Monica Wilkins sat down carefully on the unoccupied side of a sofa, holding a glass of wine in one hand and a cloth which she used to dab her stained dress with in another. The party was going great until that stupid old drunk had emptied the contents of his stomach all down her dress.
"Great party isn't it!" A woman's voice shouted above the music. Monica looked up to find Hayley Miller stood in front of her holding her baby girl. Hayley was young herself, no more than 18, much too young to have a daughter in Monica's opinion. Yet she was a clever young lady, a hard worker and a loving mother. She smiled warmly at Monica, before suddenly reaching in her bag and bringing out a vibrating phone in her hand.
"I have to take this! Could you take Loula?"
But without waiting for a reply, she placed the baby in Monica's arms and stumbled out of the crowded room. Monica's eyes followed, and then moved to look at the smiling Child in her arms. That's when it happened...
A strong sense of de ja vu. The baby had brown wisps of wavy hair, two front teeth already beginning to poke through, and the most intelligent eyes! It was a magical moment, and she embraced the child as if it were her own. But as quickly as the moment had come, it vanished. Monica was holding a blonde, slightly cubby baby with no teeth. A tear rolled down Monica's face. It was if her mind was trying to clutch at a memory that wasn't there. Why had she and her husband never had children of their own? Her eyes scanned the room to find Wendell chatting to some friends in the corner, each with a beer in their hand. He was completely oblivious to the unexplained sadness Monica now felt.
