The boy looked down, shuffling his feet. “I’m not sure.
I been lookin’ for a while, though. But… but please, sir, don’t call the police.”
“Not the police?” I asked, puzzled. “But if you’ve been lost for days—”
He shook his head vigorously.
“No, no police. I heard people sayin’ that sometimes, when parents don’t have much money, the police take kids away. And… and my family doesn’t have much.
They’re poor. I’m afraid they’ll… well, they’ll take me away, too.”
I looked at him, feeling a pang of something I hadn’t felt in years. I knew what it was like to be a kid worried about getting taken away.
“Alright,” I said gently, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“No police, I promise. We’ll just… we’ll figure this out. Okay?”
He nodded, relief flashing across his face.
“Thank you, sir. I didn’t know who else to ask.”
“Call me Dennis,” I said. “And what’s your name?”
“Ben,” he replied, clutching his keychain a little tighter.
“Alright, Ben,” I said.
“Let’s get you home. Do you know where you live?”
He nodded. “It’s a little ways from here.
I can show you. I think I remember.”
I called my driver, and we waited in the cold as he pulled up to the curb. Ben climbed in first, tucking himself into the back seat.
I followed, shutting the door and glancing over at him. “So,” I said, trying to make conversation, “what kind of keychain is that? Looks pretty special.”
He looked down, fingers wrapped around the tiny silver heart on his keychain.
“It’s… well, it’s just a keychain they give you at this place I stayed at once.”
I looked at it more closely, realizing that it looked familiar. Very familiar.
“So, you like Christmas?” I asked instead.
“Yeah, it’s nice,” he mumbled, still looking out the window.
When we reached the address he’d given, I got out and walked with him up to the front door. He knocked once, then again.
Silence.
“Maybe they went to my grandparents’ place,” he said, though he didn’t sound convinced.
I glanced back at the square, its lights twinkling in the distance. “Alright, Ben,” I said, kneeling down to his level. “Maybe we’ll give it some time.
How about we head back to the square and enjoy a few things while we wait? Have you ever been skating?”
He looked at me, his eyes lighting up. “I haven’t!
Can we?”
I stood up, smiling. “Sure. Why not?”
As we headed back to the square, Ben’s face lit up with excitement.
The whole place was glowing, with lights strung up on every tree and children darting around. I hadn’t done much for the holidays in a long time, but tonight felt different.
“So, skating first?” I asked, nodding toward the rink.
Ben’s eyes went wide. “Really?
Can I?”
“Absolutely. Let’s get some skates.”
Minutes later, we were on the ice. Ben took off, shaky at first, his little arms flailing.
I was no expert, but I managed to stay upright. We slipped, stumbled, and laughed. I felt lighter than I had in years.
“Look, Dennis!
I got it!” he shouted, gliding a little more steadily, a grin stretched across his face.
“You’re a pro already,” I laughed, half-joking. “I’m gonna need lessons from you!”
After skating, we tried one of the carnival games—throwing rings onto bottles. He didn’t win, but he nearly knocked over the whole stand with how excited he was.
“Can we get hot chocolate?” he asked, eyeing the stand nearby.
“Of course,” I said.
We got our steaming cups, finding a bench to sit and watch the crowd. As he sipped, Ben looked so content. His cheeks were flushed, and there was a peace in his expression that felt like a gift.
I looked at him, a warmth growing in my chest that I hadn’t felt in years.
I’d only known this boy for a few hours, yet I felt connected to him. And I didn’t want the night to end.
But eventually, I cleared my throat. “Ben, maybe… maybe it’s time to head back to the shelter.”
He looked up, surprised, and for a moment, his face fell.
“How did you know?”
I smiled gently, pointing at his keychain. “I recognized that keychain the second I saw it. They gave out the same ones when I stayed there.”
His eyes widened.
“You… you were at the shelter?”
I nodded. “A long time ago. I was around your age.
So, I understand. I get what it feels like to want a family, even just for a night.”
Ben’s eyes dropped to the ground, and he nodded slowly. “I just… I wanted to feel like I had a family, you know?
Just for Christmas.”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I know. And I’m really glad I got to spend Christmas Eve with you, Ben.”
He looked up, and I saw the gratitude in his eyes.
“Me too, Dennis.”
We walked back to the shelter in silence, the warmth of the evening settling between us. When we arrived, a familiar face was waiting outside. It was her, the young woman who’d bumped into me earlier.
Her eyes widened with relief as she spotted us.
“There you are!” she exclaimed, rushing over to Ben and hugging him tightly. “We were so worried about you. We should notify the police you’re back.”
Ben squeezed her hand, mumbling, “I was okay.
Dennis helped me.”
The woman looked up at me, her expression softening. “Thank you so much for bringing him back.” She let out a breath, then added with a tired smile, “I’m Sarah. I volunteer here.
We’ve been searching for him since this afternoon.”
“Nice to meet you, Sarah,” I said, realizing this must be more than a chance meeting. We stood there for a moment, caught in a quiet, shared relief. She looked exhausted, her face a mix of worry and something else—hurt, maybe.
I hesitated, then asked, “Rough night?”
She nodded, looking away.
“I found out my boyfriend… well, he was cheating on me. Tonight, of all nights.” She laughed sadly, brushing a tear away. “But I guess that’s how it goes.”
On impulse, I blurted, “Well… would you maybe like to get a coffee?”
She looked down at Ben, then back at me.
“Actually… I’d love that.”
Over the next few months, I found myself at the shelter often. Sarah and I would meet there, talking for hours and helping out together.
The more time we spent, the closer we grew, both to each other and to Ben. He seemed to shine whenever we were all together, and soon the shelter felt like the home I hadn’t realized I’d been missing.
By the time the next Christmas rolled around, everything had changed.
Sarah and I were now married, and Ben had officially become our son. That Christmas Eve, we went back to the square, the three of us hand in hand, surrounded by laughter and lights.
We watched the skaters, sipped our hot cocoa, and felt at peace as our own little family, a miracle in the making.
Source: amomama
