by S. Y. Robins
As she opened the door and the cold air poured in she thought of another reason to stay put. The café also served the best coffee in the city and Clara was a frequent customer. This morning steam was pouring out of the back of the café and Clara hoped it didn’t ruin the dress from her friend Christine’s shop.
Looking down at herself she saw a pleasantly plump woman in a blue silk dress with green and white flowers on it. Christine had designed the dress specifically for Clara. For a week Clara had danced in anticipation hopeful about what kind of beautiful dress her friend was designing for her. Christine was turning out to be very popular and owning a one-of-a-kind dress from her friend was a gift beyond measure.
Clara had tried to hide her disappointment when she saw the dress, her immediate reaction one of total dislike. The pattern was matronly and the cut didn’t offer much help. It looked like something Clara’s gran would love to own. Giving Christine a strained smile she’d gone into the dressing room and pulled the dress on without much enthusiasm. It had taken a bit of adjustment but once Clara had the dress on and turned to the mirror her jaw dropped.
The dress highlighted and revealed her ample cleavage while the tight fit around her waist allowed the dress to flare out, accentuating curves that Clara normally tried to hide. As Clara gazed at her reflection the old adage ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’ played through her mind. She looked amazing in the dress and the colours in the pattern accentuated her long chestnut coloured hair and brown eyes. The whole effect was stunning and Clara had run out to hug her friend and thank her.
“I knew you would have to try it on to see how beautiful it really was. I’m so glad you like it!” Christine had choked out while Clara strangled her.
“Oh you have to make me more of these! It’s gorgeous!” Clara had crowed as she twirled in front of another mirror.
Christine had made several more for Clara, in different colours and patterns but this one remained her favourite. Shutting the door to her car after Poncho hopped out Clara wondered what was causing all of the steam from the café this morning. Every now and then she’d see the steam but she’d usually forget to ask by the time she made it over to the café after opening her shop. Poncho, normally well behaved and placid was pulling at his lead this morning, distracting Clara from her musings, and trying to pull her to the front of the store.
“Bit of a nesh this morning are we, Poncho?” Clara asked her beloved pup. She grew concerned as he whined, pulling even harder at his lead to get to the steps, engulfed in quickly cooling steam. “Alright lovey, stop pulling at your lead, you’ll do yourself an injury.”
Suddenly the tension on the lead became slack and Clara could hear Poncho’s toenails clattering as he wiggled and his tongue licking at something. Thinking someone had left some kind of food on her steps she quickly stepped up to the door but her foot kicked something and a strange sound came from the step. Peering down into the steam Clara saw a large brown wicker basket covered with a pastel blanket.
Clara’s first thought was ‘oh dear’ and then to pull the heavy basket up and remove the blanket. She gave out an exclamation of surprise but her brain was busy saying ‘oh dear’ again as she spotted the sleeping, healthy looking but definitely new-born baby inside of the basket. She’d known what she was going to find but still hoped some poor woman hadn’t left this child on her doorstep.
Looking around quickly Clara couldn’t see anyone. Guessing that the mother was long gone Clara quickly let herself into the store, and set the basket down on a table in her office space. Flicking on a light she pulled the slightly sodden blanket away from the basket once again and peered inside. The baby looked okay but a touch of her skin with a finger revealed she was very cold.
Clara let instinct take over and pulled the baby from the basket, grabbed a clean hand towel from her supply of linens, and felt at the baby’s disposable nappy. She was dry for now and warming up nestled against Clara’s chest and her neck. Clara assumed she was a girl anyway, judging by the pink Babygro she was wearing and the tiny gold bracelet encircling her tiny little wrist. Clara inspected the bracelet and saw that it must have been very expensive with gem encrusted trinkets latched onto the tiny gold loops. The bracelet was exquisite but not as exquisite as the tiny being nestled under her chin, Clara thought.
Digging through the Moses basket Clara found some dry blankets padding the bottom, an envelope, some unused nappies, a couple more Babygros and a dummy. Pulling a piece of paper from the envelope Clara sat down in her office chair to read it as the baby snuffled happily on her chest, warm and comfortable.
Dear Clara, (Clara was surprised to see her name there)
You do not know me but you have always been kind to me. You own your own business, have your own home, and are a lovely person to be around. I can’t keep baby Selena because our lives are in danger, and you are the best person I could think of to give my child to. You seem to have everything a girl could want except a child. Please take baby Selena and love her as your own. I cannot give her the life she deserves or the life you can give her. Please don’t hand her over to child services because she deserves far more than a life of foster homes. If you tell her about me please tell her that I loved her dearly and far too much to selfishly keep her with me. Take care of her and love her as I do.
The letter ended with information about Selena’s birthdate and nothing more. Two days old and abandoned already. Poor little mite, Clara thought. No name or address and no information that would reveal the child’s parents were given, just the girl’s name and birthdate.
* * *
“Well little one, I suppose I have some phone calls to make, don’t I?” Clara asked as the little girl woke up. The first call would be to Christine; she had a three year old daughter and would know what to do here, Clara hoped.
Christine and Bianca looked down at the child in the basket, peering at the beautiful little girl with blonde hair and the blue eyes most newly born babies had. She looked at them blearily for a moment before sticking her tongue out at them then shoving her balled up fist into her mouth.
“Uh oh,” Christine said before grabbing her handbag, one of Bianca’s creations, and heading out of the door. “She’s about to start screaming her head off, give her that dummy for now while I go get her some baby milk and a few bottles. You’re going to need them.”
Just as Christine had predicted little Selena began to snuffle as her fist didn’t produce the liquid nutrition she desired and Clara reached down, picking the baby up and putting the dummy in her mouth. Selena settled down to snuffle around her dummy and Clara looked over at Bianca in desperation.
“Alright, we’ve got her comfortable for now, now what do we do?”
Bianca held her hands up and shook her head. “I have no idea. Call the police maybe? The letter says you’re to take her but I don’t know how all of this works.”
“I don’t either. And do I want a child? This is madness Bianca, simply madness.” Clara said as she gently bounced Selena, hoping the child would go back to sleep. Thinking about an old American movie she’d once seen and a funny line one of the characters had spoken Clara looked over at her friend and said in a really bad Southern American accent, “I don’t know nothing ‘bout raising no babies.”
Bianca laughed and placed a hand on her friend’s arm. “You have us, you have the internet, and you have your mum. We’ll get you through it if you decide to and are allowed to keep her. I think the first step is to call the police.”
“I think you’re right.” Clara replied just as Christine came back in the door loaded down with bags.
“Did you clean out the whole shop, Christine?” Bianca chimed in, grabbing a bag to inspect the contents.
“Babies need stuff, lots of it. Assuming Clara keeps her she’s going to need lots more.” Christine said with a grin as they all looked at each other with huge grins.
“Shopping spree,” they all said together and laughed.
* * *
“Ms. Morgan, from the information I’ve gathered from child services they’re understaffed and the child would be taken into care. There are no available families to take Selena in at the moment and she’ll have to stay in an institution. Selena will have to go to hospital for a bit to be checked over. Then she’ll go into care. We’ll make an appeal to the mother on television in a few days’ time; we’ll give her time to worry about what’s going on and maybe she’ll reappear. In the meantime, it appears social services wants to know if you’ll take the baby in. It’s not their normal practice but it seems to be what the mother wants and there’s no one else to take her.” Constable Goins asked Clara, who was sitting quietly behind her shop counter, stunned into silence.
“They really want me to take her in? Of course I’m willing to but for how long?” Clara asked the handsome constable. Six feet tall, blonde, with dark hazel eyes the man was in his 30s and a handsome man. Clara reminded herself she had no time for men and brought her thoughts back to Selena as Constable Goins spoke to her.
“I can’t rightly say, a couple of weeks, longer perhaps. They’ll be in touch when Selena can be picked up from the hospital and can give you that information, I’m sure.” He said with a reassuring smile. “It’s ever so wonderful of you to do this. You’re very brave and I personally appreciate the help you are offering to this child. Not many would be willing to do it.”
“Oh she’s an angel,” Clara responded, “it would be my pleasure to care for her. I just hope I don’t get too attached.”
“If you’d like I can stop by on my rounds through the city and keep a check on you. My daughter is six and Selena reminds me of her when she was a baby. My ex-wife has custody of her now but we share time with Adreanna. My job makes it impossible for me to have sole custody of her. Anyway, I can offer some help as well, and would like to keep up with the case. Will you need anything before you bring her home? I have some of Adreanna’s baby furniture still if that would help.”
“Oh, that is kind of you! Christine, Bianca, and I are closing up shop after all of this is over and heading over to the mall to get what I’ll need. If we forget anything I’ll let you know. I do appreciate the offer.” Clara said with a happy smile that turned her face from a pleasant one to a very pretty one. Constable Goins hadn’t noticed just how pretty the woman was until then. Blushing a bit he looked away and called to his partner.
“I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then, I suppose. Here’s my card, if you need anything in the meantime do let me know. Have a good day, Ms. Morgan.” He said, tipping his hat before he left.
“Oh my goodness,” Bianca exclaimed from behind her. “Did he really just tip his hat at you?”
“I think he did. But we don’t have time for that now,” Clara said, hoping to cut off any talk of men and dates before Bianca started in on Clara’s lack of a partner again. “We have shopping to do ladies, are your bank cards ready for this?” She asked with a happy gleam in her eye.
“Oh yes, dearie, very much, let’s go.” Christine said from the other side of the counter, noting Clara’s deflection but also how Clara had smiled at the constable. She’d never seen that look from Clara before, she noted, as they walked out of the door. Baby Selena had been taken to the hospital, social services had Clara’s number to call when the baby was ready, and they had shopping to do. It was going to be a good day after all.
2
Clara, Bianca, and Christine walked out of the mall exhilarated, exhausted and still laughing at how each had responded to the items they’d bought. They’d spent a fortune but they didn’t care as the thought of a new life to welcome eased the pain their lowered bank account balances might cause.
“I love that you bought the same Babygro I did Clara,” Bianca said, still chortling about that.
“It’s exquisite! And that dress Christine got for her definitely deserves pictures.” Clara said with a vivid image of the pictures already in her mind. Then a thought occurred to her and her smile faded.
“What if they change their minds? What if I can only keep her for a week and then they take her away? Or her mum comes for her? What then?” She asked as the questions with no answers rapidly occurred to her.
“If her mum comes back for her we’ll have provided everything she needs to care for Selena. From the sounds of that letter she won’t have anything for her and she’ll need it. If she goes into foster care the items will go with her. We’ll just get the furniture you’ll need from that stunning constable you spent so long flirting with today and he can have it back when you’re done with it. For now, you’re well prepared to care for this little girl and I’ll be around to help. Your mum is coming to stay for a week once Selena comes home too, isn’t she?” Christine asked.
“Yes,” Clara said as they packed bags and boxes into the boots of two different cars. They’d practically cleared out two baby stores in the giant mall, Clara thought, looking at everything.
“Then you’ll be fine. And if Selena goes you’ll have given her the best care she could have had. You’re going to get attached, that goes without saying, but you can do this Clara, you can. We’ll all be there to help. After all it takes a village, right?” Christine said reassuringly.
Clara hugged her tall blonde friend and thanked her for the encouragement. Christine was the tallest of the three at two inches under six foot tall and Clara had to look up at her to look into her dark brown eyes. She loved this lady. She loved both of her friends and knew she was blessed to have them in her life.
“Thank you, Christine, thank you both. Now let’s get back to my place and figure out what to do with all of this stuff. By the way, what was that oddly shaped ball with the nozzle on the end of it, Christine?” Clara asked as she and Christine settled into her car while Bianca got into hers.
Christine smirked and looked out of the window on her side of the car. “I call it the booger snatcher. It’s for clearing out their little noses when they have a cold. You’re going to get to know it well if Selena is like most babies.”
Clara looked over at her friend in shock, wondering exactly what she’d got herself into.
* * *
When Clara drove into her driveway that evening after a late meal with her friends and then dropping Christine off at her shop, she saw that an unfamiliar van was parked in front of her home and a man was sitting on the bench she’d put out for visitors. As she pulled into her driveway she realized it was Constable Goins and tried to supress a smile. She didn’t need a man in her life right now, not if she had a child to think about.
Stepping out of the car she let Poncho slide out of the seat and out the door. Poor little fella was exhausted from playing with Christine’s dog all day and could barely stay awake enough to get out of the car. She laughed as he waddled over the grass, not even looking up as Constable Goins stood up from his seat to greet her.
“Hello again, how are you this evening?” Clara asked as she walked up to him.
“I’m alright. I thought I’d bring some of that furniture over I was telling you about. Who’s this little guy?” He asked as Poncho suddenly perked up and started wagging his tail and jumping up the constable’s leg.
“Poncho, stop that! I’m sorry; he usually doesn’t behave this way. He must like you.” Clara said, looking down at Poncho sternly. “No jumping Poncho!”
“Oh he’s fine, don’t worry over it. Poncho is an unusual name.” He asked with a question in his voice.
“It’s the one the shelter gave him. I left it because he responded to the name. And I like it, it’s different.” She said walking to her door. “Would you like to come in? Let me get him settled and we’ll have a look at this furniture. Please excuse the mess, I was out earlier with some friends and we may have gone overboard with the baby shopping. We came back earlier and just dumped it in here before we went out to eat.”
Constable Goins looked around the sitting room, amazed at how every surface was covered with baby items and bags of baby items.
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br /> “Do you still need the furniture?” He asked
“Oh yes, and thank you. This is just clothes, nappies, and everything else Christine could think of or that caught my eye. I have an empty bedroom upstairs; we’re going to turn that into her room. I don’t know how long Selena will be here but I hope I have everything we might need for at least a month. Do you want tea, Constable Goins?” Clara asked ushering him into the kitchen.
“Please, call me Tom. Yes, I will. There’s been no news really on the case, by the way. Selena is a fine, healthy, two day old baby. We had a look at the CCTV and it revealed a whole lot of nothing. The mother, we assume, came with a hoody on, placed the baby on your stoop, and hid behind a large bin until you came in. She left once you took Selena inside. We couldn’t make any of her features out on the footage between all of that steam and her hooded sweatshirt. Have you heard anything from the welfare people?” He said taking the offered seat at her breakfast table.
“Yes, they’re coming in the morning to do a home check, and I should be able to pick her up tomorrow evening. They aren’t going to keep her in the hospital because there’s no reason to. I have a lot of work to do this evening getting all of this upstairs, unpacked, and put away.” Clara said as she prepared two cups and set the kettle to boil. “Do you take milk or sugar?
“Both please. I’ll give you a hand if you like. I have nothing to do this evening.” Tom replied, taking the cup of tea she offered him.
“That would be wonderful! I can’t believe this is all happening! I certainly didn’t see this coming when I went in to work this morning. And I still have to check that shipment that came in as well this afternoon. I can do that tomorrow. What kind of furniture have you brought?”
