Keeping An Eye Out
Seeing the girl walking down the steps of the porch, Gabriel followed her gaze. It was as if his heart was racing. Was her family aware of this? There was something he wanted to do to help, but he didn't know how.
Observing the little girl as she left her house with the cupcake in hand, the garbage man waited from afar. The truth was finally about to be revealed by Gabriel.
Gabriel Johnson
From the safety of his own home, Gabriel Johnson watched the girl leave her house all by herself for weeks. It had almost become a ritual.
A cupcake would be in her hand as she walked down her front porch steps. The strange man was waiting for her at the end of the street.
Protective
It was enough for Gabriel to watch from the kitchen window. He felt it his duty to protect every child in the neighborhood from harm, because something was going on.
What was the older man's goal with such a young girl? Is there a reason why he was always waiting at the end of the neighborhood, out of everyone's sight? Gabriel felt that something wasn't right about the situation. A terrible thing happened one day.
Filming It On His Phone
Gabriel himself was a father, and he knew the suspicious man couldn't be around his children. It was time for him to do something about this little girl who was leaving her yard on this day.
There was a need for proof. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to approach her parents. As the girl approached the man, he pulled out his cell phone and filmed her.
Strange Behavior
Prior to acknowledging her, the man looked around suspiciously. It puzzled Gabriel. Did he want to know if anyone was watching them?
Neither of them realized he was filming the entire conversation across the street. Then Gabriel watched her hand the man a cupcake, as she always does. Who was this unknown man? And why was she interacting with him?
Behind His Truck
During the few minutes the man talked to the girl, he watched them. As they spoke, he knelt beside her. In the midst of whispering something into the girl's ear, Gabriel's heart dropped.
It was then that she began following the man around the truck. He was unable to see them for more than ten minutes. Gabriel was completely baffled. In the shadow of his truck, where nobody can see them, what were they doing? A feeling of sickness overtook him.
Uncover The Truth
Shivers ran down Gabriel's spine as he witnessed the interaction. They weren't visible to anyone else, so what were they doing? He knew he had to take action. After tucking his phone into his jeans pocket, he waited.
There was no time to waste. He had to act immediately. The girl's relationship with the grown man was secret, and he did not believe her parents were aware of it. In order to uncover the truth, he would stop at nothing.
Texas
Gabriel Johnson was a loving and dedicated father who lived in Dallas, Texas. Bridget, his wife, and their two young sons were the most important things in the middle-aged man's life.
A new family moved in across the street after they lived in the neighborhood for over six years.
Introductions
It was always Gabriel and Bridget's philosophy to treat their neighbors well. In order to meet the new family living across the street, they introduced themselves immediately.
The Youngs moved from the city to the suburbs to raise their six-year-old daughter, Lacy. The new couple got along well with Gabriel, and he hoped that their children would become friends as well.
Seeing Lacy
The Young family wasn't seen much by Gabriel for the first few weeks. Once they settled into their new home, he knew they would be more frequent visitors once they became more comfortable.
However, Gabriel hadn't noticed Lacy leaving the house on her own until one Thursday afternoon.
Expectations
Gabriel was in the kitchen of his home, making a cup of coffee when he spotted the girl through the kitchen window. She was holding a cupcake in her left hand and shut the front door gently behind her.
Gabriel expected to watch her eat the cupcake on the front porch before heading back inside, but that is not what happened.
Unaware
Lacy stood on the front porch for a second and glanced out over the neighborhood. From where she stood, she couldn’t see Gabriel staring.
He didn’t think much as he watched the girl slowly walk down the steps of her family’s front porch. He thought it was strange that she was out by herself, but it wasn’t his business. But just then, the strangest thing occurred.
Something Strange
He watched mindlessly as the little girl’s eyes locked on something at the end of the street. When he took a look for himself, he spotted the garbage truck.
He didn’t think this was too strange. His sons had also always been fascinated by the garbage man’s massive truck. But his eyebrows were tucked firmly together as he watched the girl step onto the sidewalk. Where was she going all by herself?
Keeping An Eye On Her
He decided to keep an eye on her as she slowly began approaching the truck with the cupcake in hand. Something about the situation seemed strange.
He continued to watch out of curiosity, but his stomach dropped when he watched the garbage man step out of his vehicle. He couldn’t have been younger than 35 years old, Gabriel thought to himself, but then, it happened.
A Stranger
The man stepped out of his truck and approached the little girl. Gabriel was confused. Did they know each other? But as the little girl reached her hand out to the man and shook his, the answer was obvious.
They certainly didn’t know each other. The girl spoke to the man for a few minutes before handing him the cupcake. Gabriel thought it was just a kind gesture at first, but soon, it became a ritual.
Sneaking Out
As the weeks passed, every Thursday afternoon at exactly 12:05 p.m., Gabriel would spot the girl sneaking out of her house all by herself and approaching the man with a cupcake in hand.
He wondered if Lacy’s parents noticed what was happening. Why on earth was the older man interacting with a child all by herself? Something about the situation didn’t sit right with the man. But one day, something truly strange happened.
A Ritual
At this point, Gabriel had been watching from the safety of his own home as the girl left her house, all by herself. It had become somewhat of a ritual. Every Thursday, she snuck out of her front door.
She would walk down her front porch steps with a cupcake in hand. Then, she would walk to the end of the street where the strange man would be waiting for her.
His Duty
He’d had enough of watching from his kitchen window. Something was going on, and he felt that it was his duty to keep every single child in their neighborhood away from harm’s way. Something about the man didn’t sit right with him.
What did the older man want with a young girl like that? And why was he always waiting at the edge of the neighborhood? Something about the situation felt off to Gabriel.
He Needed Proof
Being a father himself, he didn’t want the suspicious man anywhere near his or anyone else’s children. As he watched the little girl leave her yard, he decided that it was finally time to do something about it.
He needed proof before he could approach her parents about it. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and filmed the girl as she approached the man.
Suspicious
The man looked around himself suspiciously before he acknowledged the girl. Gabriel wondered why. Was he checking to see if anyone was watching them?
They were unaware that he was across the street, filming the entire interaction. He then watched as the girl handed the man the cupcake, just like every week before. But then, something strange happened.
Behind The Truck
Gabriel watched as the man spoke to the girl for a few minutes. He bent down beside Lacy as they spoke. But Gabriel’s heart dropped when he watched the man whisper into her ear.
The girl then followed the man around the truck. They were hidden from his gaze for over ten minutes before Lacy finally reappeared without the strange man. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He felt sick to his stomach as he watched the girl turn on her heel and make her way back home.
What Was Going On?
The interaction sent shivers down Gabriel’s spine. What was she doing with the man behind his truck? What were they doing that he didn’t want anyone to see? He knew he had to do something about this. He tucked his phone into the pocket of his jeans and waited until the girl was in the safety of her home.
He had to do something about this right away. Something was going on, and he doubted that the girl’s parents knew about her relationship with the grown man. He would stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it.
Furious
The garbage man made his way back to his truck as soon as the young girl left. He started the vehicle and immediately drove off. Gabriel was furious. He couldn’t believe that some sicko would come into their neighborhood and do something like this.
He was worried for Lacy’s safety. He had to speak to her parents about this immediately. He couldn’t let this go any further.
He Mentioned It
Gabriel wasted no time as he left his house and made his way across the street. He had mentioned his suspicions to his wife, and she warned him to be careful of accusing an innocent man.
But now, Gabriel was sure of it. The garbage man was not innocent. He had been getting away with this for weeks, and Gabriel had to put an end to it all.
The Young House
He walked up to the Young house and knocked on the door. He had been keeping this to himself for far too long, and now, things had escalated.
He felt like it was his fault. He should have warned Lacy’s mom and dad ages ago. When the door swung open, he was met by Mary, Lacy’s mother. When she noticed the distress on his face, her smile melted.
What’s Going On?
“Good afternoon, Gabriel. Is everything alright?” She questioned, but he shook his head. He didn’t know how to start the conversation, so he decided to tell her everything from start to finish.
“There is something I need to speak to you about, regarding Lacy,” He told her. Her face twisted in concern when she asked him what was going on.
Every Detail
He proceeded to tell her every last detail. He mentioned that she had been sneaking out of the house and that she had been meeting the garbage man at the end of the street. He then told her about what had happened just minutes ago.
“They were behind his truck for over ten minutes. I have it all on video if you need the proof,” But when he looked up at Mary, she had a grin on her face.
Harold
“I know that she has been speaking to the garbage man. His name is Harold,” She said. Gabriel was baffled. She knew that her daughter was spending time alone with an adult and she just let her?
“We have a little tradition in our household,” She explained, “Lacy and I bake cupcakes every Thursday, and she likes to give some to the garbage man. She has this weird obsession with wanting to become a garbage person someday,” She laughed.
An Explanation
“My husband and I are hoping it’s just a phase. Harold was showing her the back of the truck and explaining how it all works, according to Lacy. I’ve met him a few times, he’s a lovely man,” She assured Gabriel.
“He has a wife and kids of his own, and Lacy has been having a blast chatting to him every Thursday. I appreciate the concern, but there is nothing to worry about.”
A Phase
Gabriel blushed. Suddenly, it all made sense. He felt embarrassed and apologized multiple times, but Mary told him not to worry about it.
“I appreciate you looking out for our daughter,” She said with a smile. As the weeks passed, Gabriel got used to seeing Lacy and Harold around his garbage truck. It did appear to be a phase, as a few months later, she had started delivering cupcakes to the veterinarian right next door.