Join me in this short story prompt. All you have to do is:
• Start with the partial sentence below
• Create a short story by adding to the sentence
• Post the story on your blog
• Add your post to our linkup below
• Check out the stories from others, see how they compare to yours
The “prompt” was……...A woman, sitting alone on a park bench, hears something that…..
Happy Song
A woman, sitting alone on a park bench, hears something that sounded like the song of a little girl. She turned to see where the song was coming from. She saw what looked like a younger version of herself and a small girl skipping and dancing and singing a happy song.
Watching the child reminded her of a happier time in her own life. A time when she was eagerly awaiting the birth of her baby, and she too sang a happy song. But her happy memories soon turned to sadness as she remembered that day so many years ago.
A New Baby
Patricia was ready for the new baby. The nursery was set up and her bag was packed for the hospital. The day had been long and she was tired and her time was nearing. She laid down to rest, her husband Joseph, would be home soon. She always felt better when he was with her. This was her first baby, and she didn’t know what to expect.
Joseph arrived shortly, and Patricia was so relieved. The time had come for her baby to arrive. That night, her baby was born, a beautiful baby girl.
They named her Jean after Joseph’s favorite aunt and her eyes were the same hazel color as his. They brought her home and were so happy to begin life as a family.
The Doctor’s Sad News
Their joy was soon dampened by the news that baby Jean could not suck her bottle. After some testing, the doctors discovered that Jean had several aggressive tumors in her tiny mouth. She would need several surgeries to remove the tumors, as they could only be tackled in small operations. Baby Jean would have to be hospitalized for weeks at a time for treatments and then even more surgeries would be needed to reconstruct her tongue. Baby Jean’s life depended on the treatments, and the doctors were confident they could help her.
A Year’s Salary Wouldn’t Be Enough
The next few days were a blur to Patricia. As preparations were made and all the paperwork was signed, it became clear that the medical care for Jean was going to costs thousands of dollars. In fact, just one surgery was almost a years salary.
Joseph and Patricia did not have insurance, like most blue-collar workers in their area in the 70s. They would have to come up with half of the cost of the treatments before the hospital could proceed. The couple had no savings and they barely made enough money to pay rent. What would happen to baby Jean? There was no hope for her treatments.
The Dr. With a Solution
A doctor who was on the board of the hospital came to visit the couple. He explained how expensive the medical care was going to be and how Jean would need highly specialized care for several years. Her prognosis would not be good without treatment. But there was a way for them to save her.
Dr.Prince explained that perhaps there was another family that could afford to pay for Jean’s medical care and save their baby’s life. But it would mean surrendering her for adoption. It would be the best thing that they could do for their baby.
Difficult Decisions
Joseph and Patricia refused the Dr’s offer and took baby Jean home. They anguished over the difficult decisions they were forced to make. The couple loved their baby so much, and couldn’t imagine giving her away. But the doctor had explained that she would soon die without the surgeries and that treatments would cost more than they could ever pay. The decision was made.
After just two short weeks with their precious baby, they surrendered her for adoption. Her new family would make certain that all her medical needs would be taken care of. The family had adopted other babies and were happy to take Jean.
The sadness was more than the couple could bear. The sad weeks turned into years and with them came depression and guilt. But they had no choice, except to save their precious baby’s life.
But That Was More Than 45 Years Ago
That was more than 45 years ago, and now a 65-year-old Patricia watched the woman and the 5-year-old walking toward her, she wiped the tears from her eyes. Could this day really be happening? Or was it a dream, the same dream she had dreamed so many times?
DNA Connection
The DNA kit Patricia had received for Christmas had connected her to her baby Jean. They had emailed at first, then spoke on the phone and today they would meet for the first time in 45 years. Patricia was going to be able to hold that baby she longed for and would get to meet her only great-grandchild!
Happy Song
Patricia recognized Jean as she approached her. She could see her beloved Joseph in Jean’s eyes. It was a dream. A dream come true. The two women embraced, both filling a hole in the other’s heart. While 5-year-old Jeannie skipped around them singing her happy song.
This story is part of a “prompted writing exercise”. The “prompt” was……...A woman, sitting alone on a park bench, hears something that…..
This short story has been added to the SHORT STORY PROMPT LINK PARTY 1.
If you’re interested in joining in, wait until you write your story before reading mine. Write a short story from the prompt, publish your post, then add it to the link party. It will be fun visiting the links to see how everyone turned the partial sentence below into a short story.
****This is a fictional story based on a real-life adoption experience and was written with permission of the real-life adoptee.
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