recorded the whole conversation on his phone and submitted it as proof.
He told the principal that Justin was Candace’s biological father and that he was practically tormenting her, blaming his failed career on her and her mother.
It turns out Justin had only been hired a few weeks ago. His business had gone bankrupt, and he struggled to get a job elsewhere.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Miles,” the principal assured Derek. “I appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We do not tolerate such behavior in our school, and you can be assured that we will take firm measures against him…”
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To Derek and Candace’s relief, Justin was fired from his job, and Candace was no longer terrified to take the bus to school. When Derek shared the whole incident with Lily, she was stunned, feeling horrible for dismissing Candace’s behavior as something childish.
“You have to inform me whenever something is wrong, Candace,” Justin explained one day as they walked to the bus stop. “Daddy is always here for you, so never keep anything from me, okay?”
As they arrived at the bus stop and Candace was about to board the bus, she turned around and smiled at Derek. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, daddy. I was just scared … Thank you, and I love you,” she added as she waved goodbye.
Derek waved back at her and whispered an “I love you” to her. Candace sat in one of the seats in the front and happily went to school. She had no idea Justin was her biological father, but Derek and Lily decided to tell her when she is old enough to comprehend everything.
What can we learn from this story?
- Parents love their children and protect them from the bad. Although Candace wasn’t Derek’s blood, he loved her like his own and went above and beyond for her. He was a parent in the real sense. Justin, on the other hand, clearly didn’t deserve to be a parent, although he was Candace’s birth father.
- Children are innocent and pure souls and shouldn’t be dragged into conflicts. Derek was crazy for blaming Candace for his failed job and bullying her. Karma eventually caught up with him, and he was fired.
Before Disembarking Plane, Pilot Notices Last Passenger inside Who Is a Carbon Copy of Him – Story of the Day
Before disembarking the plane he had just landed, Captain Edward Blair noticed a lone man on the plane who refused to leave. Upon looking clearly, he realized the man was his carbon copy.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is Captain Edward Blair speaking. We have just landed at the Chicago Midway International Airport. We hope you enjoyed your flight with us, and we wish to see you on one of your future flights,” the captain spoke from the cockpit after successfully landing the aircraft.
After parking the plane, the captain and his first officer followed protocol by waiting for all passengers to disembark before leaving the cockpit. When it was their turn to leave, he opened the cockpit door and saw the flight purser talking to a man who refused to leave the plane.
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“Everything good here?” Edward asked, approaching them.
The flight purser nodded. “I’ll give you guys some time,” she smiled before walking towards the back of the plane.
Edward was confused about why she wanted to leave him alone with the passenger until he realized what she meant. There stood a man who looked exactly like him. Before he could say anything, the man spoke.
“Do you want to see mom?” he asked.
“I can’t believe my eyes. Is it you, Adam? Did mom ever come back? She’s alive and well?” Edward replied, so many thoughts suddenly rushing to his head.
Adam was Edward’s twin brother, whom he hadn’t seen in decades. Edward left the orphanage when he was eight, and they were now 32 years old.
“I asked you a question first. Do you want to see your mom?” Adam asked again with an impatient tone.
Edward nodded, and Adam stepped out of the plane. Edward followed behind and the two of them got into a taxi heading towards the city.
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On the way, Adam was silent the entire time. Meanwhile, Edward couldn’t help but try and explain himself with tears in his eyes.
“When she left us at the orphanage, I really didn’t think she’d ever come back. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I understood that she couldn’t feed us because dad left, but I thought she left us because a part of her wanted to leave us too. I didn’t think she’d ever come back, Adam,” he explained.
“So instead, you agreed to be adopted by a wealthy family. You chose them over ME! I begged you for days not to leave me in that place, but you chose to live a life of comfort over your own blood. She came back a year after you left, and she couldn’t forgive herself for losing you,” Adam answered back.
“Up until today, she blames herself for not having enough to keep you. Don’t get me wrong – I hate you. In fact, I hate you as much as I hate our father. I stopped looking for you years ago, but when I heard your name on that plane, I remembered mom and her wish to see you,” he added with gritted teeth.
After a couple of minutes, the taxi came to a stop. Adam got out and stormed towards an old house that surprised Edward. He realized that his brother and mother lived in poverty.
Although Adam had a long-time girlfriend, he could not ask her to marry him because he spent most of his time working and caring for his sick mother. He’s always wanted to settle down and start a family, but he felt indebted to his mom and wanted to make sure she lived the rest of her life comfortably.
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As they entered the house, Edward immediately saw his mother, Annie, in a wheelchair, sitting in their living room. When she saw both her sons in the same room, she sobbed and could not calm down.
“Oh my god, it’s you, Edward. Adam, you and your brother are both here. You’re back,” she sobbed, bringing her wheelchair closer to her sons.
“He’s not back, mom. He just came to see you, but he’ll be back in his mansion when the night ends,” Adam said passively while pouring a glass of water for his mom to calm down.
Edward didn’t hesitate to walk toward his mom, hug her and beg for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry, mom. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you said you’d come back for us. I wish you could forgive me,” he cried.
“I don’t blame you, son. I don’t blame you at all. I am sorry for not being able to give you and Adam a good life from the beginning. I wish I could, but it was so difficult for me to find work. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so glad that you’re here,” his mother replied, stroking his hair as they embraced.
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“Would you like to stay the night? We have a lot to catch up on. I’d love for you to spend more time with us,” she asked him.
“I’m sorry, mom, but I have to go home tonight. I got a job in France, so my adoptive parents and I will be moving. The flight back home to Chicago was my last one here. I think it was meant to be that Adam was in the flight, as I got to see you,” he explained.
After hearing that his son was moving to Europe, Annie was heartbroken. “You’re leaving?” she said weakly. “I wish we could have found each other sooner… I’m sad that our time together was so short.”
“I’m sorry, mom. I will visit you as much as I can. I am sure I’ll have flights to the US,” Edward said, apologizing once more.
“Stop getting her hopes up. She doesn’t deserve to be heartbroken at her age. Get out!” Adam retorted, realizing that his brother simply just wanted to see their mother but not build a connection with her.
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A couple of days after their encounter, Adam noticed a transportation service arrive in the house across from theirs, and men started loading furniture inside, along with appliances.
“Mom, it seems someone bought the house right in front of ours. We’ll have new neighbors soon,” he told her.
Annie was delighted, as she had always wanted neighbors. She enjoyed baking and was looking to share her creations with other people.
However, they were surprised when the man who followed shortly after, driving a luxury vehicle, turned out to be Edward. Adam and Annie opened their front door to confront him. “What are you doing here?” Adam asked his brother.
“I spoke to my wife about what happened the other day, and we both realized that our home wasn’t in France, but here. I turned down the job offer from the French airline and told my adoptive parents I wanted to relocate somewhere in Chicago instead. They understood and promised they’d keep in touch while they enjoyed their retirement in Europe,” Edward explained.
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“I am sorry that I never got a chance to look for you, mom. I know I’ve made many mistakes in the past, but I hope you give me a chance to prove to you that I am not a bad person and that I genuinely want to spend time with you. I want to reconnect with you too, Adam. We are brothers. I love you both, and I will prove just how much if you’d let me,” he added.
Annie could not believe it, and she began to cry. Edward introduced his wife Emma and young daughter Alex to Annie and Adam, warming their hearts. While Annie caught up with Alex and Emma, Adam and Edward had a good talk.
“I know you don’t trust me at all, Adam, but please give me this chance to prove to you that I have good intentions for you and mom,” he begged.
“I’m willing to let go of my past issues for mom’s sake. She looks happy, and that’s all that matters to me,” Adam admitted.
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The brothers caught up with one another, and Edward found out that Adam had a long-time girlfriend he wanted to marry. He volunteered to take care of their mother in the house next door while Adam worked on his own personal relationship.
Edward had Adam’s house repaired, and the renovations made it look good as new. Adam began to work on his personal life while Edward and his family cared for Annie next door. The family would get together every night for a good meal and conversation.
What can we learn from this story?
- People meant to be in your life will always find their way back to you. Adam didn’t know that Edward was on his flight back to Chicago that day. Their chance encounter brought Edward back to the company of his mother and brother, whom he had not seen for years.
- It’s never too late to start over. Adam was angry at his brother Edward for abandoning him, but they were able to set aside their differences for the sake of their mom. They ended up rebuilding their relationships with one another, leading them to become a stronger and happier family.
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