I swallowed hard, my mind racing. Why were they so angry? I had only helped their mother get home safely.
“Yes,” I answered, keeping my voice steady. “I met Kira at the cemetery, and she asked me to walk her home. She said her sons left her there and didn’t come back. I was only trying to help.”
The younger of the two men stepped closer, his face red with fury. “That’s a lie! We never left her at the cemetery! She disappeared, and we’ve been worried sick!”
I blinked in confusion. “Disappeared? She told me she waited for hours. I assumed you forgot about her.”
The police officer held up a hand, signaling for everyone to calm down. “Let’s take this inside and talk properly.”
I stepped back, letting them enter. The officer sat on my couch while the two men paced angrily.
“Alright,” the officer said. “Let’s go over this carefully. Miss, can you tell us exactly what happened?”
I recounted everything—finding Kira at the cemetery, her story about being abandoned, walking her home, and even the cup of tea I shared with her before I left.
The older son, who had been quiet until now, exhaled sharply and rubbed his temples. “Mom… she has dementia.”
My stomach dropped.
“She… she gets confused,” he continued. “Sometimes she doesn’t remember things correctly. We never left her at the cemetery. We dropped her off, but when we came back to get her, she was gone. We searched everywhere and even called the police. We had no idea where she was until a neighbor told us she came home with a stranger—you.”
I felt a wave of realization wash over me. “Oh my God. I didn’t know. She seemed so sure about what happened. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
The officer nodded. “This is clearly a misunderstanding. Miss, you weren’t in the wrong for helping her. But from now on, it’s best that if you find someone who may be in distress like this, call the authorities.”
“I understand,” I said, my voice quiet. “I’m really sorry.”
The older son sighed. “Look, we appreciate that you didn’t mean any harm. It’s just… Mom isn’t herself anymore. She forgets where she is, she mixes up the past and present. It’s been really hard.”
The younger son, though still tense, softened a little. “We just panicked. When she told us about a stranger bringing her home, we didn’t know what to think.”
“I get it,” I said. “If the roles were reversed, I’d be just as scared.”
The officer, seeing that the situation had calmed down, stood up. “I think that clears things up. No crime was committed here, just a misunderstanding.”
The brothers exchanged a look before the older one turned to me. “Thank you for helping our mom. We’ll try to do better to make sure she’s safe.”
Relief flooded through me. “She’s a wonderful woman. I hope she stays well.”
They nodded, and with a final apology, they left with the officer. As I shut the door, I took a deep breath, my heart still pounding.
The experience had shaken me, but one thing was clear—I’d do it all over again if it meant making sure someone like Kira wasn’t left alone in the world.