I left my daughter in front of a house so I could cross the busy road in front of the house to buy from a shop. I left her there because I wouldn’t be able to hold her hand to cross the road once I was done buying the stuff. When I got to the other side of the road and looked back, she was seated quietly. By the time I finished buying the items and turned back, she wasn’t there. I swear I didn’t spend more than five minutes.

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I crossed the road like a mad woman, without care and with disregard to safety. I screamed her name. I asked anyone and everyone if they had seen a five-year-old girl around. The women around were so disturbed they joined me in search of my child. We moved from house to house, checking if she had entered one of the houses.

My heart. My soul left my body. I couldn’t feel myself again. I was crying. I’m talking about 4pm when life was at its peak. I called my mom, “Nyira is missing.” She screamed, “How? Where? Why?” I told her how it happened. She said calmly, “Adjoa, if you don’t find the girl, don’t come home.”

From 4pm to 6pm, there was no hope. The women who joined me in search of my daughter gave up. The things I bought were packed beside a wall. I asked myself, “Why did I even buy these useless things? What for? Couldn’t I have bought them tomorrow?”

I went around one more time. This time, anyone who saw me asked me, “Have you found your daughter?” The tears in my eyes answered their question. At 7pm, I came to sit exactly where I left her, praying, “God, wherever my daughter is, please bring her to me. I will never be this careless again.”

I sat with my hands tucked between my thighs and was crying, hoping miraculously my daughter would appear – and she did. A gentleman came out of the next house carrying my sleeping daughter in his hands. I looked at him like I was watching a ghost. He said, “Bring your hands and take her or you don’t want her again.”

I had met this guy twice during the search and I had asked if he had knowledge about my daughter and he shook his head. When I saw him with my daughter, this calm engulfed me. I couldn’t say anything other than, “Where did you find her?” He answered, “I took her from here. What kind of mother would leave a child this young by herself? You should have reported to the police so I could make them arrest you for being this careless.”

I didn’t argue. My heart was too happy to even think about a fight. He asked about the child’s father. I told him I was a single mother. He said, “No wonder!” I felt insulted but I forgave him. He took my number. He even wanted to follow me home to see where I lived so he could announce to everyone in the house about how irresponsible I was as a mother, but I said no.

He called often. He checked up on us and spoke to my daughter. He asked if I’d left her alone again. He promised to visit with candies. When I gave him the opportunity to visit, he came around with plenty of groceries and even clothes. He gave me money and left.

He hasn’t come around again but he calls. He sends money when I haven’t asked. “Take good care of the girl,” he would conclude.

Because of him, I believe there are good men in this world. My daughter’s father is a monster, but this man right here has made me realize it was my fault for the kind of man I chose for my daughter.

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He doesn’t want anything back, not even thanks. He just wants to help and I appreciate him a lot. I wish I could tell the world who he is but that would make him angry, so I’m sharing this to tell the world that some men are good people. A lot are badly raised but there are still good men around.

—Dorinda

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