The Angelic Occurrence

by Henry K. Ripplinger

  “Oh, dear guardian angel please help me. Please touch the adoptive parent’s hearts and let me become part of their lives and family. I have always felt that Camilla was not only an answer to their prayer but that somehow we would one day be reunited.”

  Incredibly, the following Monday morning Jenny received the call that would be an answer to her deepest most heartfelt prayer.

  “Ms. Hamilton, I have good news for you. We have received a call from the adoptive parents and they, or rather he, has agreed for you to contact him in regards to your daughter, Camilla.”

  A rush of emotion that Jenny had buried within her from the day she gave birth to her daughter and accumulated over the years surged through her with such magnitude Jenny dropped the phone and collapsed on the chair by the phone. Tears immediately filled her eyes. She was speechless.

  “Ms. Hamilton? Ms. Hamilton?” Jenny heard from the receiver lying on the floor. It took her a moment to regain her composure and come back to the reality of the moment. Jenny bent down and picked up the phone.

  “Yes, I’m so sorry. It’s…it’s just that I have waited and dreamed of this moment for so long…” Jenny couldn’t speak any further, she just held the phone and cried.

  “I can call back a little later if you like,” said Mrs. Blake.

  “No, just give me a moment, I wi…I will be fine.” Jenny breathed deeply, slowly gaining control. But she heard Mrs. Blake sniffle and that made Jenny cry all the more. They laughed through their tears.

  “Oh, Mrs. Blake, I’m just so elated with this news. In what part of the city are they living?”

  “They don’t live here anymore, they moved years ago and retired in Victoria, British Columbia. We had a nice long talk when Mr. Breckhart, your daughter’s father through adoption of course, called and explained how they finally settled on the West Coast. When the Breckhart’s adopted Camilla, Mr. Breckhart was employed with Eaton’s here in Ottawa. In the late sixties he was transferred to Saskatoon and a few years later he was transferred to manage the Eaton’s store in Regina where he worked until his retirement in 1981. They then moved to Victoria.”

  Jenny couldn’t believe they had moved to Saskatchewan and to Regina of all places!

  “So, they are all living in Victoria?”

  “No, Mrs. Breckhart passed away a year ago and Camilla is married and lives in… Well, I’m getting ahead of myself. Mr. Breckhart should really be giving you these details. It is still up to him how far this matter goes. I feel confident though that he is prepared to tell you everything he knows from the conversations I have had with him.”

  “So, what is the next step?”

  “Mr. Breckhart gave me permission to give you his telephone number. If you decide to still go ahead with this you can call him to discuss this or arrange to meet him.”

  Jenny could not believe this was finally happening. She was elated! She felt like she was floating. How it happened so quickly! It was unfortunate Mrs. Breckhart was gone. Jenny would have loved to have met the woman that had taken her place all those years.

  “Oh that’s wonderful, Mrs. Blake. Just give me a moment while I get a pen. Okay, what is the number?”

  Mrs. Blake gave her the number.

  “I was so surprised to hear from him last Friday morning since he hadn’t responded to the letter we sent over two weeks ago. We thought for sure that he wouldn’t answer as a lot of adoptive parents choose not to. But lo and behold, the call came just when we were giving up hope! Anyway, I told him that I would be calling you today, and that he could expect to hear from you in the very near future.”

  Jenny repeated the number back to her.

  “Yes, that’s correct. Well, Ms. Hamilton, I wish you all the best. I know from your file you have waited for this moment for a long time. I hope everything works out to your heart’s desire.”

  “Oh, thank you, Mrs. Blake. I hope it will, too. To meet my daughter in person has been a dream of mine for almost thirty years. I still can’t believe that it is about to come true. Thank you, again.”

  Jenny took a deep breath and rested her head against the back of the chair. She was still so excited. Her heart threatened to burst through her chest, her hands were sweaty and her entire face was flushed and damp with perspiration. She picked up the paper she had written the telephone number on, read it and then waved the paper in front of her face to cool down.

  “Oh, thank you dear guardian angel, for helping bring my little wildflower back to me!”

  She wanted to dial the number right away, but a million thoughts raced through her mind. What should she say? How should she start? How would she introduce herself? Would Camilla’s father like her? What if he changed his mind after they spoke? Jenny had forgotten to ask Mrs. Blake if Camilla even knew she had been adopted, though based on their conversation, it sounded like she didn’t. She hoped it hadn’t upset Camilla’s father to receive the news that her biological mother was looking for her.

  Jenny couldn’t sit still. She wanted to phone right away but she was too excited. Perhaps she would go down to the courtyard for some fresh air and think more about what to say.

  The air felt good as Jenny walked out the door. The smell of fall was in the air. Soon the leaves would begin to change. She loved the large maple leaves when they turned to their golden yellow colour and fluttered to the ground. She recalled saving so many as a child and pressing them between books.

  Jenny sat down and recalled the morning Camilla was born in the hospital. Her only memory of her little baby was dangling from the doctor’s hand and squealing for her mother. Jenny would have given anything to hold her for just a moment. To touch her, to smell her, to cradle her in her arms and count her fingers and toes. But it was not meant to be…

  Within minutes, a nurse wrapped the infant in a white blanket and scurried out of the delivery room to the waiting arms of the adoptive parents. That was the last she saw of the precious infant that she had carried in her womb for all those months. The separation from her baby pained her for days on end. Jenny could feel the ache in her breasts now as she recalled how she yearned to nurse her newborn as nature had intended.

  It was nature that had come to her rescue, as it was doing now. God’s creations had always been Jenny’s way for re-connecting to her herself and her spirit. Perhaps that is why she decided to come outside and feel the sun on her face and smell the fragrance of the flowers. Slowly Jenny calmed and peace began to gently sweep within her being. She was returning to the now of life. Memories are good but it’s in the present that we move forward. There were many days, months and years that were filled with separation but from now on a new beginning was about to start. A beginning that would involve her and her daughter, and Jenny was determined to make the best of every moment of what was to come.

  Jenny tilted her face toward her friend and was soothed by the warmth of the sun’s rays. Accompanying this quiescence a thought emerged that gave Jenny further comfort. It had back then and was now resurfacing to hearten and refresh her once more. There was a reason for having given birth to Camilla. Her guardian angel had protected her from the memory of the rape itself but had not spared her the pregnancy. It may have been the answer to the prayers of Camilla’s adoptive parents, but Jenny sensed there was something more…something that had to do with her first love as well. What is it that is yet to unfold?

  Jenny pushed herself off the seat and made her way back inside the apartment. She went to the kitchen for a glass of water. She bit her lip, took a few sips and headed back to the phone. Her heart raced as she carefully dialed the number to Camilla’s adoptive father. The phone rang three times before a male voice answered.

  “Hello? The Breckhart residence.”

  “G-good morning.” Jenny’s heart leapt into her throat. “Is this Mr. Breckhart?”

  “This is he. Who is calling?”

  “Mr. Br-Breckh
art… This…this is Marjorie Hamilton, I-I’m—”

  “Yes, Marjorie, I know who you are. I was told you might call. It is so good to hear from you.”

  Jenny relaxed. She sensed a kindness in his voice and nature. She intuitively knew her daughter had been raised by good parents. They spoke for almost a half-hour. Much of what Mr. Breckhart said about his wife and how they eventually ended up in Victoria, Jenny already knew from her conversation with Mrs. Blake, but Jenny enjoyed hearing it from him and loved hearing his jolly voice.

  When the conversation lulled, Jenny finally asked, “So, Mr. Breckhart, is Camilla still living at home or does she have her own place in Victoria?”

  “She lives on the prairies. Cold, cold Saskatchewan! I keep telling her that she and her family should move to the coast. Much better weather here, but they are happy where they are.”

  “So, she is married?”

  “Yes. When I transferred to Regina she met a young man in the early 80’s and within two months they got married. Love at first sight, as the saying goes. They have one wonderful son a bit over two years of age.”

  Jenny couldn’t believe her ears. Camilla living in Regina? Maybe that’s another reason why she had felt drawn to move there. How could this be!

  “Marjorie, I should confide in you; Valerie, my wife, and I never did tell Camilla that she was adopted. Perhaps we should have, but the thinking at that time was to let sleeping dogs lie. Why create a problem when we were all so happy?” He paused. “We felt that not telling her would be for the best. That it might put too much pressure on her, create needless problems… and we have always loved her so much, as if she were our very own. We didn’t want to tell her we really were not her real parents, if you know what I mean?”

  “Yes,” Jenny said, then unthinkingly added, “and that her mother gave her away…”

  “Well, that didn’t really occur to us,” Mr. Breckhart corrected. “You were so young…”

  Jenny’s mind wandered, no longer listening to words that were meant to be consoling. No words could ever console the months and years of regret and sorrow she suffered for giving away her baby, her own flesh and blood, never to hear from her again. Thankfully, she had been given a second chance.

  “If you like, I will call Camilla and explain everything. In fact, Valerie was going to before she died. She felt that Camilla had a right to know that we were not the birth parents. But unfortunately, Valerie passed on unexpectedly and I just never had the heart to tell her… until now.

  “To be honest, I never thought about Camilla’s birth mother or had any notion of your desire to locate your daughter until I received a letter from a Mrs. Blake a few weeks back. After I got thinking about it, I suddenly realized why Valerie wanted to reveal to Camilla that she was adopted and that if she knew, maybe she would want to search out her real mother. Well, now knowing that you, too, had the same goal… well, I immediately agreed to receive your call. Funny how things turn ou—”

  “I was just wondering, Mr. Breckhart, if it would be better for Camilla to learn of this in person rather than by phone?”

  “See, women are better at this than men. Funny, I was just visiting with them in Regina this past summer… but I am planning a trip to Regina for an Eaton’s staff reunion in two weeks again. We could leave it until then?”

  “Yes, Camilla may be more receptive that way. It will likely be upsetting for her. Please let me think on it for a few days. I might have some suggestions as to how we might tell her. In any case, would you tell me her married name and the name of their son? And, my grandson, too!”

  “Yes, I can do that. I know that you will not try and contact her before I speak to her and explain our reasons—”

  “Of course, Mr. Breckhart, you can be assured I will not approach Camilla until I get the go ahead from you. In fact, we may even want to leave it up to her.”

  What came next, however, Jenny could never have been prepared for.

  “Her married name is Pederson. Her husband’s name is Jeremy.”

  Pederson? No, couldn’t be! Camilla married to a Jeremy Pederson? Mr. Breckhart also named their son, but Jenny no longer heard.

  “Are you still there, Marjorie?”

  “Yes, yes, Mr. Breckhart, it’s just the shock of it all. I know of a Pederson in Regina. Would Jeremy be related to Henry Pederson?”

  “Why, yes!” exclaimed Mr. Breckhart. “Henry is Jeremy’s father, that is, Camilla’s father-in-law. He owns that fine gallery, café and gift shop in Regina. Do you know Henry? He’s quite a famous artist.”

  Jenny was flabbergasted and, again, speechless. Her deep-rooted longing for Henry over all the years and her deepest wish that he had been the father of her child indirectly had come true! Over and over she had prayed to her guardian angel that Henry would be the father. Could her heart’s desire have somehow been infused within her unborn child? Could Camilla in some miraculous way have been led to return to her mother’s first love?

  Henry Pederson, my daughter’s father-in-law? Unbelievable!

  “Perhaps this is all too much for you, Marjorie. Would you like to take some time to think on this and call back?

  “Sorry, Mr. Breckhart. I’ll-I’ll be fine.”

  “So…you know Henry Pederson, do you?”

  “Yes, I do, Mr. Breckhart.”

  “Please call me Stanley as my wife used to. We are too old for this kind of formality and besides I miss not having Valerie around to call me by name.”

  Once again, thanks to Mr. Breckhart, Jenny relaxed. She wondered if she could ask him to call her Jenny as well but it might get too confusing.

  “Thank you, Stanley, and yes, I do know Henry. Oh, this is getting quite complicated—”

  “What do you mean? Good Lord, Henry wasn’t the father?”

  “No, no, he wasn’t.”

  Stan sighed.

  Jenny wasn’t prepared for this and didn’t know if she should tell Stan all the circumstances around this.

  “No, Stan, Henry was a close friend I knew years and years ago. Over 30 years, in fact. He probably no longer remembers me. Well, Stan or Stanley, before we proceed with this, can I call you back in a week or so?”

  “Of course, Marjorie, this is a big decision for you and… it is for me, too. I wish Valerie were here, she would be able to handle all this far better than me. But, Camilla is a very understanding girl. I’m certain she will be able to deal with this entire matter just fine and perhaps she already senses in her heart that her real parents are still out there. Her strong desire to work with unwed mothers makes me think that.”

  And after a pause, Stan said, “I’ve lived long enough to know that somehow life can never carry a secret forever.”

  Jenny had difficulty keeping up with the conversation, as Stan’s last words reverberated through her mind.

  Keeping a secret. Yes, secrets can never be kept, forever.

  She thought of Henry’s letter, of her mother revealing it to her, of Camilla, her love for Henry.

  But then, perhaps some secrets were meant to die in one’s heart.

  “It was so nice to talk with you, Stan. I just know you and Mrs.…Valerie were so good for Camilla. This has been quite a day for both of us. I will call within two weeks, Stan, before you leave for your reunion.”

  “It was good to hear from you too, Marjorie. Valerie and I talked so many times about you. We loved the name you selected for Camilla. It was always a reminder of the special gift you gave to us. Valerie and I could not have children and so we considered it such a blessing when we heard a baby was coming up for adoption. You were in our prayers every day. We know how difficult it must have been for you and carrying it in your heart all these years.”

  Tears welled up in Jenny’s eyes. The truth of Stan’s words opened so many sad memories, but it was all about to change for the better.
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br />   After a long pause, Jenny said, “It makes me very happy it was you and Valerie. I, too, thought so many times about the home I placed Camilla in. Thank you, again. Good-bye for now.”

  “Good-bye, Marjorie.”

  Jenny collapsed back in her chair and let the receiver slip out of her hand onto its cradle. Finally, finding Camilla and learning that she was in Regina and… then learning that Henry was Camilla’s father-in-law was all too much for her to fathom at once. There was no doubt in her mind now: she would move to Regina as soon as she could.

  However, it does complicate things…

  She sat in awe at the way everything had turned out. Only a few months ago, she never would have entertained the idea of moving to Regina, and now…it was becoming a reality.

  Jenny recalled a scripture, Isaiah 55:9, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

  “Yes, dear Lord, Your ways and Your thoughts certainly are!” Jenny concurred.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hi Matti, it’s Jen. Do I ever have some thrilling news to tell you! You better sit down!”

  “If I sit I might fall over. Better I be standing so I can shake off whatever you’re fixin’ to share with me. What is it, Jen?”

  “I’m moving to Regina!”

  “Oh Jenny, that’s sad news! Why you sounding so happy? Say it isn’t so.”

  “Oh Matti, we will still get together and we can phone each other every Sunday night or even more. Since Mom died, I have decided to make some changes in my life. I have always liked small cities and even though I lived there for a little over two months before we moved to Ottawa I enjoyed our stay there so much it keeps drawing me back.”

  “Good Lord, Jen what could possibly have been so powerful in those two months that wants you to go back to Regina? Why, you be so young at the time, surely you would forget most of it. Come clean, Jen, I just feels there is more to this move than you’re letting on.”