Every Friday, I Babysat My Coworker’s Kids for Free – What She Gave Me Back Changed My Life

I met Mara at work during one of the hardest years of her life, though I didn’t know it then. She was a single mom of two young kids, constantly juggling daycare calls, missed shifts, and bills after their father disappeared.

One Friday, she nervously asked if I could babysit—just on Fridays—so she could take overtime shifts.

I agreed.

For a year, her kids came to my apartment every Friday. We built blanket forts, watched movies, and survived on frozen pizza. Mara tried to pay me, but I always refused.

“I’m not a service,” I told her. “I’m just helping.”

My boyfriend thought I was being used. Some nights, exhausted and canceling plans, I wondered if he was right.

Then Mara got promoted and moved away. Her last day was rushed—just a quick wave and mouthed “thank you.”

No goodbye.

Three weeks later, I received an envelope with two plane tickets and a note: “Come visit.”

I went.

At the airport, her kids ran into my arms. Later, in her new apartment, Mara placed car keys in my hand.

“It’s yours,” she said through tears. “You watched my kids 52 Fridays. Because of that, I worked overtime, got promoted, and received a bonus.”

The car was worth $15,000.

“This doesn’t cover what you gave me,” she said. “But your kindness wasn’t wasted. It was invested in my family.”

That’s when I realized:

Kindness doesn’t disappear.

Sometimes, it just takes the long way back.