A Welcome Surprise
She drove through the dense campus grounds, wending between many cars and students as she searched for her daughter’s dorm.
Relief washed over her as the building came into sight. But what was supposed to be a pleasant day would threaten the very future of her daughter’s academic life.
A Loving Mom
Terry Anderson was a thirty-seven-year-old mom from Newark, New Jersey. A mother of five, she lived with her husband Tom and worked as a psychologist in the city.
Terry’s life was perfect. She had the job of her dreams, a loving and supportive husband, and the best kids a mom could ever ask for. But this paradise wouldn’t last forever.
A Dark Cloud
A dark cloud loomed over the Anderson family when their lastborn, Lainey, finished high school. Lainey was a brilliant and equally beautiful girl who had always shared a special bond with her mom.
At seventeen, most people often mistook her for Terry’s younger sister. Their mouths would fall open when Terry explained that she was her daughter. An interesting fact about Lainey made this revelation even more unbelievable.
She’s Very Special
Although Terry and Tom raised Lainey since she was a baby, she wasn’t their biological child like their first four kids. Regardless, Terry and Tom never treated her differently.
If anything, Lainey was the apple of their eye, taking after Terry in more than just looks. By the time she was five, she and Terry were near inseparable. But something unavoidable would threaten to break them apart.
Finishing High School
Lainey was eighteen when it happened. She’d cleared high school and was enthusiastically waiting on the next phase of her life to unravel.
For the longest while, she’d formed quite the interest in Terry’s career, and now that she was going to college, she’d confided in Terry that she wanted to be a psychologist like her.
She Makes Her Proud
Terry was beside herself when her daughter shared the news. She’d always known Lainey was interested in her work, but she never thought it was to this extent.
Terry quickly compiled a catalog of all the colleges she knew offered Psychology, the prerequisite for forging a career as a psychologist. But to her surprise, Lainey already had a school in mind.
Her Choice
“The University of California in Berkeley,” Lainey said with a smile on her face. Although Terry returned her smile, even throwing her hands around Lainey to hug her tightly, she felt her heart crack with pain.
She held on to her daughter, imagining Lainey living across the country on the West Coast while the rest of her family stayed in the East. Could she let her daughter make such a drastic move?
Stepping Up
Terry knew she couldn't destroy her daughter’s dream of attending one of the best colleges when it came to Psychology. She helped Lainey pack, flew her there, and spent the rest of the semester calling as much as possible.
But as the semester came to an end, she knew she had to do more than call. She called Lainey to confirm that she was almost done with her exams, then set her plan in motion.
Flying To California
Terry took the first flight out of Newark the next day. She spent five hours on the plane and another hour looking for a rental car she’d use to drive up to Lainey’s school.
Terry pulled up at Lainey’s dormitory as evening ticked by, ready to surprise her daughter. Little did she know what the end of the day would bring.
Lainey’s Door
Terry eased into the dormitory as quickly as she could. Her memory of Lainey’s room was foggy, but she knew Lainey’s door by simply counting.
Terry hurried up two flights of stairs and counted the doors to her daughter’s room. She took a deep breath, ready to surprise Lainey, and pushed the door open.
Into The Room
Terry's mouth fell open when she walked into Lainey’s room. Moving boxes filled every space in the room save for the bed, which Terry reluctantly sat on.
She ran her sight across the room, realizing Lainey had packed almost everything. But where was she? With a smile on her face, Terry laid back. She knew just what to do.
Her Idea
Thinking Lainey was off on a quick errand, Terry took out her phone and snapped a photo of herself. She sent it to Lainey with the text, “Look at where I am. Where are you?”
She smiled as her phone buzzed immediately, waiting to see a surprised Lainey burst through the door to hug her. But what she read made her shoot upright.
The Texts
“Where’s that?” Lainey’s message read. “I’m in my dorm room.” Before Terry’s mind could fully wrap around what was happening, a final text surged into her phone, sending her scrambling from the bed.
Terry had already started typing when the text came in. She’d just sent, “I’m in the wrong dorm,” when she saw Lainey’s message.
Where Are You?
“Please tell me you're not in someone else’s dorm,” Lainey wrote. Immediately, the consequences of Terry’s actions flooded her mind. What would happen if she got caught in someone else’s room?
She dashed for the door, hoping her mistake wouldn't cost Lainey her position at the school. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears as she hurried away from the room, daring not to look back. And then the unexpected happened.
A Harrowing Incident
Lost in her mind as she fled the scene, Terry bumped into someone. They both reeled back, but the person quickly steadied herself and Terry.
“Mom!” It was Lainey. She jumped at Terry and hugged her tightly, laughing as she explained how freaked out she was that Terry had gone to the wrong room and lay on a stranger’s bed. Although the incident had been harrowing at first, even Terry couldn’t help but admit how funny it was.