Amelia came home only to discover a little girl crying in front of her next-door neighbor’s door. According to the landlord, the apartment was empty. But the little girl came back, and Amelia was forced to meet someone shocking from her past.
“Hey, little girl. Why are you crying?” Amelia asked the child crying right in front of her next-door neighbor’s house. She had never met them but thought it was weird that they left their little child outside bawling like that.
Amelia was coming home from work, and she wanted to have a peaceful night. But as she climbed the stairs to her third-floor apartment in Brooklyn, she heard the girl’s cries. It was heartbreaking. She had to do something.
“I’m looking for my mommy,” the little girl said, and Amelia was about to knock on the door when her phone rang.
“Give me a second, sweetie,” she told the child and picked up the call. It was a friend from work. They had a big project coming up and needed something. The call took about ten minutes, and when Amelia hung up, the little girl was gone.
Jesus, was she a ghost? she thought for a second and walked to her front door, opening it with her keys. She took off her jacket and started thinking about dinner, but the little girl didn’t leave her mind for a second.
“Hush, Annie is sleeping,” Amelia said, opening the door, but her jaw went slack and terrible memories flooded her brain as she saw the man outside.
Grabbing her phone once again, she dialed the landlord’s number. Mr. Crinkle was a lovely man, and he would tell her everything about her neighbors.
“I’m sorry, Miss Geffen. No one has lived in that apartment for a couple of years,” the older man explained. “There was a newlywed couple at some point, but the woman died giving birth to a child. The man couldn’t live in that apartment anymore with all those memories, so he left. But he still pays rent. I guess he couldn’t give it up either.”
“Wow. That’s awful, Mr. Crinkle. But I think this child might be coming over every once in a while because it’s not the first time I’ve heard crying. Do you have that man’s phone number and his name?” Amelia inquired, wanting to be ready in case the little girl returned.
“Yes, I have his number…Here you go,” Mr. Crinkle said, rattling off a set of digits. “And his name is… Mr. Davis.”
“Thank you,” Amelia responded and hung up. She placed a post-it note on her fridge and continued with her evening.
***
Several weeks passed, and the little girl returned one evening. Amelia had been browsing her phone and heard the cries immediately. She went outside to see if it was her. She was right there in front of the door, crying her heart out.
“Hey, honey. I see you’re back. Does your dad know you’re here?” Amelia inquired, approaching the girl and putting on her kindest voice. “Would you like to come in and wait for him here? I can call him.”
The little girl didn’t say a word, but she followed Amelia into her house. She gave her some mac and cheese and a few cookies. “What’s your name, honey?”
“Annie,” the girl answered.
“Ok, Annie. Why don’t you go watch some T.V. while I call your dad?” Amelia suggested, smiling. She called Mr. Davis and told him about the little girl in her house. The man apologized profusely and said he would rush over immediately.
A few minutes later, Amelia noticed that Annie was asleep on her couch, and someone knocked on her door right then. “Hush, Annie is sleeping,” Amelia said, opening the door, but her jaw went slack and terrible memories flooded her brain as she saw the man outside. “Thomas?”
“Amelia?” the man said. “You have my daughter?”
“Daughter? Jesus, I didn’t think…” Amelia breathed, feeling stupid for not thinking that Mr. Davis could be Thomas. After all, she once bore that same last name.
Fifteen years ago, she and Thomas got married. They were 18, young, and in love. But after several years of miscarriages and failed IVF attempts, he left her. He wanted children all his life — it was his dream — and Amelia couldn’t fulfill it. It broke her.
But now, he was right there at their door, and his child was on her couch — his child with another woman who sadly passed away.
“You have Annie here?” Thomas snapped her out of her inner musings.
Yes, yes. She’s on the couch asleep,” Amelia replied, gesturing for Thomas to come in. He looked at the little girl, nodded, and looked back at Amelia. They both went to the kitchen to avoid disturbing the child.
“So… what’s going on, Thomas? This girl has been coming here for a while. Alone. It could be dangerous,” Amelia questioned, scolding him for allowing it.
“You don’t know everything that’s happened. Annie never knew her mother and I haven’t explained that she died. She thinks her mom lives in this building still. After she died, I couldn’t live here or let go of the apartment. But I brought Annie here sometimes when she was sad. Now, she comes on her own apparently. We live nearby, but still, I don’t know how she escapes from our house. My nanny goes hysterical trying to find her, but I was home today, and I didn’t even notice,” Thomas explained, frustratedly wiping his forehead.
“Oh, dear. You have to explain it to her, Thomas, or she’ll keep doing it,” Amelia continued. “I can help if she does it again and I’m home, but I’m not always here. Poor girl.”
“I know. I know. I have to. But look, thank you so much for this. For calling me and taking care of her. Worrying about her. You’re wonderful. You always were,” he said gratefully.
“You’re welcome. She’s lovely. I just wish… well, you know,” Amelia added wistfully but couldn’t finish her thought.
Thomas nodded, knowing exactly what she meant but not knowing what else to say. He smiled at her and walked toward Annie, grabbing her sleeping form and holding her tightly.
“I’ll go. Thank you again,” he whispered and left her apartment. Amelia waved goodbye at them with a wistful smile of her own. But she never saw them again.
At some point, a set of new neighbors moved in next door, and Amelia took it to mean that Thomas had explained everything to Annie and possibly started to move on from his loss. She wished him the best, even though their past had been so painful.
