Without luck, there is no happiness
How could you let that happen, you foolish girl! Whos going to want you now, dragging a child around? And how are you supposed to raise it? Dont think youll get any help from me! I raised you up, but I wont be burdened with your troubles as well. Pack your things and leave my house at onceI never want to see you again!
Mary listened in silence, her gaze fixed on the floor. Her last hopethat her aunt might let her stay until she found a jobwas disappearing before her eyes.
If only Mother were alive
She had never known her father. Her mother had died fifteen years before, hit by a drunk driver on the High Street crossing. The authorities were about to send her to an orphanage when, suddenly, a distant relativeher mothers third cousinhad come forward. The woman agreed to take her in, with a modest house and enough of a wage to manage the paperwork.
They lived on the edge of a small town in southern England, where the summers blazed and the winters were cold and damp. Mary had never gone hungry, always clothed respectably and taught to work hard from a young agethere was always something to do in a house with a garden and sundry animals. Perhaps shed missed out on her mothers affection, but whose concern was that?
She worked hard at school. After college, she entered teacher training at university. The student years flew by, and now, diploma in hand, shed come back to her hometown. But this time, her heart was heavy.
Go now, dont let me see you again!
Aunt Violet, at least…
I said go!
Mary picked up her suitcase and stepped out into the sweltering afternoon. How had things come to this? Humiliated and rejected, with her little bump hardly noticeable yetshed owned up to the pregnancy, unable to lie.
She had to find shelter. She walked along, head down, thoughts churning, when a voice called out:
You look parched, love. Would you like some water?
A sturdy woman in her fifties looked at her sharply from the gate.
Come in, if you mean no harm.
She handed Mary a glass jug full of cold water. Mary sat on a bench in the shade and drank gratefully.
May I stay for a bit? Its stifling out there…
Stay as long as you need, pet. Where are you from? I see youve got a suitcase.
Ive just finished university, Im looking for a teaching post at a school. But Ive nowhere to stay… Do you know of anyone who lets rooms?
The womanher name was Margaretlooked her over. Neat, but with tired eyes.
Well, you can stay with me. I wont charge much, but youll have to pay promptly. If that suits you, Ill show you your room.
Glad of the company and pleased with the idea of some rent coming in, Margaret led her to a small, tidy room that looked out over the apple trees. A bed, an old wardrobe, a tablesufficient.
Mary settled in over the next few days and began her job-hunt. She became friends with Margaret, helping out around the house and garden. In the evenings, they would sit under the wisteria with cups of tea, talking about life.
Marys pregnancy moved along steadily. She confessed her story: David, her boyfriend from university, son of wealthy academics, had fled as soon as she told him. Shed kept the money hed leftknowing she would need it.
You did the right thing not to get rid of it, muttered Margaret. An innocent child will bring you happiness yet.
In February, the labour pains began. Margaret took Mary to the hospital, where she delivered a healthy baby boyEdward. In the hospital ward, she overheard talk about an abandoned newborn girl whose mother had disappeared after giving birth.
Is anyone able to care for her? Shes so frail, said the nurse.
Mary gathered the tiny girl in her arms. Such a little, pale thing.
Ill call you Daisy, she whispered.
When Captain Richard Bennett, the baby girls father, arrived, everything changed. On the day Mary was discharged, a car decorated with blue and pink balloons waited for her. The officer helped her in, handing over two bundles: one wrapped in blue, the other in pink.
The townsfolk talked for months about the wedding that followed. Captain Bennett, moved by Marys kindness, had asked for her hand. And so Mary, with Edward in her arms and Daisy adopted, began a new chapter.
Who could have imagined that a sweltering summers day and a glass of water would alter so many lives? But life has a way of turning pages you never knew were written. Sometimes, hardship leads us straight to unexpected happinessreminding us that when luck knocks, we must have the courage to answer.
