I followed the boy to a house and found Alice, now grown up, living nearby with her son. The boy, Travis, admitted he had been stealing to help with their money problems. Alice explained she left because she was ashamed,
thinking I hated her. We hugged, and all the years of pain melted away. Alice promised to take care of Travis, and I realized that if he hadn’t stolen from my store, I might never have found my family again.