Chapter 11
My name is Lily Davidson.
And this is my story.
I'm thirty-two years old now.
I'm a social worker.
I have three beautiful children.
A wonderful husband.
A perfect life.
But I don't need to tell you about that.
You need to hear about the beginning.
About the airport.
About the sticky note.
About the day my whole life changed.
I was six years old.
I remember being excited.
Mommy—Jessica—had told me we were going to Disney World.
That I was going to meet all the princesses.
That we were going to have so much fun.
Grandma and Grandpa were coming too.
I was so happy.
I packed my favorite dress.
The pink one with the sparkles.
And Mr. Floppy.
My stuffed rabbit.
I never went anywhere without Mr. Floppy.
We got to the airport early.
We had breakfast with Aunt Brooke.
I didn't know Aunt Brooke very well back then.
She was nice.
But she was busy.
Working all the time.
She was going on a trip to Hawaii.
She looked tired.
But she smiled at me.
And gave me a piece of bacon from her plate.
I liked her.
Then Aunt Brooke went to the bathroom.
And Mommy told me to sit on the bench and wait.
She said she and Grandma and Grandpa had to go do something.
That they'd be right back.
That I should be a good girl and wait.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
But they didn't come back.
People started boarding the plane.
The gate area got emptier and emptier.
And Mommy and Grandma and Grandpa still didn't come back.
I got scared.
I started crying.
I held Mr. Floppy tight.
I didn't know what to do.
And then Aunt Brooke came back.
She saw me.
She ran to me.
She knelt down.
And she held me.
And for the first time since Mommy left, I felt safe.
She asked me where Mommy was.
I told her what Mommy had said.
That she'd be right back.
And then she saw the sticky note.
On my suitcase.
The pink one.
She read it.
And her face got really angry.
But not at me.
Never at me.
She held me tighter.
And she told me everything would be okay.
That she would take care of me.
And she did.
She didn't get on the plane to Hawaii.
She gave up her dream vacation for me.
She called Daddy.
And Daddy came.
And everything changed.
I went to live with Daddy.
And Aunt Brooke came too.
And I was safe.
For the first time in a long time, I was safe.
I didn't realize it then, but I hadn't been safe with Mommy.
Not really.
She was always tired.
Always angry.
Always on the phone.
She never had time for me.
Never had time to play.
To read to me.
To tuck me in.
Daddy had time.
Aunt Brooke had time.
They read to me.
They played with me.
They tucked me in every night.
They loved me.
Really loved me.
And I loved them back.
With all my heart.
The court stuff was scary.
I didn't understand all of it.
But I knew one thing.
I wanted to stay with Daddy and Aunt Brooke.
Forever.
And the judge said I could.
And I was happy.
So happy.
Then Aunt Brooke became my mom.
Not right away.
But slowly.
Naturally.
She was the one who bandaged my knees when I fell.
She was the one who helped me with my homework.
She was the one who held me when I had nightmares.
She was the one who loved me like her own.
And then she married Daddy.
And I was the flower girl.
And it was the happiest day of my life.
And then they adopted me.
Legally.
Officially.
Forever.
And I was Lily Davidson.
Daughter of Mark and Brooke Davidson.
And I was complete.
And then Grace was born.
And I became a big sister.
And my heart got even bigger.
Full of even more love.
I had a perfect family.
A perfect life.
But I still thought about Jessica sometimes.
Not often.
But sometimes.
When I was sad.
Or scared.
Or confused.
I wondered why she'd left me.
Why she didn't love me.
What I'd done wrong.
Mom—Brooke—told me I hadn't done anything wrong.
That Jessica was sick.
That she couldn't love anyone properly.
That it wasn't my fault.
That I was lovable.
That I was perfect.
And slowly, I believed her.
I never saw Jessica again.
Not after the airport.
Not really.
Mom went to see her once.
But she never let me go.
She said Jessica wasn't worth my time.
That I should focus on the people who loved me.
And she was right.
I focused on my family.
On my friends.
On school.
On helping people.
I became a social worker because I knew what it was like to be scared.
To be alone.
To feel abandoned.
And I wanted to help other kids who felt that way.
To let them know they weren't alone.
That someone cared.
That they could be loved.
That they could have a family.
Even if it wasn't the one they were born into.
I met my husband, James, in college.
He was studying to be a teacher.
He was kind.
Funny.
Patient.
He loved me for who I was.
And he loved my family too.
We got married in the backyard of my parents' house.
Under the same oak tree where they'd gotten married.
Mom cried.
Daddy cried.
Grace cried.
Everyone cried.
Happy tears.
We had three children.
Twins first.
A boy and a girl.
Daniel and Brooke.
Named after my grandfathers.
And my mom.
And then another little girl.
Lila.
They are my whole world.
I love them more than anything.
And I make sure they know it.
Every single day.
I never want them to feel the way I felt at that airport.
Alone.
Scared.
Unloved.
They will always know they are loved.
Always.
Mom is seventy now.
Dad passed away two years ago.
Peacefully.
In his sleep.
Holding Mom's hand.
Mom is still strong.
Still amazing.
Still helping people.
Still writing.
Still speaking.
Still changing lives.
She's my hero.
Always has been.
Always will be.
She saved me.
From the airport.
From Jessica.
From a life of loneliness and fear.
She gave me a family.
A home.
Love.
Everything.
And I will be grateful forever.
People ask me sometimes.
How I can be so happy.
So positive.
After everything I went through.
And I tell them.
Because I was lucky.
So many kids aren't as lucky as I was.
So many don't have an Aunt Brooke who will give up their dream vacation to help them.
So many don't have a Daddy who will fight for them.
So many don't get the happy ending.
But I did.
And I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure as many kids as possible get their happy ending too.
That's my legacy.
That's what Jessica's selfishness and cruelty gave me.
A purpose.
A mission.
A reason to help others.
She tried to destroy me.
Instead, she created someone who helps people.
Someone who loves deeply.
Someone who makes a difference.
She lost.
And I won.
Not because I got money or fame or anything like that.
But because I have love.
Family.
Happiness.
And I get to spend my life helping others find those things too.
That's the greatest victory of all.
And I owe it all to the woman who found me crying at Gate B12.
Who held me.
Who loved me.
Who became my mom.
May you like
My hero.
My everything.
