I Was Called to School Because My Son Got Into an Altercation – When I Saw the Boy Sitting Next to Him, I Went Pale

“Lucas,” he said quietly.

Even his voice sounded almost like Noah’s.

“Lucas.” I tried to smile. “That’s a nice name. How old are you?”

“Seven.”

Seven… The same age as Noah.

How could two children look so unbelievably alike?

I pressed my palms flat against my knees so they would not shake.
I told myself coincidences existed.

I told myself there had to be some harmless explanation.

Then the office door clicked open behind me.

I turned toward the sound.

A woman stepped inside.

She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with dark hair pulled back.

The moment she saw me, she stopped cold.

Her jaw tightened, and her eyes widened.

She clearly knew who I was, and my presence had caught her completely off guard.

I looked at her more closely, and that was when recognition began to creep in.

I knew her from somewhere.

I searched through my memories.

She moved farther inside and turned slightly to close the door.

When she faced the principal again, I recognized her all at once.

She was a nurse.

She had brought me medication three days after Noah was born.

She had smiled at me and said, “You have a beautiful boy. Not every woman is given the gift of having a child.”

At the time, it had made me cry.

I looked at Lucas, then back at her.

Was she his mother?

The boy did not resemble her at all.

The principal cleared his throat. “Thank you both for coming. Now, let’s address why we’re here.”

Noah and Lucas both dropped their eyes immediately.

Principal Hayes sighed. “Apparently the disagreement started over these.”

He opened a drawer and placed a brass compass on the desk.

I recognized it instantly.

Mark had given that compass to Noah.

Principal Hayes gestured toward it. “Both boys claim this belongs to them.”

“My dad gave it to me,” Noah said.

Lucas frowned. “My dad gave me mine.”

I cleared my throat. “Excuse me, but there could be a simple way to tell who the compass belongs to.”

“Yes?” Principal Hayes nodded to me.

“Noah does have a compass exactly like that, but his has a small ‘M’ scratched on the back. It’s his father’s initial.”

Principal Hayes flipped the compass over.

“That won’t help,” the nurse cut in. “Lucas’s compass also has an ‘M’ scratched on the back.”

Principal Hayes lifted his eyebrows.

Another match…

Principal Hayes cleared his throat once more.
“In that case, I suggest you both check your children’s things to see which of them is missing their compass. With your permission, we’ll keep this until the rightful owner can be identified.”