Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: GET COLD FEET (10/12/17)
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TITLE: Not Enough To Raise Them | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jennifer Liang
10/19/17 -
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“Let’s raise this baby together, Leacia. I hope she turns out to be as beautiful as her mother.”
Shocked at Aaron’s proposal, a now dry-eyed, Leacia responded, “How can you be so sure it’s a girl? I don’t even know yet. In fact, up until this morning I wasn’t even sure I was going to keep it. But the doctor told me there’s no turning back now. And anyway, why would you want to raise my baby? You hardly know me. The only thing we have in common is . . . ”
As her thoughts trailed off Aaron patted her back and said, “You are one blessed woman.”
Exhaling in frustration Leacia muttered, “I don’t FEEL blessed. I didn’t even know I was pregnant until last week and now I am stuck with the evidence of my short marriage to a dying man. Your brother.” She said the last part as if it was his fault Paul had passed away so soon into her marriage.
“I know. He told me all about it. He confessed his love for you all the way to the end.”
“If he knew he was dying why did he hide it? I felt his love but he didn’t tell me until after he stopped walking me home from my shift at the restaurant. It was to protect me. At least that is what he said. Now, I know otherwise. He was probably just trying to delay the inevitable. His good days were over and he never had the energy again. How could I have not seen it? How could I have ignored pregnancy symptoms for so long?” Her ramblings made her feel a little better but nothing could have prepared her for Aaron’s next statement.
“Marry me.”
“What? Why?” She looked at him in bewilderment. He was being too bold for her liking.
“You need a daddy for your baby and I need a wife to take care of my two children. It’s perfect. A widower and a widow raising children together.”
“But where is the love?”
“It will grow.”
“How can you be so sure? I mean, I love my niece and nephew but not enough to raise them.”
Kneeling and looking her straight in the eye, Aaron matter-of-factly stated, “Leacia, I know you loved Paul and I loved Brenda. Nothing will ever change that. But this is about what the children need. And they need two parents who love them. All three of them. Now, will you do it or not?”
“What will people say? We are having this conversation at his memorial!”
“If you want, we can start courting and I will woo you as long as you need. We will give the doubters enough evidence that this is the right course. I will be here for you every step of the way. Please, do this for our children.”
Leacia couldn’t resist his pleading eyes and hated that he had to resort to begging so she reluctantly agreed to start the courting process. Why did he have to look so much like his brother? She looked at her still flat belly (hiding just a hint of what was to come) and then at the eight-year-old twins chatting with their grandparents across the room and vowed to take exceptional care of all three. For Paul’s and Brenda’s sake she had to at least try.
With the courting decision made, why did she still feel so alone?
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For some red ink, there seemed to be an inconsistency with how far along she was in her pregnancy. The statement at the beginning with the doctor telling her there was no turning back would tend to suggest she was farther along while the statement about just finding out and about her still flat stomach suggest she is still in the very early stages.