A taxi driver gets annoyed by his passenger’s crying baby and kicks them out of his car. Later that evening, the woman shows up on his doorstep, claiming to be his sister, and leaves both him and his wife shocked. Rory Townsend gripped his taxi’s steering wheel tightly, trying not to lose his cool. The heat blowing across the Florida streets was exacerbating his acute headache, and the passenger seated in the backseat of his car with her baby was making matters worse.
Rory had glared at them several times in his taxi’s rearview mirror because he was utterly annoyed by them. The baby wouldn’t stop crying, and her mother, according to Rory, was doing little to stop it, though he had told her it was distracting him from driving. When Rory couldn’t bear the baby’s crying any longer, he slammed on the brakes and ordered the woman to get down from his car!
“I’m sorry, but you need to get down right now!” he declared, his gaze fixed on the rearview mirror.”What? What’s wrong?” the woman asked, confused. “Your baby is not ready to stop crying, ma’am, and it’s making my headache worse! OUT! YES, BOTH OF YOU! NOW!” “How can you just tell me to get off?” the woman objected. “I’m sorry about my baby, but we’re on our way—”
“I SAID JUST GET DOWN AND LEAVE!” he yelled at her, and the woman was terrified. She hugged her baby close to her and exited his car. Rory drove away, unconcerned about leaving the woman on a random street. “I’m Amelia. You would want to sit and listen to this one, Rory. Trust me; there’s a lot you need to know….”When Rory got home that evening, he slumped on the couch, unable to bear his headache.
“Linda! Get me some water, please!” he called out to his wife, who returned with a pain killer and a glass of water. “Today was a hell of a day, and then I met this annoying passenger! Ugh, I hate this job sometimes!” Rory grumbled.”I’ve told you so many times not to take so much stress, honey,” she said, consoling him. “Freshen up. The dinner’s almost ready, okay?”
“Yeah, alright,” he replied quietly before Linda left. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Rory marched to the front door to answer it, wondering who was paying them a visit. As he opened the door and saw the visitor’s face, he lost his cool. It was the woman with the baby he had kicked out of his car that morning. “YOU?!” he exclaimed, agitated. “What the heck are you doing here? Did you follow me home?”
The woman looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Shh…my baby is sleeping, please. And,” she paused. “I know this might be hard to believe, but I am your sister. We finally meet, Rory!” she replied, leaving Rory shocked.”Woah, Woah, ma’am, you need to leave right now, or I’m gonna call the cops on you! And how the hell do you know my name? Have you been stalking my family or something?” He didn’t believe her.
“Rory? Who’s there?” Linda approached the door, curious as to what had taken him so long. “This woman is insane, darling!” Rory said, agitated. “It turns out she’s my so-called sister! Can you believe that? I never had a pet, let alone a sibling! Remember I mentioned meeting an irritating passenger earlier this morning? She is the one!”
The woman shook her head. “No, wait. I can explain everything. Look at this,” She showed them a picture and they were shocked. It was Rory’s childhood picture! “Listen,” Rory said. “I’ll ask you again. Who are you, and how do you know so much about me?””I’m Amelia,” the woman replied. “You would want to sit and listen to this one, Rory. Trust me; there’s a lot you need to know….”
Rory didn’t want to trust Amelia, but Linda invited her and her baby inside, primarily out of concern for the baby. As they all sat in the living room, Amelia told Rory a story that would leave him in tears. “If I’m not wrong, you were 16 when you left home,” she began. “A few weeks ago, mom passed away. Dad had passed away 7 years ago, so I was the only one mom had by her side. I didn’t even know I had an older brother.
They always told me I came late into their lives and that I was their only child. I didn’t know they had me long after you had left home, Rory. “A few days ago, I was cleaning their house to put it on the market when I came across a box of your childhood stuff. I found a letter written by Mom about how dad forbade her from telling you about your younger sister because he was furious you left the family after an argument with him.
“I’ve brought everything I found that day. Mom had left your details in the letter’s envelope, probably because she wanted to send the letter to you. It’s sad she never got the chance. I just had a childhood photo of you, so I didn’t recognize you when I met you this morning. Now, I am sure you are my brother!”Rory’s eyes welled up as Amelia showed him everything she’d retrieved from their parents’ house.
“Are Dad and Mom no longer alive? That’s awful “He sighed, taking in everything. “I’m at a loss for words. I’m sorry, Amelia, but this is beyond my comprehension. It’s so unexpected that I’ll need some time to adjust. And what about this child? Is he my nephew?” “Niece,” Amelia replied, a small smile on her face. “I was sent to a boarding school in another state when I was young, and it was there that I met my husband and settled down.
I just moved here a week ago. My husband is currently out of town, but he would be delighted to meet you. Also….” Amelia explained that their parents had bequeathed their inheritance to her, but she wanted to divide it equally between them. But, unable to shake his guilt over not contacting his family even once and how he treated Amelia earlier that day, Rory refused and told Amelia he didn’t need anything.
“Amelia, I’m glad I got to meet you. I am overjoyed to finally meet my sister and niece. I don’t require anything; believe me….” Rory gently held Amelia’s baby, who was fast asleep, and apologized to her. Amelia and Rory’s families became close over time, and Rory’s four-year-old son enjoyed playing with his baby sister. They missed out on a lot of time and precious memories that they could have made together, but it wasn’t too late, and they knew they’d make up for lost time together.