It took one misfortune to bring about a blessing.
There would have been no happiness
What a disaster, you imbecile! Who would need you now that you have a child? How do you expect to raise it? I wont help you, understand that. Youve already been a burden, and now you add another weight! I dont need youpack your things and never set foot under my roof again!
Marie listened to the shouting, head bowed. Her last hope that her aunt would let her stay at least until she found a job slipped away before her eyes.
If only mother were still alive
Marie never knew her father, and her mother had been struck at a crosswalk by a drunk driver fifteen years earlier. Social services were about to place her in a home when a distant cousin of her mother suddenly appeared, took her in, and, thanks to her house and salary, secured guardianship without difficulty.
The aunt lived on the outskirts of a border town in southern France, green and warm in summer, rainy in winter. The girl lacked nothing, always welldressed and accustomed to housework. Perhaps she missed maternal affection, but who really cared?
Marie was a good student. After high school she entered a teachertraining college. Her years of study passed quickly, along with the carefree days, until she returned to the town that had become her home. This time, however, she felt no joy at seeing it again.
After shouting, the aunt calmed down a little:
Leave this place, I dont want to see you again!
Aunt Françoise, cant I at least
Its over, I said!
Catherine silently gathered her suitcase and walked out. She had not expected to leave in such a humiliating, rejected, and pregnant state, yet she had decided to tell everything.
She needed a roof over her head. Marie walked, lost in thought, oblivious to her surroundings. Summer was in full swing: apples and pears ripened in the orchards, apricots turned golden under the sun, vines bowed under heavy clusters, and plum trees hid behind green leaves. The air was scented with sweet jams, grilled meat, and freshly baked bread. Her throat was dry. She approached a door and called to a woman in the summer kitchen:
Madam, could you give me something to drink?
Louise, a sturdy woman in her fifties, turned around.
Come in, if youre here in peace.
She fetched a cup of water from a bucket and handed it to the young girl. Marie sat on a bench and drank greedily.
May I stay here a while? Its so hot.
Rest, dear. Where do you come from with that suitcase?
I finished my studies and want to teach, but I have no place to live. Do you know anyone who rents a room?
Louise studied her carefully. She was clean, a little weary, and clearly worried.
You could live with me. I wont charge much, but you must pay on time. If thats okay, come see the room.
Louise welcomed the idea of a tenant. A few extra coins never hurt, and in their small town far from the capital, opportunities were scarce. Her son lived far away and visited rarely, so she would have someone to share the long winter evenings with.
Incredulous at the unexpected chance, Marie followed Louise. The room was modest but comfortable, overlooking the garden, with a table, two chairs, a bed, and an old wardrobe. It was enough. They quickly agreed on the rent, and the newly changed girl went to the education office.
Days flew bywork, home, workleaving Marie no time to watch the calendar turn. She got along well with Louise, a kind and compassionate woman, and they grew attached. Whenever possible, Marie helped with household chores. Often in the evenings they shared tea in the garden, enjoying the gentle autumn air.
The pregnancy progressed smoothly. Catherine experienced no nausea, her face stayed bright, though she gained weight. She had confided her story to Louisea tale all too common.
In her second year, Marie fell in love. Not with just anyone, but with Paul, the only son of affluent parents who taught at the same university. His family had refused to send him to Paris; his future was already mapped out: studies, a doctorate, then teaching or research alongside his parents.
Intelligent, courteous, sociable, he was popular with the girls, many of whom would have liked to be with him. Yet he chose Marie. Was he drawn by her shy smile, her soft hazel eyes, her slender figure, or by an inner strength she possessed? It was hard to say. What mattered was that they scarcely spent a day apart until the end of their studies. Marie imagined a rosy future with Paul.
She remembered that day in detail. One morning she suddenly could no longer tolerate food; certain smells revolted her, and she had felt nauseous for days. Moreover, she was late! How could she have forgotten? Marie bought a test, returned to the dormitory, drank a glass of water, and waited. It came back positivetwo lines. The exams were looming, and now this! How would Paul react? Children were not part of their plans yet.
A sudden wave of tenderness for the tiny life inside her washed over her.
Little one, Marie whispered, caressing her belly.
Informed, Paul suggested she meet his parents that evening. Recalling that encounter now brought tears to Maries eyes. Pauls parents urged her to have an abortion and leave town after exams, alone. Paul needed to focus on his career; she was not good enough for him.
She could only imagine their conversation. The next day Paul entered silently, placed an envelope on the table, and left.
Marie was determined not to abort. She already loved the fragile being growing inside her. Yet life would be hard, with no one to help. After careful thought, she decided to keep the money Paul had left, aware she would need it.
Louise comforted her afterward:
These things happen; its not the worst. You did right keeping the baby. Hes innocent and will be a source of comfort. With time, things may improve.
But Marie no longer wanted to hear Pauls name. The memory of his rejection was still raw. She could not forgive the humiliation, nor could she bear the idea of reconciliation.
Time passed. No longer able to work, Marie moved like a cane, counting the days until her babys birth. The ultrasound could not tell whether it would be a boy or a girl, but it didnt matteras long as the child was healthy.
At the end of February, on a Saturday, contractions began. Louise took her to the hospital, where she delivered a robust, healthy boy.
Pierre, my little Pierre, she murmured, stroking his round cheek.
Marie befriended the women in the ward. They told her a customs captains partner had given birth two days earlier, then abandoned the baby, feeling unready.
Can you imagine? He covered the baby with flowers, gave gifts to the nurses, visited every day! But she didnt want children and left a note of abandonment. Crazy!
And the baby?
Theyre feeding him with a bottle. A nurse suggested breastfeeding, but who would do it? Everyone has her own child to feed.
During lunch, the little one was brought in.
Anyone to breastfeed? Shes so fragile, the nurse asked the new mothers.
Give her to me; we cant let a baby suffer, Marie said, gently handing over her son and taking the infant.
Oh, shes so white! So tiny! Shell be called Manon.
Compared with Pierre, she seemed minuscule. Marie put the baby to her breast, and the little one latched on eagerly.
So weak, the nurse remarked.
Thus Marie was feeding two babies.
Two days later a nurse announced that the captain, the infants father, would come to meet the woman who was nursing his daughter. Marie met Captain Dubois, a mediumbuilt man with penetrating blue eyes.
The events that followed became talk of the whole hospital, then of the entire town, because their outcome deserved to be remembered.
On the day of discharge, doctors, nurses, and aides gathered in front of the hospital where a car decorated with pink and blue balloons waited. The young officer in captains epaulettes helped Marie into the vehicle, where Louise was already seated, and handed her first a blue package, then a pink one.
The horn sounded, the car drove away around the corner, and disappeared.
Thus life goes onunpredictable and full of unimaginable surprises.
It Took a Calamity to Bring About Good Fortune
