The Greatest Gift (1)
Debbie Bailey

 


"Dear Lisa,
I am writing this to you because I'm a coward. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life. Under different circumstances, I would be overjoyed about the pregnancy. The truth of the matter is that I'm scared. I'm only 20 years old and the last thing I need in my life right now is to be a father. I've had my whole life planned out for years. College takes precendence over anything else right now and I know you understand that. You know how much I want to be a doctor.

I know you, Lisa. I know that you would never have an abortion and I don't expect you to. It's unfair that I'm making you go through this alone but like I said, I'm a coward. Your parents are good people and I know they'll support you through this. You'll be a wonderful mother, of that I have no doubt.

I do love you, Lisa, and I always will. I'll never forget the wonderful, special times we shared together. You'll always be in my heart and in my thoughts. I wish you nothing but happiness forever and ever.

Love always,
Glenn"

Lisa Conway noticed that her hand was shaking as she read the letter. Tears came into her eyes as she stood in the coolness of the attic amongst old boxes and bags. Every year it was the same thing. She'd come up here to fetch the Christmas decorations and always saw the old box that held Glenn's love letters to her. Why she ever saved them all, especially this one, was beyond her. Every year she fought the urge to read them and succeeded in leaving them to their dark and dusty corner. This year, the urge was just too overwhelming. She finally gave in to her curiousity and opened the door to her past. She had never stopped loving Glenn Hanlon, even 25 years later.

"Mom?"

Lisa looked up as she heard her daughter Nicole calling her. "I'll be right down, hon," she answered back and hurried to put the letter back into the box. There was no need for Nicole to know what she had been doing.

"Grandma!" came the sweet little voice of her three year old granddaughter, Danielle. "Where's my kiss, Grandma?"

Lisa smiled to herself and hurried down the attic steps.

She brushed the dust from the black blouse that she was wearing. She smiled at her daughter who was waiting for her at the bottom of the steps.

"Hey, sweetie," Lisa greeted her daughter with a kiss and a hug.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Nicole asked her.

"I was getting the last of the Christmas decorations," she lied. She turned to her adorable little granddaughter. "How's my little cookie?" she asked and picked her up in her arms.

"Grandma!" Danielle put her arms around her neck and gave her a wet kiss on the cheek. "Mommy has something to tell you, Grandma!"

Lisa held Danielle in her arms as she turned to her daughter again. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Oh Mom." She reached out to swipe away a tear that was on her mother's cheek. "Have you been crying?"

Lisa shook her head. "No," she lied again. "It's that attic dust wrecking havoc on my allergies again."

"I told you not to go up there. Dave and I can get the decorations out for you."

"Where is Dave?" she asked in reference to her son-in-law.

"Out parking the car."

"What did you have to tell me?" Lisa asked her as she led them into the homey, warm kitchen.

"I'll wait until Dave comes in. He wants to tell you too."

Lisa could see that her daughter was excited about something. Her smile was radiant. Then again, everything was radiant about her. She had turned out to be a beautiful young woman, tall and slender with long auburn hair and a clear complexion. Her gray eyes always had a twinkle in them. She was so very beautiful, this young woman who she had raised by herself. At 25, Nicole had also turned out to be a wonderful mother. Danielle looked just like her mother and was so well behaved. She was a joy to have around and Lisa was so proud of them all.

It was such a shame that Glenn had missed out on all this joy too. Sometimes, she saw him in her daughter. There were little mannerisms that reminded her of him. The way Nicole rested her arm on the back of her chair, the way she would think about something so deeply and thoughtfully were characteristics she had gotten from her father. Lisa pushed those thoughts out of her mind for now. No sense dwelling on that.

It was Sunday and the family tradition always included dinner at Lisa's house. She had made lasagna, a salad and garlic bread too. She had also baked a cake although Lord knew she'd be doing enough of that with Christmas coming.

"We brought a cake," Nicole said as was also the tradition. "I know you baked something but we don't like to come here empty handed."

"It's okay. More for me to eat later!" She grinned at her little angel and Danielle giggled.

"What other decorations do you have to get out?" Nicole asked her. "This place already looks like the inside of Fortunoff's."

"I lost track of what I had up there."

Nicole could see that something was on her mother's mind. She looked at her as she went to check the lasagna that was still baking in the oven.

"Grandma made lasagna," she told her daughter.

"I know," Danielle said in awe. "It smells yummy. Daddy's going to get a belly ache again, I just know it. Remember last time Grandma made 'sagna and Daddy ate so much of it?"

Nicole and Lisa both laughed at the memory. But Nicole could see that the smile didn't quite reach her mother's eyes. She knew something was on her mind and she was determined to find out what it was.

Dave came into the house, bringing a shock of cold air with him. "Hey, Mom!" he greeted Lisa with a huge smile and took her in his arms for a big, bear hug.

Lisa had always liked Dave. He was respectful, decent and hardworking. He owned his own business and was a good husband and father. He adored Nicole and Danielle and that was all that mattered to her. He was very good looking too, tall and muscular with longish brown hair and rich brown eyes. He had an infectious personality and was always quick with a smile.

He picked Lisa up in his arms and swung her around.

She laughed. "What was that for?"

"For making lasagna again. It smells great." He looked at Nicole as he began to remove his jacket. "Did you tell her yet?"

Nicole shook her head. "I was waiting for you."

"Tell me what?" Lisa asked them. "You two are going to drive me crazy today."

"Oh Mom." Nicole threw her arms around her mother and began to cry. "I'm pregnant again!"

Lisa felt the tears in her eyes and didn't even say anything. She held her daughter close to her and just felt her next to her. She was overjoyed beyond belief and yet, there was such a feeling of melancholy that seemed to choke her.

Dave joined in their hug too. "We couldn't wait to tell you," he said to her. "We knew how happy you'd be."

Lisa nodded and then laughed as Nicole handed her a tissue. "I'm so happy for you both, so very happy. You have no idea!"

The hug lasted for a very long time. Lisa was so happy but there was something missing, something that had always been missing from her life.

That was Glenn Hanlon.

--------------------

"You're not paying any attention to me today," Marie pouted as she looked across the table at Glenn.

He admitted that he was very distracted. He had been for some time. Although Marie was quite attractive in her own way, she was certainly no Lisa Conway.

Would he compare every woman he met to Lisa for the rest of his life? Was he doomed to wander the world, going from one girlfriend to the next, breaking up with them because they could never hold a candle to his first and only one true love?

They were sitting in Mario's on that cold and windy Sunday afternoon, three weeks before Christmas. "Jingle Bells" was playing in the background and all he could think about was Lisa.
Thoughts of her always grew stronger at this time of the year. She had always been a Christmas fanatic and loved every single aspect of the holiday season. She was probably getting ready to share the holiday with her husband and children, he thought, while I'm ready to break it off with Marie here and spend another holiday at the hospital on call.

"I can't do this anymore," he told Marie suddenly as she whipped out her compact to check her makeup.

She looked up at him. "What can't you do?"

"I can't see you anymore," he explained and then his beeper went off.

"What?" she asked him in shock. How could any man not want her? She was a stunning redhead with a voluptuous figure. Any man would kill to have her. She had picked Glenn to go out with because he was extremely attractive and very rich. She was expecting diamonds from him for Christmas and now the jerk had the audacity to break it off with her.

He checked his beeper. "I've got to go. There's an emergency. I'm sorry, Marie. I hope you understand."

"The only thing I understand is what a creep you are!" She stood up, picked up her glass of ice water and dumped it over his head.

Glenn was mortified. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of people in the restaurant but still, it was quite an embarrassment for a well respected and prominent physician to have a glass of water dumped over his head in a public place.

Thankfully, it was over with Marie and he could go back to the comfort and familiarity of his memories of Lisa Conway.

He drove to the hospital where he was the head of the ER there. He had made it his life's work and was proud of what he had accomplished. He had worked hard to get where he was but he had sacrificed the most important thing to do it. He realized that Lisa had been the most important thing to him, even more important than medicine had been. It was too late though. She was married with children. She had to be. It was 25 years later. There was no way that a beautiful and sweet girl like Lisa would not have been swept off her feet. She probably had a house full of kids. She had one, he knew. He had a child out there and that thought never ceased to amaze him.

It was no surprise when he felt tears mist his eyes. He did miss Lisa every day of his life with an aching in his heart that was almost unbearable. He had left her high and dry, a pregnant 18 year old girl on the verge of great success herself. She had always wanted to be an interior decorator. He could only imagine what her house looked like during the holiday season. She had loved the holidays so much and had loved him so much too. He had never stopped loving her ever but he knew that she had been over him a long time ago. He had done an awful thing to her and he could never expect to be forgiven.

He pulled into his parking space at the hospital and it was no shock to him that he was weeping. Despite his prominence, wealth and success, he was still a lonely man who worked constantly to escape the emptiness of his personal life and the memories of his past.

He would never stop loving Lisa, never, for as long as he lived.

-------------------

"Mom, why don't you relax? I'll do the dishes for you." Nicole had followed her mother into the kitchen after dinner was over. The living room table had been cleared and Dave was playing Candyland with Danielle.

"I've got it, sweetheart," Lisa assured her. "You should be the one relaxing!" She grinned at her. The news of her daughter's second pregnancy had overjoyed her beyond belief. "Besides, I'm just going to throw these things in the dishwasher."

Nicole watched her mother for a minute as she rinsed off plates in the sink and then stuck them in the dishwasher. She seemed distracted and looked sad.

"Mom." Nicole put a hand on her arm. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Lisa managed a smile and then shook her head. Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head again.

Nicole stared at her. Her mother's beauty never stopped amazing her. People always thought that they were sisters, not mother and daughter. Lisa's shoulder length auburn hair still sparkled with vibrancy and bounce. She wasn't old, only in her early forties, but she looked to be 20 years younger. Her complexion was unlined and flawless and she had a sparkle in her green eyes that made her appear even more youthful. She still had a wonderful figure and kept herself in shape by walking several miles every day.

"Talk to me," Nicole urged softly. "I know something's on your mind."

"Do you want to take a walk?" Lisa suggested.

"In this weather?" But she agreed because she knew how much her mother loved to walk. They bundled up and told Dave where they were going.

"Be careful, you two," he said and they left the cozy warmth of the house.

"Remember when you were a little girl and I used to take you ice skating down at the pond?" Lisa asked her.

Nicole smiled. "All the kids were jealous because you were the only mother who would actually skate with us."

"I'd love to take Dani skating. Would that be all right?"

"Of course. She'd love that."

They continued to walk on, the cold biting their cheeks.

"What's on your mind, Mom?" Nicole asked her. "You don't seem yourself today."

"I'm not," she admitted.

"You are happy that I'm pregnant again, aren't you?"

"Oh honey, of course I am." She linked her arm through her daughter's. "You have no idea how happy I am for you. I'm absolutely thrilled about having another grandchild to spoil again. I just wish...I just..."

"What?" she urged, concerned for her mother now.

"Oh dear." Lisa shook her head as tears filled her eyes again. "When I was up in the attic, I was going through old love letters that your father gave me. I just wish that he could see you, that he didn't miss out on watching you grow up."

"That was his choice, Mom. He made his choice."

She heared the anger in her daughter's voice. "I know that. I loved him very much and I know he loved me too. I'm not angry at him for leaving me. He was scared and had to do what was right for him."

"Mom, how can you say that? He was selfish. He only thought of himself. He didn't think about you and he certainly didn't think about me either. You must have been scared too. You were 18, pregnant. You gave up school to have me. You raised me all by yourself. I know that Grandma and Grandpa helped but you did everything on your own. How can you say all this now?"

"I can't expect you to understand. Glenn was a good man. He really loved me. I never doubted his love for me. He was afraid. He wanted to be a doctor so badly."

"And you wanted to be an interior decorator but you gave up your dreams of college to raise me. You went to college when you were 35, Mom. How can you feel sorry for him?"

Lisa bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up with you."

"No, I'm glad you did. If it bothers you that much, why don't you get in touch with him?"

"I couldn't do that. It was 25 years ago. Surely, he's married with children now. I'm sure he got over me a long time ago."

"Like you got over him?"

Lisa heard the bitterness in her daughter's voice and glanced at her.

"Mom, you never married because you never stopped loving this man. Nobody could ever hold a candle to him. You've been pining away for him for years. Can't you just leave him in the past where he belongs?"

"I've tried to do that but it's hard for me. I loved him, honey. He's the only man I ever loved and I'll never get over him. I know I should try. It's been so long ago. I'm sure he's married, like I said. I don't know what got into me. I guess I'm just feeling a little blue with Christmas coming."

"Mom, you love Christmas. Nobody loves Christmas the way you do. Everything's going to be all right. I promise. There's another baby on the way and if you want, you can take Danielle skating tomorrow. She'd love to spend the day with her grandma."

Lisa smiled then. "I'd love to. I'll take her to McDonald's for lunch too. She loves that." Her eyes lit up and her face grew animated again. Nothing could make her happier than spending the day with her precious granddaughter.

She just wished that Glenn was there to spend it with them.

------------------

It had been a busy, fast paced past few hours in the emergency room. Glenn sat on the couch in the doctor's lounge sipping bottled water. He was tired but exhilirated. He loved his work so much and enjoyed taking care of people. He had made it his life's work and was grateful for everything that he did have. For the most part, his life was spent in the hospital taking care of people. He had always been very nurturing and caring. Funny how he had turned out to be that way when he had left his pregnant girlfriend high and dry.

He could remember the day Lisa told him about the baby. At first, he was so happy, so overjoyed. They had been together for four years and had planned on marrying after Glenn had graduated college. They had a plan and he wanted to stick to it. But as the idea began to take form in his mind, becoming a daddy before he finished college scared the hell out of him. He couldn't deal with it and he told Lisa how he felt.

"It's just nerves," she had assured him. "It will pass."

Not once had she ever thought about herself. She was so excited about the baby. We're adults, she kept reminding him. I know we'll be wonderful parents to our baby.

He remembered the night they had made the baby together. He had made love to her on his father's boat. They had gone out sailing together. The sight of her fit, tanned body in that bikini had done some crazy things to him. He had made love to her sweetly and slowly and it had been the most magical moment of his life.

"I love you, Lisa," he had whispered to her over and over. "I'll always love you for the rest of my life."

Despite everything that did happen, he still loved her. Even after walking...no, running out on her...even after 25 years, he still loved her. She was such a wonderful girl, so full of life, so quick to smile. She took pleasure in everything that she did and her enthusiasm for life was contagious. He had become a better person since being her boyfriend. Too bad he had much such a horrible, horrible mistake.

"I still love you, Lisa," he whispered to himself and his eyes closed as sleep took him away.

-----------------------

"Grandma, look at me!" Danielle was a good skater for a three year old.

They were out on the pond and it was snowing softly. Someone had brought a boom box and Bruce Springsteen was singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". She had taken Dani to McDonalds for lunch and now they were out on the pond skating the afternoon away.

The pond was alive with skaters. Lisa couldn't understand why there were so many children there when they should have been in school. She picked Dani up in her arms and skated her away from a group of boys who had started goofing around.

"Let's go down to the other end, honey," Lisa said to her.

"Okay, Grandma!" Danielle agreed and allowed her to lead her to the other end of the pond. Once there, Lisa put her down and they skated figure eights together. It was biting cold out but neither one of them felt it. They were having too much fun together.

"Look at me, Grandma!" Danielle said and she spun around on one foot. And as Lisa watched her, she saw the blue streak come out of the corner of her eye. In the next instant, the streak had slammed her precious angel down to the ice. Lisa heard the snapping sound and knew that something was horribly wrong with Danielle.

-----------------

She was sick with worry. Dani had cried at first but now she was dead silent. Lisa was worried that she had gone into shock.

The emergency room was busy but not quite as packed as she thought it would be. She was at least grateful for that. She hoped that because Dani was a baby that they would see her right away. She wasn't disappointed either. A nurse led them into a ward at the children's section of the emergency room.

"The doctor will be in to see you right away," the concerned nurse told her and left them alone.

Lisa continued to hold Dani. Her granddaughter absolutely refused to let her go.

She wanted to breath a sigh of relief when the doctor walked into the room only a moment later. What struck her first about him was that he was very tall and powerfully built. He had jet black hair and dark green eyes. There was some cragginess around those eyes but he was an incredibly good looking man. A white lab coat hugged his large body.

Lisa stared at him and looked into the eyes of Dani's grandfather, Glenn Hanlon.

He stared back at her. "Lisa?"

"Glenn?"

"Oh my God." His voice was soft, awed by her presence there. "It is you." He put Dani's chart down and went to her. "I can't believe it."

"I can't either," Lisa whispered and wanted to cry right then and there. She wanted to throw her arms around his shoulders and hug him and kiss him. He had aged well, very well.

"You look wonderful," he told her. "You haven't changed a bit." He bent down and unsure of himself, gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I never thought I would see you again." He looked at Danielle. "Who is this adorable little lady?"

"This is my granddaughter, Danielle."

"Your granddaughter?" he said in amazement.

Lisa nodded. "We were ice skating and a teenage boy skated into her. I think her arm is broken."

"I'm sorry." Glenn's eyes never left her. "I didn't know you had a granddaughter."

"It's been a long time, Glenn."

He nodded. "Twenty-five years. Can I take a look at her?"

"Dani, the doctor wants to look at your arm."

"No, Grandma." She clung to her tightly with her good arm.

"Come on, baby, you want the boo boo to go away, don't you?"

Dani nodded. "Will he make it go away, Grandma?"

"Yes, sweetie, I promise. He's a very nice man and..." Lisa began to cry. She looked at Glenn. "This is your granddaughter...your granddaughter, Glenn."

"My granddaughter?" he said and then he found himself crying too.

"Your daughter's child," she told him. "I had a little girl 25 years ago. Her name is Nicole. She's pregnant with her second child now."

Glenn shook his head and wiped his tears away. "Forgive me, Lisa. I'm sorry. This is so shocking to see you and to know that I...I never meant to hurt you, Lisa, never. I always loved you. I'm sorry for what I did to you."

 

 

Go to part:2 

 

 

Copyright © 2001 Debbie Bailey
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"