Off The Record

A Single Father Of Two Daughters Wakes Up To Prepare Breakfast, Only To Find That It Has Already Been Made

Published on September 7, 2024

Jack, a single father balancing employment and two small girls, never anticipated discovering pancakes served by a stranger on his kitchen table one morning. Her moving tale of adversity and thankfulness, which he learns about when he meets the enigmatic benefactor, transforms his life and creates an unanticipated connection between them.

The worst job I’ve ever had was being a single father to two little kids, Lily, who was five, and Emma, who was four. It was just the girls and myself when my wife left to tour the world. I was so in love with them, but I was also so tired from taking care of everything at home, working, and cooking.

I got up early every morning. I would wake the girls first.

It was the same way that morning. “Emma, Lily, time to get up!” I gently called as I opened the door to their bedroom.

Lily sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Good morning, Daddy,” she yawned to him.

Half drowsy, Emma said, “I don’t want to get up.”

I grinned. “Please, my dear. We need to prepare for daycare.”

I assisted them in putting on their clothes. Emma selected her pink shirt and trousers, while Lily went for her favorite dress—the one with the flowers. We all went downstairs after they were dressed.

I proceeded to prepare breakfast in the kitchen. It was an easy plan: milk and oats. However, I came to a complete halt when I walked into the kitchen. Three dishes of freshly prepared pancakes with fruit and jam were there on the table.

“Girls, did you see this?” Perplexed, I asked.

Lily’s gaze expanded. “Whoa, pancakes!” “Daddy, did you make them?”

I gave a headshake. “No, I didn’t.” “Perhaps Aunt Sarah made an early visit.”

I grabbed my phone and dialed Sarah, my sister.

“Hey, Sarah, did you come by this morning?” As soon as she picked up, I asked.

“No, why?” Sarah sounded perplexed.

I said, “Never mind, it’s nothing,” and hung up. All the windows and doors were locked when I checked them. No one appeared to be trying to break in.

“Is it safe to eat, Daddy?” Emma questioned, her large eyes fixed on the pancakes.

I decided to taste them first. They were delicious and seemed perfectly fine. “I think it’s okay. Let’s eat,” I said.

With a cheer, the girls started eating their food. Who could have made the pancakes was a constant thought in my mind. Though unusual, I choose to move on from it for the time being. My work had to be done.

After breakfast, I dropped Emma and Lily off at daycare. “Have a good day, my loves,” I said, kissing them goodbye.

I had trouble focusing at work. My thoughts kept returning to the unexplained pancakes. Who is the possible culprit? Why? I had another surprise waiting for me when I came home that evening. I hadn’t had time to mow the lawn, but it was well kept.

I scratched my head while standing in my yard. As I said to myself, “This is getting weird,” I gave the home another look, and nothing seemed out of place.

I made up my mind to find out who was assisting me the following morning. I arose sooner than custom and concealed myself in the kitchen, skulking through a tiny opening in the door. I watched a woman enter via the window around six in the morning.

She wore the uniform of an ex-postal worker. She began to wash the dishes from the previous evening while I watched. Then she took some cottage cheese out of her luggage and started preparing pancakes.

My stomach gave a loud growl. Startled, the woman turned around. She dashed to the window, swiftly shutting off the gas.

“Wait, please, I won’t harm you,” I said, stepping out of my hiding spot. “You made those pancakes, right? Please, tell me why you’re doing this. Don’t be afraid of me, I’m the father of the girls and would never harm a woman, especially when you’ve helped me so much.”

She came to a halt and gently turned to look at me. Her face struck me as familiar, but I was unable to pinpoint the familiarity.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Confused, I asked.

Before the woman could say anything, Emma and Lily’s voices from upstairs asked, “Daddy, where are you?” The mother nodded.

I glanced towards the stairs, then back at the woman. “Let’s sit and talk. I’ll get my girls. Please, don’t go,” I pleaded.

After hesitating, the woman slowly nodded. With a hushed “Okay,” she said.

With a relief-filled smile, I went upstairs to fetch Emma and Lily. “Come on, girls, we have a surprise guest downstairs,” I remarked.

Curious, they followed me down. The woman was standing by the window, appearing uncertain and about to go away, when we went into the kitchen.

I whispered, “Please don’t go.” “I just want to talk and thank you.”

Lily and Emma gave her a wide-eyed stare. “Who is she, Daddy?” Asking Lily.

“Let’s find out together,” I replied. Turning to the woman, I added, “Please, sit down. Can I get you some coffee?”

After hesitating, she slowly nodded. She spoke a quiet “Okay.”

Everybody took a seat at the kitchen table. I introduced myself as Jack and said, “These are my daughters, Emma and Lily.” We need your help, and I want to know why.

The female inhaled deeply. “I’m Claire,” she said at the outset. “Two months ago, you helped me when I was in a very bad place.”

“I scowled as I tried to remember. Assisted you? How?”

She continued, “I was lying by the road, weak and desperate. Everyone passed by, but you stopped. You took me to a charity hospital. I was severely dehydrated and could have died. When I woke up, you were gone, but I convinced the parking guard to tell me your car number. I found out where you lived and decided to thank you.”

Recognition dawned on me. “I remember now. You were in terrible shape. I couldn’t just leave you there.”

Claire nodded, her eyes moist. “Your kindness saved me. My ex-husband tricked me, brought me from Britain to America, took everything, and left me on the street. I had nothing and no one to turn to.”

With worried expressions on their tiny faces, Emma and Lily listened carefully. Emma murmured, her voice hardly audible, “That’s so sad.”

“But why are you here?” Perplexed, I asked.

Claire explained, “Your help gave me the strength to keep going. I went to the embassy and told them my story. They helped me get new documents and connected me with a lawyer to fight for my son. I got a job as a postal worker. But I wanted to repay you, to show my gratitude. I saw how tired you looked when you came home every day, so I decided to help you with small things.”

Her story touched me. “Claire, I appreciate what you’ve done, but you can’t just break into our home. It’s not safe, and it scared me.”

She nodded, looking ashamed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just wanted to help.”

Emma reached out and touched Claire’s hand. “Thank you for making pancakes. They were yummy.”

With tears in her eyes, Claire grinned. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

I took a deep breath, feeling a mix of relief, curiosity, and empathy. “Claire, let’s do this differently. No more sneaking in, okay? How about you join us for breakfast now and then? We can get to know each other better.”

A optimistic smile lit up her face. “Jack, it would be nice. I’m grateful.”

She made the pancakes, and we ate them together for the remainder of the morning. Claire spoke on her son’s story and her intentions to get back together with him. She struck me as being incredibly strong and determined.

I had a feeling of fresh starts as we were finishing our meal. Claire’s appreciation and our shared support forged a connection. Since she had managed to return the favor, I felt compelled to assist her in getting back in touch with her son.

I had hope for the future because Emma and Lily appeared to already be in love with her. “This could be the start of something good for all of us,” I thought.

Together, we cleaned up. “Thank you for sharing your story, Claire,” I remarked. “Let’s help each other from now on.”

She nodded, smiling. “I’d like that very much, Jack. Thank you.”

And so, with optimism and encouragement from one another, a new chapter for each of our families began.