When Daniel, Sarah, and their seven-year-old son, Derril, moved to a new city, they knew it would take some time to adjust. A new home, a new routine, and an entirely new environment. But one thing made the move exciting: Derril’s school had an amazing soccer program. And soccer? That was Derril’s greatest passion.
“I’m happy about the move, Dad,” Derril said one day as they shopped for new soccer boots. “My old school didn’t care about soccer, but this one does!”
Daniel smiled, ruffling his son’s hair. “That’s great, buddy. We wanted this to be good for all of us, not just for Mom’s job.”
For the first few months, everything seemed perfect. Sarah was busy at work, Daniel was settling into his remote cybersecurity job, and Derril was thriving in his new soccer club, excitedly talking about his coach, Mr. Sanders.
But then, something changed.
Derril became quiet, distant. His usual enthusiasm for soccer started to fade. He no longer rushed home excitedly to talk about practice. Instead, he came home looking troubled.
One afternoon, Daniel found his son in his room, crying. It shattered him.
“Derril, what’s wrong?” Daniel asked, sitting beside him. “You can talk to me.”
Derril took a deep breath, his little hands shaking. Then he blurted out words that made Daniel’s heart stop.
“I don’t want Mr. Sanders to be my dad!”
Daniel blinked, stunned. “Why would you think that, buddy?”
“Yesterday,” Derril sniffled, “when Mom picked me up from practice, he hugged her. And she didn’t push him away!”
A cold wave of fear washed over Daniel. Sarah had been acting distant lately, but he had assumed it was just stress from work. Could there be something more?
The next day, Daniel left work early and drove to the soccer field. He parked at a distance, waiting. When practice ended, Sarah arrived. Mr. Sanders walked up to her. They spoke briefly. Then, Sanders placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning in close.
Daniel’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “They look way too comfortable,” he muttered. Sarah smiled at Sanders but quickly stepped back, scanning the area nervously, as if she could feel someone watching.
That night, Daniel confronted her.
“Sarah, what’s going on with you and Mr. Sanders?” he asked, his voice steady but firm.
Sarah’s face went pale. “Daniel, there’s nothing going on,” she said, shaking her head. “I swear!”
“Then explain why Derril thinks his coach is replacing me!”
Sarah gasped. “What? No! That’s not true!” Her hands trembled as she grabbed his. “I should have told you sooner. But I didn’t want to scare you.”
She took a deep breath and revealed the truth.
Mr. Sanders had recognized a man watching their family. A man from his past. Someone dangerous. A known stalker.
“He’s been following me, Daniel,” Sarah said, her voice shaking. “Sanders noticed him at practice several times. He’s been keeping an eye on him, trying to protect us. That’s why he got close to me.”
Daniel’s blood ran cold. “Why didn’t you tell me? We need to call the police!”
“Sanders said he already spoke to a detective,” Sarah explained. “But they can’t do anything until the guy actually does something.”
Daniel’s head spun. It felt like a twisted crime show. But there was no time to process it because, at that moment, Derril burst into the room, his face pale with terror.
“There’s someone outside my window!” he shrieked.
Daniel sprang into action. “Call the police!” he told Sarah as he grabbed the baseball bat from the hallway.
He ran to Derril’s room and peered outside. His stomach dropped. A shadowy figure lurked near a tree, barely visible under the dim streetlights.
Moments later, sirens wailed, and flashing lights illuminated their yard. Police swarmed in, tackling the man to the ground.
“We got him,” one officer confirmed. “This man has a long record of stalking and violence.”
The nightmare was over.
The next day, Mr. Sanders visited, bringing pastries.
“I’m sorry if I caused any confusion,” he said sincerely. “But I knew this guy was dangerous. When I saw him at practice, I had to act fast.”
Daniel nodded, grateful but uneasy. “How do you know him?”
Sanders sighed. “I used to run with the wrong crowd. Nothing serious, but I knew people like him. When I saw him near Sarah, I knew exactly what he was up to.”
As the family processed everything, relief washed over them. But for Daniel, something still didn’t sit right.
Yes, the stalker was gone. Yes, Sanders had helped.
But deep inside, Daniel couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still wrong.
And he wasn’t sure he wanted his family anywhere near Mr. Sanders ever again.
