Amanda, Kaylee’s daughter, vanished two weeks ago. Although Kaylee and the authorities have been searching for Amanda diligently, not even a trace of her has turned up.

 

When Kaylee visits her neighbor’s garage sale one day after hanging more posters, she is shocked to see Amanda’s jacket—the same one she was wearing the night she vanished.

With great care, Kaylee placed flyers on every lamppost and bulletin board she came across as she strolled through the city. A picture of her daughter Amanda was featured on each flier, along with a fervent request for anyone with information to contact.

Two weeks ago, Amanda ran away from her house, and she hasn’t been seen since. None of her pals knew where she was, and her phone was off.

Kaylee initially believed Amanda would get over her typical teenage disobedience in a day or two.

However, Kaylee’s concern grew to terror when Amanda failed to return after two days. She rushed directly to the police, who started a search right away.

Kaylee has been putting out posters ever since in the hopes of finding any clues. She was starting over today because yesterday’s intense rain destroyed all of her previous efforts.

She was both exhausted and determined as she fastened the final flier to a phone pole. Worry gnawed at her heart, and she forced back tears even though she knew she had to keep going.

At last, Kaylee ran out of fliers and returned home. She saw her neighbor Angela preparing for a garage sale as she got closer to her home. Various things and brightly colored signs were strewn all over the yard.

“Kaylee!” Angela called, waving energetically. “Come over! I have lots of stuff!”

“I apologize, Angela,” said Kaylee, shaking her head. “I’m not feeling it at the moment.”

Angela approached Kaylee and took her arm gently. She said, “I know you’re going through a difficult moment. But occasionally, a diversion is beneficial. Come on over and take a look around. Nothing needs to be purchased. Perhaps conversing with others can help you feel a little better.”

With a groan, Kaylee nodded. Quietly, “Okay, Angela,” she replied.

Grinning, Angela showed her to the tables laden with different things. “Observe? There are many things to observe,” she remarked, pointing. “Just take your time.”

Feeling disconnected and hollow, Kaylee strolled around Angela’s yard. She cast a disinterested glance at the objects. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone, and her heart was heavy.

She walked over to a rack of clothes and began to run her fingers over them mindlessly. Abruptly, she noticed a regular jacket dangling on a hook.

The realization sent a shiver down her spine. Her hands shook, and her breath became more rapid. Amanda wore this jacket.

With her mind racing, Kaylee removed the jacket from the hanger. Grasping the jacket firmly, she turned and walked quickly over to Angela. She required clarification.

“Where did you get this?” Kaylee demanded, anguish trembling in her voice.

Angela appeared surprised. “Kaylee? What’s not right?”

“Where did you get Amanda’s jacket?” With fear and worry flushing her face, Kaylee’s voice rose to a roar.

Angela covered her lips with her hand as her eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God,” she said. “I had no idea, Kaylee. This jacket was purchased from a thrift shop close to the bus stop. I really apologize. Kindly accept it.”

As Kaylee assimilated Angela’s remarks, her thoughts raced. She clenched her grip on the jacket, determined to learn more.

Kaylee turned and left Angela’s house without saying anything else. Her heart pounded as she held the jacket tight to her chest.

With her mind fixed on locating Amanda, she got into her car, turned on the motor, and headed directly for the thrift store.

When Kaylee got to the thrift shop, she entered and went up to the counter, where a man in his middle years was sorting through some stuff.

“Excuse me,” Kaylee said, holding up Amanda’s jacket. “Do you remember the girl who sold this jacket?”

Shaking his head, the seller took a quick look at the jacket. “Every day, I see a lot of people. I can’t recall.”

Kaylee felt desperation bubble up inside. She took out some cash from her purse and set it down on the counter. “Please, this is really crucial. Would you please attempt to recall?”

The sight of the money caused the seller’s eyes to significantly enlarge. After hesitating, he accepted it and nodded.

“Now that you mention it, a girl did come in about two weeks ago. She looked a bit like the girl in this photo,” he said, pointing to the flyer Kaylee had shown him. “She argued with me for a long time about the price. She needed money for a bus ticket.”

A beat skipped through Kaylee’s heart. “Did she say where she was going?”

The seller shook his head. “No, she didn’t. But she left in a hurry after she sold the jacket.”

With an even tighter grip on Amanda’s jacket, Kaylee thanked the vendor and walked out of the shop. In the hopes of discovering further hints, she made her way straight to the bus stop.

Kaylee moved between the ticket booths, displaying Amanda’s picture to the attendants. Her voice shaking with fear and hope, she asked each person, “Have you seen this girl?”

But every time, she got the same response—a head shake or a kind “Sorry, I don’t remember her.”

She then asked the same question of the other bus stop workers. They all said the same thing: nobody had seen Amanda or remembered her. With every rejection, Kaylee felt her hope dwindle and her heart sink.

Deflated, Kaylee located a vacant bench and took a seat, cradling Amanda’s jacket to her chest once more.

Breathing in the subtle, comforting smell of her daughter, she buried her face in the fabric. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized how much she missed Amanda.

In desperation, Kaylee put her hands in the jacket pockets in an attempt to find solace. A folded piece of paper brushed against her fingers. She pulled it out, surprised herself, and unfolded it. It was the address.

As she typed the address into her phone’s map, her heart raced. It was situated in a nearby town. Kaylee’s eyes grew wide with insight. Amanda’s biological mother resided in that town.

Kaylee experienced a jolt of resolve. Now she had a direction to travel. After wiping her tears, she inhaled deeply and got to her feet. She grabbed the jacket and made her way back to her car, eager to investigate the new clue that led her to Amanda.

Kaylee’s thoughts strayed to the day Amanda ran away as she drove to the nearby town. She was still troubled by that day.

Amanda had stormed into her room two weeks prior, tears running down her cheeks. Her adoption certificate was a piece of paper that she tightly held in her hands.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” With hurt and rage in her voice, Amanda screamed. “I’ve lived my whole life in a lie!”

Kaylee’s heart had broken at that moment. She had tried to reach out to Amanda, to explain. “Amanda, listen to me. I may not have given birth to you, but I am your real mother. I’ve loved you and cared for you since you were a baby.”

However, Amanda wished not to hear it. She retreated, fury twisted across her features. “My mother is not you!” She’d cried, “I hate you,” and then she’d bolted from the house, slamming the door behind her.

Kaylee was stunned and dejected as she stood there. As the hours stretched into days, her hope that Amanda would calm down and go home was replaced with anxiety.

Kaylee held herself responsible for Amanda’s abduction. Years ago, she ought to have told Amanda the truth, but she had never had the guts.

Amanda set out to locate the mother who gave birth to her, a woman Kaylee was aware was unstable and untrustworthy. Her biological mother, who had a history of alcoholism, abandoned Amanda when she was a baby.

Kaylee felt horror at the idea of Amanda being with someone like that. Although she had always attempted to shield Amanda from this unpleasant reality, it now appeared to be destroying their relationship.

Kaylee was determined to locate Amanda and return her to her true home. She prayed and hoped for her daughter’s safety as she drove on with a sorrowful heart but a strong spirit.

Using the piece of paper she discovered in Amanda’s jacket, Kaylee found her way to the address. As she parked and got out of the car, her heart was racing.

With cautious but deliberate steps, she approached the home. With all her heart, she knocked on the door, praying that Amanda would answer.

Rather than disappearing, a middle-aged woman emerged as the door cracked open. Years of rough living had left lines on her face, and she had a heavy alcohol odor. When Kaylee saw how messy the woman looked, her heart fell.

The woman took a small step back, letting Kaylee see inside the home. The apartment was disorganized, with empty bottles all over the floor and clothes and trash thrown everywhere. Kaylee experienced a surge of queasy terror.

The woman asked, her voice harsh and irritated, “What do you want?”

With a firm voice, Kaylee answered, “I came for Amanda.”

“Whom?” The woman began to close the door, saying, “There’s no one here by that name.”

To stop her, Kaylee hastily placed a hand on the door. “My daughter Amanda is. She’s fifteen years old, with green eyes and long brown hair. Has she visited this place?”

After pausing, the woman shrugged. “Ah, I see.” She was present. Her tone was neutral as she said, “She said I’m her mom, and she probably wanted money.”

“Where is she now?” With a hint of urgency in her voice, Kaylee questioned.

The woman appeared to be annoyed. “How am I supposed to know?” She said, “She’s not here,” and slammed the door in Kaylee’s face.

Kaylee stood there, speechless and distraught. She knew her poor girl was still out there someplace, and she had no idea if she was okay, and tears flowed down her cheeks. Anxiety and fear tore at Kaylee’s heart.

She turned and headed back to her car, feeling overwhelmed. As soon as she sat in the driver’s seat, the tears started to flow more freely.

She sobbed hysterically while holding onto Amanda’s jacket. She couldn’t stop thinking about Amanda and whether or not she was safe.

Kaylee calmed down and made the decision to visit the neighborhood police station. She thought maybe they knew something about Amanda. It was raining heavily as the sky grew darker while she was driving.

Kaylee could hardly see the road because of the pouring rain. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and tried to concentrate.

As she passed an old, abandoned house, something attracted her attention. She noticed a teenage girl sitting on the porch, attempting to protect herself from the storm, through the sheets of rain. A beat skipped through Kaylee’s heart.

In a flash, Kaylee pulled her car into the spot just across from the abandoned house. She didn’t care that the rain instantly soaked her as soon as she got out of the car.

With anxious gait, she made her way to the porch. She could finally make out the girl’s features as she drew nearer. She felt a thrill of recognition.

“Amanda?!” Gesturing, Kaylee’s voice broke with a mixture of relief and shock.

“Mom!” With tears running down her cheeks, Amanda exclaimed and hurried over to Kaylee. She gave her mother a fierce hug, throwing her arms around her. Pulling her in closer, Kaylee’s tears mixed with the rain.

“Amanda, honey, where have you been?” With a quiver of emotion in her voice, Kaylee questioned.

“That abandoned house was where I was living,” Amanda sobbed. “I came here to find my biological mother, but she…” Amanda was unable to complete. She began to cry once again and clung closer to Kaylee.

Kaylee tried to calm Amanda by stroking her damp hair. “Honey, I know, I know. However, everything is well now. Once more, you’re with me. Why didn’t you give me a call?”

Amanda said, “My phone was stolen,” while sobbing. “And I didn’t think you’d want to see me after everything that happened.”

When Kaylee heard those words, her heart hurt. “I would want to visit you, of course. Amanda, you are my daughter. You have no idea how concerned I was about you.”

Remorse filled Amanda’s eyes as she gazed up at Kaylee. “Pardon me, please. I was in error. That’s not true, so I didn’t want to imply that you’re not my mother. You’ve been my mother for ever.”

Kaylee experienced a wave of comfort and affection. “And I will remain forever. And I really apologize for keeping the truth from you for such a long time. I didn’t want to hurt you. Are you able to pardon me?”

With tears lingering in her eyes, Amanda nodded.

Kaylee managed a smile while crying. “Let’s go home, or we’ll both catch a cold in this rain.” Amanda resisted her attempts to gently let go of her. Once more, Kaylee gave Amanda a strong hug that she was unable to let go of.

Amanda said, “Mom, I missed you so much.” in a whisper.

“Amanda, I too was missing you. More than you can ever know,” Kaylee answered, cradling her daughter in her arms.

Arms encircling one another, they strolled back to the car together. Even though the rain was still falling, it made no difference. All that mattered was that they had discovered each other.