The woman assumed the elderly lady was the triplets’ grandmother, who looked after the babies while their parents were at work. But when she saw the cops take the children away from her, she learned the old woman’s shocking truth.
Lawyer Phoebe Harper had only recently relocated from Florida to New York City when she first ran into an old lady with a set of triplets. Phoebe had been married to a man named Adam Carter for 2 years, but things didn’t quite work out between them, so after divorcing him, she believed relocating would be a fresh start.
At the same time, she had plans to open a new legal firm, and she reasoned that NYC would be a great option. But soon after moving there, she realized how little she knew about the area, so she went for a walk every morning to explore new places, and it was on one of those days that she observed the old woman with the triplets.
Every day, the elderly lady sat in the same park with three gorgeous babies in their black stroller, their huge, innocent eyes darting around everyone.
“Well, they’re the cutest triplets I’ve ever seen!” Phoebe thought every time she passed by them. She had wanted to have a family for a long time, but thanks to Adam, who turned out to be a jerk, that didn’t happen.
One morning, Phoebe was crossing the park when she saw the old lady wasn’t there. She thought maybe she had been late or sick. But soon after, she saw her. She was frantically pushing the stroller and looked afraid.
“What’s the matter with her?” Phoebe was baffled.
Soon, she saw two huge figures, both dressed in police uniforms, pursuing her.
The woman turned to look at them, her eyes welling up, and fastened her pace. “Ma’am, wait right there!” one of the cops yelled at her and immediately caught up with her.
At that point, the woman started crying, and Phoebe came to a halt to observe what was happening. She noticed the woman shivering and pleading with the officers. One of the cops had yanked the stroller away from her and was yelling at her.
Phoebe wasn’t sure what was going on, so she decided to approach them and listen to what the woman was saying.
“Please, officer,” she heard her beg. “Don’t take those children away. I can’t live without them. I – I am begging you!”
“They are taking the kids away, but why?” Phoebe wondered, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Look, Mrs. Green,” one of the officers said sternly. “We checked your background and home, and you can’t look after them. CPS must be involved in order for those children to be raised in a better place! Now step aside!” he yelled as he prepared to leave.
But Mrs. Green didn’t move. She fell to her knees and began pleading with the officers. “I can’t imagine my life without my granddaughters. I will do whatever you say. Please – please!”
At that, the officer calmed down and explained, “Mrs. Green, we can’t help you. We have to take the kids because we want them to be safe, okay? And you have to let them go. Sorry!”
Despite Mrs. Green’s cries and pleadings, the officers took the babies and drove away. Phoebe didn’t realize it, but she was almost in tears after witnessing the older woman’s plight, and she decided to approach her.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” she said. “Are you okay? Let me help you.”
She escorted the older woman to a bench and asked her to calm down. “What happened, ma’am? Why did they take the children away? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be jumping into your matter, but I am a lawyer, and I can help you.”
“A lawyer?” Mrs. Green’s eyes glowed up. “Oh, dear. You have to help me! They took my grandchildren away! I can’t live without them.”
“I understand, ma’am. But you’ll have to calm down and tell me what happened. Only then will I be able to help you.”
Mrs. Green wiped her tears. “Three months ago, I lost my son and daughter-in-law in a car crash,” she said. “I was left alone to look after my granddaughters. We had a small grocery where my son and daughter-in-law worked together. But after their death, I couldn’t run the business properly, and the store closed down.
“I have been living off the savings, and sometimes, I sell knitted sweaters and caps by which we somehow get by. I know I can’t raise three children like that, but I can’t live without them. They are the only ones I have, dear….” she managed to finish before breaking into tears.
Phoebe’s eyes welled up when she learned the woman’s tragic story. “Don’t worry, ma’am,” she assured her. “I will help you. You won’t lose them. I will make sure of that.”
“Really?” Mrs. Green looked at her with her hopeful eyes. “How will we do that?”
“You just said you sell knitted caps and sweaters, right? That’s exactly where we begin, ma’am,” Phoebe replied, smiling. “Come on, let’s go!”
Mrs. Green didn’t quite understand what was happening, but she followed Phoebe who took the elderly lady to her home and quickly brought out her laptop in the living room.
“You have a beautiful house. Sorry, I didn’t even ask your name,” Mrs. Green remarked as she settled down.
“I’m Phoebe – Phoebe Harper. And you are…Mrs. Green? I heard the cops calling you by that name.”
The older woman smiled weakly. “Elizabeth Green.”
“Okay, Mrs. Green, how exactly do you sell whatever you make? I’m asking because you need to be financially capable to prove that you can look after your granddaughters.”
“I set up a stall, darling. I don’t do it often because everything takes time to make. But I manage to make a few pieces every month.”
Phoebe nodded, making a mental note of everything, then she came up with a plan. She decided to help Mrs. Green set up a website for her handcrafted items and an Instagram page to attract more buyers. Then she spoke with one of her friends who owned a clothing store and asked if she could request some of her staff to lend a helping hand to the older woman in making more of her knitted pieces.
Fortunately, Mrs. Green’s business began to grow gradually, and at the end of three months, she was making a decent monthly income. During this time, Phoebe was in touch regularly with the foster family that took on the triplets.
Finally, when everything seemed to be falling into place, Phoebe assisted Mrs. Green in regaining custody of the triplets. The documentation process and essential checks on Mrs. Green’s financial and living conditions took some time, but it all worked out, and the triplets were reunited with their grandmother.
When the babies came home, Mrs. Green hugged Phoebe and cried. “I will never be able to repay your kindness, sweetheart. What you’ve done for us…you’re an angel!”
“Well, Mrs. Green,” Phoebe smiled at her. “You can, and trust me, it won’t be that hard…”
Phoebe revealed she had fallen in love with a colleague at her new law firm. His name was Tom Woods, and he was a single father to two sons. One month after their courtship, Phoebe and Tom had decided to tie the knot, and Phoebe asked Mrs. Green if she would walk her down the aisle.
“I’m hoping you won’t say no, Mrs. Green…”
“Oh, of course not, honey!” Mrs. Green nodded, teary-eyed. “I’m so happy for you!” she whispered. But that was not the end of the story.
Later, Phoebe and Tom proposed to look after Mrs. Green and to adopt the triplets. Mrs. Green didn’t even think twice before nodding, relieved that when God called her home, her granddaughters would be in good hands. And this way, Phoebe became the mother of five gorgeous children, while Mrs. Green became their loving grandmother.