A Bad Turn for a Good End
There would be no happiness
Oh, what a disaster, you fool! Who needs you now that you have a child? How do you expect to raise it? I wont help you, understand that. I raised you, and now this extra burden! I dont need youpack your things and never set foot under my roof again!
Marie heard the shouting, head bowed. Her last hope that her aunt would let her stay, at least until she found work, slipped away before her eyes.
If only mother were still alive
Marie never knew her father, and her mother had been hit by a drunk driver at a crosswalk fifteen years earlier. She was about to be placed in a foster home when a distant cousin of her mother suddenly appeared. The cousin took her in; with a house and a steady salary, obtaining guardianship was easy.
The aunt lived on the outskirts of a border town in southern France, green and hot in summer, rainy in winter. The girl lacked nothing, always welldressed and used to household chores. Perhaps she missed a mothers love, but who really cared?
Marie was a good student. After high school she entered a teaching college. Her years of study flew by, and with them 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 a harsh outburst, the aunt finally relented a little:
Get out of here, I dont want to see you again!
Aunt Françoise, cant I at least
Its over, I said!
Catherine silently grabbed her suitcase and left. She hadnt expected to walk away humiliated, rejected, and pregnant, but she had decided to tell everything.
Now she needed shelter. Marie walked, lost in thought, oblivious to the world around her. Summer was in full swing. Apples and pears ripened in the gardens, apricots turned golden under the sun. Vines bowed under heavy clusters, plum trees hid behind green leaves. The air was scented with sweet jam, grilled meat, and freshbaked bread. Her throat was dry. She approached a door and called out to a woman in a summer kitchen:
Madam, could I have something to drink?
Louise, a sturdy woman in her fifties, turned.
Come in, if youre here in good faith.
She scooped a cup of water from a bucket and handed it to the girl. Marie sat on a bench and drank greedily.
May I stay a while? Its so hot.
Rest, dear. Where did 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 renting a room?
Louise studied her. She was clean, a little tired, and clearly worried.
You could live with me. I wont charge much, but pay on time. If that sounds alright, come see the room.
Louise welcomed the prospect of a tenant. A few extra coins never hurt, and in their small town far from the capital, opportunities were scarce. Her son lived elsewhere and visited rarely, so she would have someone to share long winter evenings with.
Astonished by the sudden offer, Marie followed Louise. The room was modest but cozy, overlooking the garden, with a table, two chairs, a bed, and an old wardrobe. It was enough. They quickly settled the rent, and the newly changed girl headed to the education office.
Days passed swiftlywork, home, work. Marie barely noticed time slipping by. She got along well with Louise, a kind and compassionate woman, and they grew attached. Whenever possible, Marie helped with household chores. In the evenings they often shared tea in the garden, enjoying the gentle autumn air.
The pregnancy progressed smoothly. Catherine didnt suffer morning sickness; her face stayed bright, though she had gained weight. She 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 university professors. They had refused to send him to Paris; his future was set: studies, doctorate, then teaching or research alongside his parents. Intelligent, courteous, sociable, he was popular with the girls. Many would have liked him, but he chose Marie. Was it her shy smile, her hazel eyes, her slender figure, or the inner strength she possessed? It was hard to say. Nevertheless, they were inseparable until the end of their studies, and Marie imagined a rosy future with Paul.
She remembered one particular morning vividly. Suddenly she could no longer tolerate food; certain smells repulsed her, and she had felt nauseous for days. And most of all, she was late! How could she have forgotten? Marie bought a test, returned to the dormitory, drank a glass of water, and waited. It was positivetwo lines. Exams looming, and now this! How would Paul react? Children were not part of their plans.
A wave of tenderness for the little life inside her surged.
Little one she whispered, caressing her belly.
Informed, Paul offered to introduce her to his parents that evening. Recalling that meeting now brings tears to Maries eyes. Pauls parents suggested she abort and leave town after exams, alone. Paul needed to focus on his career; they felt she wasnt good enough for him.
The next day Paul entered silently, placed an envelope on the table, and left. Marie refused to abort. She already loved the fragile being growing inside herher child. Yet life would be hard, with no one to help. After much thought, she decided to keep the money Paul had left, knowing she would need it.
Louise comforted her afterward:
It happens; its not the worst thing. You did right keeping the baby. He isnt to blame and will bring you comfort. With time, things may get better.
But Marie no longer wanted to hear Pauls name. The memory of his rejection was still raw; she couldnt forgive the humiliation and couldnt imagine reconciliation.
Time moved on. Marie, unable to work, shuffled like a cane, counting the days until her babys birth. The ultrasound couldnt determine gender, but she only cared that the child was healthy. At the end of February, on a Saturday, contractions began. Louise took her to the hospital, where she delivered a strong, healthy boy.
Pierre, my little Pierre, she murmured, smoothing his round cheek.
Marie befriended the women in the ward. They told her that a customs captains wife had given birth two days earlier, then abandoned the baby, feeling unready for motherhood.
Can you imagine? He covered the child in flowers, gave gifts to the staff, visited daily! Yet she didnt want a child and left a note of abandonment. Crazy!
And the baby?
Theyre feeding him with a bottle. A nurse suggested breastfeeding would be better, but who would do it? Everyone has their own child to nurse.
During lunch, the newborn was brought in.
Anyone to breastfeed? Shes so fragile, the nurse looked at the new mothers.
Give her to me; we cant let a baby suffer, Marie gently placed her son beside the little one and took the infant.
Oh, shes so white and tiny! Shell be called Manon.
Compared with Pierre, the girl seemed minuscule. Marie held her to her breast, and the infant latched eagerly.
So weak, the nurse remarked.
Thus Marie was nursing two babies. Two days later a nurse announced that the captain, the little girls father, would visit to meet her caregiver. Marie then met Captain Dubois, a mediumbuilt man with piercing blue eyes.
The events quickly became talk of the entire hospital, then of the whole town, because their story seemed destined for remembrance. On the day of her discharge, doctors, nurses, and aides gathered outside the hospital where a car decorated with pink and blue balloons waited. The young officer in captains epaulettes helped Marie inside, where Louise was already seated, and handed her a blue package followed by a pink one. The cars horn sounded, the engine roared, and it vanished around the corner.
Thus life goes onunpredictable, full of unimaginable surprises.
It Took a Crisis to Bring Forth a Blessing
