Little Girl Cries All Alone in Her House after Mom Fails to Return from the Grocery Store — Story of the Day

A 5-year-old girl was crying at home, waiting for her mother to return from grocery shopping, when she heard a knock on her door. She rushed to the door, expecting to see her mother, but it wasn’t her mother who had come to the house.

When Joan Miller’s husband divorced her and walked away from her life, she did her best to raise their daughter Ella alone. Ella was just 4 that time, and while she didn’t really understand why her daddy just left one day and never returned, she was happy that she had a mother with her who loved her and cared for her.

Joan was a school teacher at Foothill High School in Manhattan, New York, and she was as popular among the students as she was among the staff members. She was a wise, kind, empathetic, and open-minded person, so she was labeled as the “cool teacher” by her students, and their visits to her house every Christmas and on New Year had almost become a ritual.

One evening, when Joan was leaving home for grocery shopping, she decided not to take Ella with her because it was extremely cold outside and the little girl had recently fallen sick. “Ella,” she said. “Mommy will be back soon from grocery shopping. Since Mrs. Hall and her family are on vacation, there’s nobody at her home, so until mommy comes back, don’t go anywhere, okay?”

“But mommy,” Ella cried. “I want to come with you. I don’t want to stay home alone.”

Joan smiled at her. “It’s freezing outside, honey, and if you listen to mommy, she’ll get your favorite cookies and chocolates! Also, how about pizza for dinner when mommy gets home?”

“Pizza? Promise?” Ella asked cheerfully.

“Yes, Ella. Make sure you don’t leave the house while I’m away, okay?”

“Okay, mommy!” Ella said as she waved goodbye to her mother and closed the door behind her.

When Joan left the house that evening, it was snowing heavily, and it was already 7:30 p.m. by the time she arrived at the supermarket. It took her another 30 minutes to finish the shopping, and when she returned to her car to drive home, there was a sudden announcement about a snowstorm hitting their place. Joan, worried about Ella being alone at home, now didn’t know what to do.

Strong winds carrying snow were already sweeping through Manhattan, forcing pedestrians to flee to the nearest store for safety, and some vehicles had come to a halt as their windshields were completely covered in snow, reducing visibility to zero. But Joan decided she’d have to take the chance.