48 Hours after Mom Doesn’t Return from Work, Suspicious Son Checks Boss’ Office — Story of the Day

After a boy’s mother didn’t return home for 48 hours, he got worried and visited her boss’ office. Upon asking her boss, the boy learned that his mother had left the office a day ago, and no one knew where she was.

“I’m turning 25 next month, Mom!” Max exclaimed at the dinner table.

“I know, honey,” Cynthia replied. “What do you want for your birthday?”

“I want a motorcycle!” Max smiled while thinking about the two-wheeler he saw at a showroom recently. “I want to ride a chopper!”

“A chopper?” Cynthia had no idea what sort of a motorbike that was, but she was willing to fulfill her beloved son’s wish.

Although she did not earn much while working as a secretary, she always fulfilled her son’s wishes. Most people around her thought Max was a shameless boy because he lived at his mother’s place and didn’t work. He stayed home and played video games while Cynthia worked all day, trying her best to make ends meet.

After losing her husband in a car accident a decade ago, Cynthia had no option but to find a job. However, with no professional degree, Cynthia could only land low-paying gigs.

A few days into her job hunt, she stumbled across an opportunity to work as a secretary, which marked the beginning of her career. She always tried to work with honesty and exhibited an outstanding work ethic, but most of her bosses hit on her, forcing her to quit.

“Why do all these men think I’ll agree to sleep with them? This is ridiculous!” she would often complain to her best friend.

After switching multiple workplaces, Cynthia finally landed at Bill’s office. He was the CEO of an IT company and was willing to pay his secretary a good amount every month. A salary that Cynthia had always dreamt of.

“When can you join us, Cynthia?” he asked at the end of her job interview.

“I can start tomorrow,” Cynthia replied with a smile.

She thought Bill looked like most of her ex-bosses. He had broad shoulders, a protruding belly, a bald, shiny head, and a dark stubble that complimented his face. But she had no idea yet how he would treat her at work.

During the first few days at her new workplace, Cynthia felt comfortable because Bill had not made any advances toward her. He treated her like other employees and never talked to her outside work hours.

“I don’t like how Bill looks at me,” she shrugged.

However, a few weeks later, Cynthia felt a significant change in Bill’s behavior. He started spending more time with her and often requested her to stay after her shift ended.

“I like your company, Cynthia,” he would tell her, while his lips would slowly form a smirk.

“I have to go home, Sir,” Cynthia would reply. “My son is waiting for me.”

Sometimes, Bill would let her go, but other times, she’d have to stay back and return home late. One day, she told Max about her work worries. Since he was old enough to understand everything, Cynthia considered him her best friend and felt comfortable talking to him on any topic.

“I don’t like how Bill looks at me,” she shrugged. “He always asks me to stay back for extra work, and I can’t refuse.”

“You can always make an excuse, Mom,” Max said while moving his thumb on his gaming controller. “Tell him your son is waiting for you.”

“I do that all the time, Max. I want to tell him that I have no interest in him, but I fear he might fire me,” Cynthia said reluctantly.

“You really think he will fire you?” Max looked at his mother.

“Yes,” Cynthia replied. “It’s not like I’m offering unique services that others don’t. It’s just an ordinary secretary role. He can find anyone to replace me.”

“Then I think you need to be patient,” Max replied after a few moments of silence.

He knew he couldn’t ask his mother to quit work because her monthly salary was the only source of income in their household. Max was jobless and had no intentions of working because he didn’t want to step out of his comfort zone. He depended on his mother for money and never felt he should work instead of her.

It was a typical day for Max when he received a call from Cynthia in the evening. “Honey, I have to work late today. Bill has ordered me to work extra hours, so I’ll come home late tonight,” she told him.

“Okay, Mom,” Max replied. “I’ll cook ramen for myself. Please don’t worry about me.”

“Love you, Max,” she replied before hanging up.

Max was happy his mother would return late from work because that allowed him to play his video game without any distractions. He cooked instant noodles, had them, and played another round of his favorite video game before realizing it was past midnight.

Where’s Mom? he wondered. He took a break from playing and quickly sent a text message to Cynthia. Hey! When are you coming back? he wrote before turning back to the TV screen with the gaming controller in his hands.

A few minutes later, Max’s phone buzzed when he received a reply from his mother. I’m still working. I doubt I’ll return tonight, she wrote.

Max frowned after reading her message, but her absence didn’t bother him much because he was enjoying living in a virtual world. Playing games was his favorite hobby he had successfully turned into a daily habit. His routine consisted of fun time and enjoyment because his mother left him with nothing to worry about.

The following day, Max found himself on the couch once he woke up. The sunlight entering through the glass window didn’t allow him to open his eyes. He lay there restless before it hit him that Cynthia still hadn’t returned home.

“Are you sure everything’s fine?” Max could sense his mother was exhausted.

Max sat on the couch and rubbed his eyes before he checked the time on his phone screen. “It’s noon already? Why hasn’t Mom returned yet?” he scratched his head.

He rose to his feet and quickly checked all the rooms to ensure Cynthia wasn’t home. Then, he dialed his mother’s number and pressed his phone against his ear, hoping she would answer soon.

“Hi, Max. How are you?” He was relieved to hear his mother’s voice on the other end.

“Mom! Where are you?” Max asked worriedly.

“Oh, honey,” Cynthia sighed. “I told you Bill had asked me to stay. I slept in the office, and now I’m back to work.”

“Are you sure everything’s fine?” Max could sense his mother was exhausted because her tone was as chirpy as it usually was.

“Yes, honey,” Cynthia replied. “I have to go now. See you soon!”

“But―”

Cynthia hung up the phone before Max could ask her when she would return. He looked at his phone screen and frowned, hoping his mother would return home soon. Little did he know that she would go missing later that night.

After having dinner and taking a shower, Max called his friend and asked him if they could meet. “Come over, Max! We’ll have fun together,” his friend told him.

An hour later, Max was playing his favorite video game at his friend’s house. He spent the entire day with his friend and only thought about his mother when it was time for him to return home at night.

Mom must be home by now, he thought while entering his house. However, he realized Cynthia wasn’t home when he opened the door and stepped into complete darkness.

“Mom?” Max asked while switching on the corridor lamp, but no one responded.

Why is she not home yet?

He quickly took his shoes off and slid his phone out of his pocket to call his mother. “Pick up! Pick up!” he said while walking in a circle, but Cynthia didn’t answer.

Max called his mother after every few minutes the entire night, but she didn’t answer any of his calls. Soon, her phone switched off, and Max felt frightened when he couldn’t reach her.

“What is Cynthia doing here? She never told me about this place,” Bill said while he got out of his car.

The thought of losing his mother sent a shiver down his spine. He could never imagine living apart from her, but now she hadn’t returned home for about 48 hours, and a dozen questions had started popping into his head.

“Where have you gone, Mom? Why won’t you answer my calls?” he stomped his feet on the wooden floor while cupping his right fist with his left hand.

After multiple failed attempts to reach his mother, Max decided to visit her workplace. He stepped inside the office building at 9 a.m. and told the receptionist he wanted to meet Bill.

“Hi, Max!” Bill shook his hand. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Max forced a smile. “I wanted to―”

“Where’s Cynthia? She brought you here, right?” Bill interrupted.

“Mom’s not here?” Max was shocked. “She left home two days ago and has not been home since then. She told me she was at work. Where is she?”

“Calm down, Max,” Bill patted the boy’s shoulder. “Come into my office. We will see what we can do.”

Bill used his contacts and traced Cynthia’s phone location. “Let’s go, Max. I think I know where your mother is,” Bill said before leaving the office with his secretary’s son.

When Bill and Max reached the location, they saw a warehouse. “What is Cynthia doing here? She never told me about this place,” Bill said while he got out of his car.

Bill and Max walked towards the entrance and stopped when they saw Cynthia dressed in overalls, carrying heavy boxes towards a truck. It turned out that she worked as a loader at the warehouse.

“Mom?” Max looked at his mother with his eyes wide open. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey,” Cynthia gave him a weak smile and was surprised to see Bill standing behind her son.

“They promised me a double salary, Max.”

“But Mom, why didn’t you answer my calls?” Max asked worriedly. “I tried reaching you so many times. I was so worried.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, honey,” Cynthia placed her hands on his shoulders. “We give our phones to the manager. We aren’t allowed to carry our phones with us.”

“I want to ask you something,” Bill took a few steps towards Cynthia and Max with his arms folded on his chest. “Why did you take up a second job when you were working for me?”

That day, Cynthia realized Bill was not like other men.

Cynthia looked at her son, swallowed, and said, “I wanted to save money to buy Max his favorite motorcycle on his 25th birthday. He asked me for it.”

“What?” Bill looked at Max angrily.

Then, he held the young boy by the collar and took him aside while Cynthia tried to stop him. “Listen, Max,” Bill said. “I want to have a man-to-man conversation with you today.”

“Don’t you feel ashamed watching your mother work hard to make ends meet?” Bill asked him with disgust in his eyes. “You want her to buy you an expensive motorcycle? Have you ever done something for her? You can’t even spend a few bucks to buy her a handbag from a superstore!”

Max looked at the ground while Bill yelled at him because he knew he was at fault. “Look at her! She’s working two jobs for your happiness,” Bill continued yelling. “She’s sacrificing her comfort and sleep for you, and what do you do all day, huh?”

Bill’s words pierced Max’s heart, and the boy realized his mistake. Finally, someone made him understand that he needed to act responsibly.

After his conversation with Bill, Max walked toward his mother and apologized to her. “I’m so sorry, Mom. You sacrificed your comfort for me,” he held his mother’s hands. “I promise I won’t let you work once I find a job. You wouldn’t have to worry about money or stay away from home to earn a living. I will never let you work, Mom.”

Bill was listening to Max’s conversation with Cynthia from afar. Once the boy apologized, Bill walked towards him and patted his back. “I’m glad you learned a lesson today,” Bill smiled. “I hope you keep your promise.”

“I will!” Max said.

That day, Cynthia realized Bill was not like other men. His actions made her change her opinion of him. He taught Max a lesson because he cared for her, and none of her previous bosses showed that much concern.

A few weeks later, Max landed a job at a superstore and soon got a raise. He was earning enough money to make ends meet, so he told his mother not to work. Meanwhile, Cynthia started dating her ex-boss, and they tied the knot five months later.

Being Max’s stepfather, Bill tried his best to support the boy and help him grow. With his hard work and determination, Max soon saved enough money to buy the chopper he wanted. He finally learned the value of hard-earned money and never returned to the meaningless life he used to live.

What can we learn from this story?

• Love your kids, but don’t spoil them. Cynthia loved her son so much that she never realized how she had spoilt him to the extent that he had stopped respecting her. She never told him to find a job because she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
• It’s never too late to start from scratch. Max was 25 when he landed his first job after being unemployed for years. He had to start from scratch, but his hard work and determination helped him earn a promotion and a raise.

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Click here to read another story about a boy who went to his widowed mother’s boss to ask for a day off. The boss met the boy’s mother with a bouquet the next day.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.