After moving to a new city for my husband’s job, I was struggling to adjust — until I met our neighbor, Everly. She was warm, fun, and easy to talk to. Our kids were close in age, and they quickly became playmates. Everly and I spent a lot of time together, and before long, I truly felt like I’d made a friend I could trust. One afternoon, she asked me to babysit while she ran to a dentist appointment. I agreed without a second thought. As the kids played, I wandered into her kitchen looking for coffee — and that’s when I saw the photo. It was hanging near the doorway:
a woman smiling down at a little girl. I froze. The woman in the picture was my mother. At first, I thought I had to be mistaken. But the closer I looked, the more certain I became. That was my mom — standing with a young Everly. I waited anxiously for Everly to return. When she did, I asked, “Who’s in that photo?” She smiled. “Oh, that’s me and my mom.” I could barely get the words out. “That’s… that’s my mom too.” We both stared at each other in shock. It didn’t make sense. Could it be a coincidence?
