A change of heart.(Kevin Hughes) He was frozen in the doorway. She was frozen on the bed…straddling his best friend. A long moment passed.

“Why?”

“I want a Baby! You wouldn’t give me one. He is as close to you as I could get.”

Sixteen years of a loving relationship…where both of them agreed that they would not have children. She was as adamant as he was about it. Until…

She was thirty three now. Thirty three. The chances for first babies to have some challenges- or for the Mother to have complications- rose dramatically after age thirty five…if you had not been pregnant earlier. She tried to talk him into having a baby…he resisted. It was their only fight. It got ugly. So ugly she started berating him for his selfishness, conceit and inability to commit.

They stopped making love. A few weeks later…they stopped having sex. She wanted a baby. So she called Steve. She was hoping that she would catch before long. Then she could tell Steve he was no longer needed. She didn’t love Steve. She loved Brian. With all her heart. But she wanted a baby. He …did not. If she caught pretty soon, she could get rid of Steve, and then Brian would come around. He would never leave a pregnant woman. She knew that in her heart.

Her plan did not count on her getting caught in bed with Steve. Her plan did not include an outpouring of anger, denial, and pettiness that she showered on poor Brian. A Brian already numbed with shock from seeing his best friend pounding away on his girl. Her words slashed at him, tearing holes in all the things he believed to be true. She saw the toll her words were taking…but she couldn’t stop them. They spewed from her mouth in a torrent of hurt.

He said nothing. He just turned and walked out the door. She screamed after him:

“It’s all your fault. I just wanted our baby! You are so selfish!”

The tears poured down in the awkward silence. Steve tried to hold her… she shrugged him off. He was a mere Stud Pony…not the kind of man you curl up against to feel safe. She felt dirty. The tears came again. She never even heard Steve get dressed and leave. Brian never answered her texts. Nor did he return any of her calls. She even tried to write him letters….they all came back: “No such Person at this address.”

Brian…was gone.

Six weeks later…she stared at the strip in her hand. She was pregnant. She was going to have her baby. Hers. There were no men left in her life to share the News with. Steve had already told her he didn’t want anything to do with the baby. She had the paperwork in her dresser. Legally he had waived all his rights to any contact with the baby. And Brian…well…he had no connection to the baby…and no contact with its Mother. She let some tears go. She had her baby.

*****

He heard the bell ring. Then it rang again. He looked through the smoked glass front door. A little girl, probably ten, maybe eleven stood there in a frosted silhouette. Must be Girl Scout Cookies …he thought to himself.

He was wrong.

It was indeed a ten year old girl. She reminded him of someone…but he couldn’t place whom. He smiled down at her when he opened the door:

“Can I help you?”

The little girl was fighting back tears. He could see how shiny her eyes were. He knelt down so she could look him in the eye.

“Are you okay?”

The girl gave a shrug of her head. It was a sign of the courage she was manifesting that she didn’t just turn and run. She was scared. She didn’t know this man. Her Mom told her if she ever needed help….this was the man she should go talk to. It took her almost three days to track him down on the Computer. It took another day to find out how to get to him. After all, he lived more than a hundred miles from her house.

When you are ten years old…a hundred miles might as well be a trip to the moon. She couldn’t make it on foot, or on her bike…she wasn’t old enough to drive…and her Mother couldn’t drive. Not since the accident anyway. First her Mom spent five months in the Hospital. Then when she came home…she was virtually helpless- and depressed. The Bills mounted up. The Insurance money went mostly to Attorneys and Collection Agencies.

Then, a week ago, the Sheriff said they had thirty days until the Eviction. He gave her a candy bar and a five dollar bill…but she knew he would kick them out of their house in thirty days. She could read it in the sad posture he took when he spoke to her Mother. Just because he didn’t want to…didn’t mean he wouldn’t.

She remembered the times her Mother told her about the Man that should have been her Father. She remembered what she said…word for word:

“Kathleen, if anything ever happens to me. If I were to die, or get really sick. I want you to look up a man named Brian Foster. Introduce yourself. Tell him you are Sheila May Parson’s daughter. He will know what to do. I only know he lives in a small town about a hundred miles away; Clifford up in Beaker County. That’s all I know. But find him…he will help you. I know he will. “

Well, even though her Mother was alive…she wasn’t really living. She needed help. A ten year old girl wasn’t able to fight the battles that adults, laws, and life fought. So she figured it was time to do what her Mom said.

She found him. She found a way to take a Greyhound bus. She just wore a tag saying she was a “traveling minor” and would be met at the other end of the journey. The Driver was sweet…and protective. He kept her in the seat right behind him. A wall of elderly Matrons surrounded her at every stop. She got to Clifford at Nine O’clock in the morning. It took her almost an hour to walk to his house.

Now, she was here. She hesitated for a few minutes…and rang the bell. She rang it again.

Then the big man opened the door. She finally lost her courage. She just stood there. All the words she planned to say…gone. She was so tired. So hungry. So scared for her Mommy. She watched as he knelt down. He seemed to care. He just waited for her to talk. She didn’t.

Instead, she surprised them both by throwing her arms around his neck and bawling.

He felt her body trembling with shudder after shudder. He patted her back gently…cooing the whole time:

“Whoa little Lady. Hold on there. It is going to be okay. Did someone hurt you?”

He felt her head shake a “no” against his chest. That gave him some relief. He tried again:

“Are you lost?”

Another head shake. He didn’t know what else to do. He just kept patting her back and saying:

“It will be okay little lady. It will be okay.”

She felt safe in his arms. His voice was soothing. Soon she was able to stop crying. She leaned back so she could look in his eyes. Finally, she found her voice.

“Mommy needs help. She sent me to get you. Well, she told me a long time ago…that if I needed help…to find you. You would know what to do.”

He had no clue what she was talking about. But the words came out with confidence from the little girl. Somehow, she thought he would care…and act. His mind was still reeling from moving from a lazy breakfast to a distressed little lady cradled in his arms…so it took a while for his own thoughts to march down to his mouth.

“What is your name?”

“I am Kathleen May Parsons.”

“Who…is your Mommy?”

"Her name is Sheila May Parsons. She said if anything happened to her, I was to go find you. You would know what to do.”

Her eyes grew shiny. He felt his heart being clamped down with old hurts…and new fears.

“Is your Mom…is she…alive…okay?”

The girl nodded.

“She’s alive, but hurt bad. They are taking our house from us. She barely eats…and I can’t lift her from bed to help her. I am to small.”

He held her gently out at arms length…so he could see all of her. Now he knew why she looked familiar. Even down to the stubbornness it took to overcome her fear to do what her Mom asked…she was definitely Sheila’s child. He smiled at the woman he saw in the little girl.

“You are a big girl. And you did the right thing. Let’s get you something to eat, and we will get in my truck and drive to get your Mommy. You can tell me all about your journey to find me as we drive along. Okay?”

She smiled for the first time.

“Okay.”

*****

Sheila heard voices in the other room. One was her daughter. The Other voice was one from her past. She hadn’t heard that voice in over a decade. It couldn’t be. It must be one of the fever dreams, or maybe from the pain medication that she held in reserve for really bad days. She wanted to get out of bed and see what was going on…part of her didn’t care. Another part was interested, but not enough to find the strength to get up. The voices got closer to her bedroom…the door opened.

Her life…changed.

*****

She liked Clifford. It was a small town. The park was only a quarter mile from their home. The Church as practically next door. And Kathleen’s school was in walking distance. He walked Kathleen to school ever day. On her good days, when there wasn’t any snow or rain to risk falling, she would walk with them too.

The lake had just enough depth to swim, but wasn’t big enough for boats. Oh sure, on any given summer day, there were more than a few canoes on the water. Sometimes with her, her daughter, and her hubby among them. They also hiked the nearby woods a lot. Usually with her and her hubby holding hands. Sometimes, all three of them held hands while they walked.

She still had a slight limp and her right shoulder would never be the same. Three surgeries was all she could handle. As long as she didn’t lift anything heavier than a big baby with that arm…it was fine. That thought made her rub her now swollen belly one more time. He caught the motion out of the corner of his eye. He reached over with a gentle press of his hand over hers…exploring the entire “bump” with awe.

He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

It was their first baby, and second child.

He loved them all.

She liked Clifford. It was where they lived now.

He had adopted her daughter just one month after moving to Clifford. They both took his last name.

The baby kicked. They all stopped to put their hands on her belly as he baby found a more comfortable position.

He made them all laugh when he leaned into her belly and said out loud:

“Stop kicking your Mother…you just find a comfortable position and rest. You still need a few more month in there. We will all be here to greet you when you come out.”

The small family chatted as they walked. Discussing names for the baby.

It was a pleasant day in Clifford.

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