It took a misfortune to bring about a blessing
There would be no happiness
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. You raised me, and now youre adding another burden! I dont need you; pack your things and dont come back under my roof!
Marie heard the shouting, her head bowed. The last hope she hadthat her aunt might let her stay at least until she found a jobwas slipping 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 stepped in. The cousin took her in; thanks to her house and salary, she 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 a mothers affection, but who really cared?
Marie was a good student. After high school she entered a teaching college. Her years of study flew by, as did 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 catching her breath, the aunt calmed slightly:
Leave, I dont want to see you again!
Aunt Françoise, cant I at least
Its over, I said!
Catherine silently took her suitcase and walked out. She hadnt expected to leave like thishumiliated, rejected, and pregnant. Still, she had decided to tell everything.
She needed a roof over her head. Marie walked, lost in thought, oblivious to everything around her. Summer was in full swing. Apples and pears ripened in gardens, apricots turned golden in the sun. Vines bowed under heavy clusters, plum trees hid behind green leaves. The air was filled with the sweet scent of jam, grilled meat, and freshly baked bread. Her throat was dry. She approached a door and called out to a woman in the summer kitchen:
Excuse me, could I have something to drink?
Louise, a sturdy woman in her fifties, turned around.
Come in, if youre here in good faith.
She ladled water from a bucket into a cup and handed it to the young woman. Marie sat on a bench and drank eagerly.
May I stay awhile? Its so hot.
Rest, dear. Where are you coming from with that suitcase?
Ive finished my studies and want to teach, but I have nowhere to live. Do you know anyone who rents a room?
Louise studied her carefully. She was clean, though a little tired and worried.
You could stay with me. I wont charge much, but you must pay on time. If that works for you, 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 prefecture opportunities were scarce. Her son lived far away and visited only rarely, so she would have someone to share the long winter evenings with.
Incredulous at this unexpected chance, Marie followed Louise. The room was small but cosy, 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 Marie headed to the education office.
Days passed swiftlywork, home, work. Marie barely noticed the calendar turning. She got along well with Louise, a kind and compassionate woman. They grew attached, and whenever she could, Marie helped with the house chores. Often in the evenings they shared tea in the garden, enjoying the gentle autumn air.
The pregnancy progressed without trouble. Catherine didnt suffer from nausea, her face stayed bright, though she had put on 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 wealthy university professors. His parents had refused to send him to Paris; his future was already mapped out: studies, a doctorate, then teaching or research alongside them. Intelligent, courteous, sociable, he was popular with the girls, yet he chose Marie. Was it her shy smile, her soft hazel eyes, her slender figure, or perhaps a quiet inner strength she possessed? It was hard to say. What mattered was that they hardly spent a day apart until graduation, and Marie imagined a rosy future with Paul.
She remembered that day vividly. One morning she suddenly couldnt keep food down; certain smells turned her away, and shed felt nauseous for days. Most of all, she was late! How could she have forgotten? Marie bought a test, returned to the dorm, drank a glass of water and waited. It was positivetwo lines. The exams were looming, and now this! How would Paul react? Children werent part of their plans yet.
A wave of tenderness for the little life inside her surged.
Little one whispered Marie, rubbing her belly.
Informed, Paul suggested she meet his parents that evening. Recalling that meeting brought tears to Maries eyes. Pauls parents urged her to abort and leave town after exams, alone. Paul had to focus on his career, and they deemed her unfit for him.
She could only imagine their conversation. The next day Paul entered silently, placed an envelope on the table and left.
Marie didnt intend to abort. She already loved the fragile being inside herher child. Yet life would be hard, with no one to help. After careful thought, she chose to keep the money Paul had left, aware she would need it.
After telling her story, Louise comforted her:
It happens; its not the worst thing. You did right keeping the baby. Hes innocent and will be a comfort. With time, perhaps things will improve.
But Marie no longer wanted to hear Pauls name. The memory of that rejection was still raw; she couldnt forgive the humiliation, nor could she bear the idea of reconciliation.
Time passed. Marie, forced to stop working, moved like a cane, counting the days until her babys birth. The ultrasound couldnt tell if it would be a boy or a girl, but that didnt matteronly that the child was healthy.
At the end of February, on a Saturday, contractions began. Louise took her to the hospital. She gave birth peacefully to a robust, healthy boy.
Pierre, my little Pierre she murmured, caressing his round cheek.
Marie befriended the other women in the ward. They told her that a customs captains partner had delivered two days earlier, then abandoned the baby, feeling unready to be a mother.
Can you imagine? He covered the child with flowers, gave gifts to the staff, visited daily! But she didnt want children and left a note of abandonment. Crazy, right?
And the baby?
Theyre feeding him with a bottle. A nurse suggested breastfeeding would be better, but who would do it? Every mother has her own child to feed.
During lunch, the small baby was brought in.
Someone 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 infant and took the little one.
Oh, how white she is! So tiny! Shell be called Manon.
Compared to Pierre, she seemed minuscule. Marie put the child to her breast, and the little one latched eagerly.
So weak said the nurse.
Thus Marie was nursing two babies.
Two days later a nurse announced that the captain, the infants father, would visit to meet the woman feeding his daughter. Marie met Captain Dubois, a mediumbuilt man with penetrating blue eyes.
The events that followed spread through the hospital and then the whole town, their story destined to be remembered.
On the day of 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 into the vehicle; Louise was already seated, handing her first a blue package, then a pink one.
With a honk, the car drove off around the corner.
Thus life rolls onunpredictable and full of unimaginable surprises.
It Took a Misfortune to Bring About a Silver Lining
