Woman With Pie Comes to Meet New Neighbor and Leaves Only After Police Arrives – Story of the Day

When Julia finally decided to make a new friend, she didn't expect to walk into one of the most distressing days of the stranger's life, or that she would be calling the cops.

Julia Brown had two voices in her head. One voice prompted her to sit at home, believing she was a misfit among the classy, upscale neighbors. And the other voice wanted her to go out and be her frivolous self without caring about fitting in.

Today, she decided to surprise herself and listen to the second voice.

'I have to get out of the house today,' she thought.

It had been three weeks since Julia and her husband Evan had moved to Los Angeles. And it had been three weeks since Julia had been holed up in her palatial new home. Julia wasn't used to this level of luxury.

She was genuinely happy about her husband's big promotion and success. Their world changed quickly, with a lavish new house, a company car, and a whole lot of perks that Julia did not fully understand. She and Evan had dreamed of this new life, but when it finally arrived, Julia felt heavily intimidated by it.

Right from the abstract paintings on the walls to the modes on her showerhead, she had a lot to understand and learn.

She tried her best to keep this feeling from Evan, but he had begun to take notice of her hesitation.

'It's about time that changed,' Julia thought as she threw her apron on. She had the perfect plan to win her neighbors over. She may not have had the upscale clothes or vocabulary, but she had the power to make the world's most irresistible and scrumptious blueberry pie.

The plan was simple. Julia would bake one pie a day and take it to one of her neighbors as a 'hello there' gift.

The plan may have been a bit old school. But who could say no to pie?

First stop: the house across the street.

The woman from the gorgeous house across the street was the only familiar neighborhood face to Julia. The beautiful woman would wave to her whenever she spotted her on the lawn. Weirdly, Julia felt like the stranger would understand her and not judge her for her simplistic ways.

Julia carried the warm, freshly baked pie in one hand and crossed the street. Just as she practiced her gentle smile and approached the driveway, a car screeched past her in the opposite direction. She was alarmed by this but managed to gather herself quickly before ringing the bell.

After a long wait, the woman finally answered the door. She seemed a bit on edge, but her sweet voice covered it up.

"Well, hi there. I'm your new neighbor, Julia Brown. I thought I should come say hi."

Julia tried not to sound too eager. At the same time, she noticed something was off about the woman. She was struggling to smile back at Julia and wasn't making eye contact.

"Oh, and I also brought you the best pie you've ever had in your life."

The woman shuddered back to reality and said, "Of course, how impolite of me. Hi, I'm Claire Maine. That pie looks delicious!"

Claire was trying to sound sincere, but there was no fooling Julia.

Don't hesitate to offer help whenever you can.

"Well, I got it fresh off the oven, which means it's burning up my hand. Can I please keep it somewhere…"

Claire knew she couldn't stall any longer. "Yes, of course, please come in."

When Julia entered the house, it felt like she had entered a different world altogether. The subtly textured walls, flower vases in every nook, and the majestically wide chandeliers almost took Julia's breath away.

"Please, leave it right here by the couch," Claire said.

"Actually, if it's alright, I need to keep it in a warm corner of the kitchen." Saying this, Julia started to walk into the kitchen.

"No, don't!" Claire tried to stop her, but it was too late. Julia had already noticed the shocking mess.

There were shards of glass and ceramic scattered all over the floor. The shelves were half open, the dishwasher door was smashed, and there was a dent on the refrigerator.

She also noticed a bright-colored plastic cereal bowl toppled over and a spill of milk and cereal around it.

Julia was shocked and concerned. Something terrible had just happened there. Could it be connected to the car that had sped out? Even without knowing Claire or her story, Julia knew her neighbor was in trouble.

"What happened here?" Julia asked.

Claire tried to dodge the question, but Julia did not look like she would let it go.

"It's nothing. Just my husband…he got a bit aggressive after an argument. He smashed up the kitchen and left."

"Are you okay, sweetie? Come, sit down." Julia tried to calm her down. Claire was obviously more stressed than she was letting on.

"No, I need to call him. He has to come back. He can't just leave like this." Claire was frantically calling her husband time and again, but to no avail.

Julia brought her a glass of water. "Claire, talk to me. What really happened? Did he leave like he's never coming back?"

Claire cried, "I don't care if he isn't coming back! But this time, he's taken my daughter with him!"

Claire explained that her husband had taken off before, but lately, he had been threatening to leave her and cut her off from their 4-year-old daughter Marissa's life.

"Well then, that changes everything," Julia stood up and started dialing on her phone.

"What are you doing?" Claire asked.

"I'm calling the cops. This ends now."

"No! If you call the cops, my family will know." Claire tried to stop her.

Julia was puzzled and asked her why it mattered.

"That will not sit well. My family cares about their reputation. You don't understand how things work here…."

Julia couldn't believe what she had just heard. A rush of anger ran through her spine.

"No, I don't. I don't understand how things work here. I don't understand how social relationships function here, just like I don't understand art, aesthetics, or brunch. But it is shocking to me how you can care so much about reputation and what your parents will say when the safety of your own little girl is in question.

"Just answer me this: Do you want Marissa back home safe or not?"

Claire was taken aback by Julia's curtness but knew she was right. Julia didn't waste a minute before reporting the incident to the police.

Surely enough, the cops arrived within 20 minutes and took all the necessary information.

That night, Julia stayed by Claire's side. She fed her, listened to her speak her heart, and comforted her.

Sometime past midnight, there was a knock on the door. Marissa was back home! Her husband had been caught trying to leave the city and would spend the night in jail.

Julia felt a sense of relief and satisfaction looking at the mother and daughter reunite. She knew she had probably crossed a few lines with her new neighbor, but she was happy that she could help her nevertheless.

Two days later, Julia woke up to Evan's voice.

"Jules, Claire is here. She says she wants to give you a demonstration of 'brunch.'"

Julia smiled at her new friend's sense of humor. She had a feeling they were going to be friends for years to come.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't hesitate to offer help whenever you can. You never know who may need your encouragement, guidance, or support. In this case, Julia took a bold step of offering her honest point of view, and it ended up reuniting a mother and daughter.
• Friendships are built on good intentions and actions, not 'fitting in.' Julia initially doubted herself, but when it came to doing the right thing, she showed openness and integrity. This ended up earning her a good friend.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an abandoned old woman who receives help from the most unexpected strangers.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.