I stood in the doorway, completely shocked. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Maybe this was all some sort of a vivid dream. Still, I lingered, waiting for him to return, but he never did.

Eventually, I closed the door and picked Missy up, cradling her against my chest. As tired as I was, I started to rock her in my arms as I waltzed around the apartment, humming a soft tune. It was a lullaby. The same lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I woke up in the middle of the night, terrified from a nightmare. In my youth, her sweet voice had always lulled me into a state of calmness and serenity.

I, however, could not do the same for my daughter. I was starting to think that I was a failure as a mother – that I should have never become one.

“Shh…” I cooed at her, but she continued to wail. “Please…” I begged her. It broke my heart to see her so distressed. I would do anything – anything – to soothe her, but there was nothing I could do.

I had sold everything. I had begged, practically on my knees, on the streets.

No one wanted to help me.

Except him.

I shook my head. He was just a figment of my imagination. People weren’t really that nice. There had to be a catch.

Exhausted, I leaned into the couch and closed my eyes. I wasn’t going to fall asleep, I told myself. Just rest my eyes for a bit. Then, I’d have the energy to tackle this problem – to be the mother Missy needed. The mother she deserved.

Just then, the door swung open.

I yelped, nearly dropping my baby.

“I’m back!” the man announced. His booming voice came as such a surprise that even Missy stopped her incessant crying to look at him. He smiled brightly. “That’s right, I’ve brought you food, and now you won’t have to cry anymore once your tummy is full,” he whispered in a baby voice.

“You really didn’t have to do this… I would’ve figured something out.”

“Nonsense. It’s the least I could do for a neighbor.” He held out a bag from the pharmacy. “Why don’t you go make this? Because I’m clueless in that department. I can hold the baby if you want, although I’ve never really done that before, but how hard can it possibly be?”

I hesitated. Of course, like any mother, I was hesitant to hand off my baby to some strange man, but what choice did I have?

“Alright.” I nodded. “Can you bring everything into the kitchen?”

“Certainly.” He followed me into the tiny room. “I hope I got everything. The woman at the counter was really helpful. She said this was all I needed. But if you need anything else, just let me know, and I’ll go get it.”

Carefully, I placed Missy in his arms. Instantly, he stopped talking, a look of awe on his face. His eyes widened as he tilted his head.

“She stopped.”

“What?” I asked, too busy making the formula to think about anything else.

“She stopped crying,” he repeated.

And he was right.

For the first time, Missy had relaxed. Her hands had uncurled from their tiny fists and now clung to the fabric of his shirt, her face hidden against his chest.

In a natural rhythm, he started to gently rock her.

Didn’t this guy just say he had no clue about babies?

Either he was lying to me or he was a natural…

He smiled. “I think she likes me!”

I didn’t say a word as I turned my back, popping Missy’s bottle into the microwave to warm the milk. It upset me that this man, a complete stranger, was a better ‘mother’ than I was.

To keep from crying, I bit the inside of my lip.

It wasn’t fair.

But my anger didn’t last for very long. The fact that Missy now had something to eat for the next couple of days, thanks to this man’s kindness, made it difficult for me stay mad at him. The least I could do was give him a chance. He had been nice so far, so there was no reason for me to distrust him.

Okay, after what I’d been through, there were plenty of reasons, but maybe this was an opportunity to start fresh.

Ding!

At the sound of the microwave, Missy started to cry once again.

The man looked flustered, not quite sure what to do. “Shh, shh, don’t cry,” he whispered, fretting over the child in a way that made me chuckle.

Yeah, he definitely had no idea what he was doing.

“Here, hand her over,” I said, holding out my arm.

Delicately, like someone handling a precious vase, he deposited Missy into my arms. He then hovered over us, a curious glint in his eye as he watched her latch onto the nipple, sucking greedily.

“She really was hungry, huh?” he asked.

I nodded. “I’ve been trying to give her bits of soggy bread to hold her over, but it’s not the same… You’ve been a real lifesaver tonight.”

“I’m just glad I could help. Is she going to be okay now?”

“She should be,” I said, gently running my fingers over her soft tuft of brown hair. Already, she was halfway-done with the bottle, her eyes growing heavy with tiredness.

Soon, she was finished.

I burped her with ease, and a few minutes later, she was fast asleep in her crib, not a worry in the world.