Christmas had come early for the Irvines, in the form of an incessantly generous woman.
In the time it took Chris to tuck Graham snugly away in the bed in their hotel room, Stephanie had occupied herself with a health and wellness magazine. She flipped nonchalantly through the pages, only peeking up when she noticed Chris crossing the room after kissing Graham goodnight. He was both tentative and anxious, which she picked up on through his jittery body language, so she smiled kindly to assuage his fears and closed her magazine. The offer she planned to extend to Chris was quite monumental, and her goal was to propose it in a way that wouldn't be off-putting or make him believe she had ulterior motives in helping him out.
The truth was, Vince and Linda taught Stephanie from a young age to give back to those less fortunate than her whenever the opportunity arose. Not a single day of her life had passed that she wasn't thankful for her blessings and praying for the many who went without them. Possessing money in abundance was exhilarating while it was fresh and new, but Stephanie could only make so many spectacular purchases of clothing, vehicles, and homes before it grew tedious and made her yearn to buy for people who couldn't. Chris sat across from her at the oval table and gazed at her expectantly, eager to hear what she had in mind, although he wasn't certain he would be willing to accept.
"Hi," he greeted her with a clumsy wave and lopsided grin.
So much for being suave.
"Hello there," she answered while running the tip of her index finger over the cover of her magazine, which bore a large picture of a fruit smoothy in a decorative glass. Her eyes followed her finger as she cleared her throat and asked, "Have you ever been to The United States?"
"Plenty of times, yeah," Chris said, wondering what she was getting at.
"Really, where?" Stephanie perked up. Her entire demeanor shifted from all-business to casual in an instant, and Chris wondered where her interest in his travels stemmed from. Regardless, as much as he loved Graham, it was pleasant to enjoy a conversation with a fellow adult and leave the kid-speak behind for a little while.
"I actually have dual citizenship, since I was born in New York. My parents lived there briefly when my dad played hockey for the Rangers."
"You were born in New York City?"
"No, Manhasset."
"Is that where your dad lives then?"
"No, he's in Ithaca now with his girlfriend. He knows I've been struggling with Graham, but he doesn't have much to his name and can't help me the way he wishes he could. He always tells me he feels guilty about not managing his money more wisely, because that's what prevents him from helping me the way he might have been able to," Chris said. It was the first time he spoke aloud of his money troubles with anyone aside from Ted, but it felt good to release such pent-up emotions. "He's offered to let me stay where he's living, but it takes money to move, and I haven't been able to make enough to do that. I've been barely scraping by with Graham as it is, and that's the part that kills me the most. I don't give a shit if I barely eat for two days in a row, but not my kid, you know? He doesn't deserve that," Chris shook his head before bowing it to hide the welling of tears in his eyes.
"I agree with you, he doesn't deserve that kind of pain, and that's why I'm offering you both a stable place to stay in Connecticut," she stated. Chris's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as Stephanie crossed her arms over her midsection and pressed her lips together, her eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement.
"What do you mean?"
"Well," she exhaled softly, "I've got a pretty palatial home, if I do say so myself, and there's no reason for me to have all those extra rooms and not offer you and Graham a place to stay. I've got meals and all that other jazz covered, so if you want to fly back with me, you're more than welcome to come along."
"We can't stay with you, we're strangers. For all you know, we could be users or—"
"Are you?"
Chris blinked slowly and frowned, "Huh?"
"You said you could be a user, so...are you?"
"No."
"I didn't think so—now will you please say yes to bringing Graham and staying at my place?" she grinned, and he found himself floored by the broad scope of her munificence. In a single night, Stephanie had done more for Chris than those closest to him had done in years, though they would have done more if they had the means. She exuded genuine compassion in all of her acts of kindness, and there was no question in Chris's mind he had to take her up on such a once-in-a-lifetime offer. He owed it to Graham to improve their lives in any way possible, even if that meant swallowing his pride long enough to accept help from someone he barely knew.
"I...I don't know what to say."
"It's okay, you don't have to feel guilty about accepting this. Everybody needs help at some point, so I'm glad to do it," Stephanie shrugged. "My dad's private jet is leaving in a little over an hour to take me back home, and I'd really like it if you both came. The flight won't be long, and when we get there, you and Graham can sleep in as long as you want and get up when you're ready for food. I've seriously got it all covered, I promise you."
"What about finding a job or bringing my car?" Chris quizzed.
"You can work for my dad if you want to."
"I was never trained to wrestle."
"You don't have to be a wrestler," Stephanie replied, smiling jovially. Her eyes danced in merriment, and Chris could tell she was getting a kick out of his reaction. "We have some office jobs open in corporate, and I go in to Titan Towers in Stamford through the week to make sure everything is running smoothly. You could go to work with me, and Graham can get set up in school. Has he been in school here?"
"He has, but it's not easy for him to concentrate in class when he's hungry or worried about me. He's on winter break right now, but he's dreading having to go back, and it makes me feel like an awful father to send him."
"Hey," Stephanie reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Chris's, her eyes piercing his, "you're not awful. It's okay to have a hard time, but you want better for your son, and that's what I'm offering you. This doesn't have to be a long-term thing if you don't want it to be. You can just stay at my place long enough to get your feet on the ground. My dad pays all his employees well, so I can get you in for full-time work, and when you're ready to get your own place, you can. You'll get full benefits, vacation and sick time, and all that good stuff."
"My car is the only real thing I own, and I don't know how I feel about letting it go."
"Oh, right," Stephanie slapped her forehead lightly with the palm of her hand, "I forgot. I meant to tell you there are plenty of cars at my place you can drive, so you can use those at first and I'll make sure to call a shipping company and have them send your car down to Connecticut. No worries, it's all covered."
"You're so sure of yourself. I wish I could be that way with myself."
"I wasn't always like this, but at this point, almost nothing scares me," Stephanie said before leaning in towards him and speaking in a more hushed tone, "I actually should probably tell you this before we go, but you won't be living at my house by yourself if you come. There are some other people there."
"Your family?" he inquired.
"Not quite, but they've sort of become like my family members."
"Who are they?"
"Last year, I was driving through town and saw a teenage girl walking down the street crying. It was terrible, I mean, she was all by herself and just sobbing while she walked down the sidewalk with a bag slung over her shoulder. I couldn't just keep driving without checking on her, so I pulled over and got out to see if I could be of some assistance," Stephanie explained, while Chris leaned forward in his chair, fully engrossed in the story. "I asked if there was anything I could help with, and she tried to tell me but couldn't talk because she was too upset, so I just gave her a big hug. I can still remember her dropping her bag and clinging to me so tightly."
"What was wrong?" Chris wondered.
"Well, it turned out she was only 17 and ended up pregnant by her boyfriend. Her parents gave her an ultimatum that day that she could...not have the baby," Stephanie put it delicately, "or she could have the baby and find somewhere else to live. She was only a few months shy of turning 18, so I told her she was welcome to come stay with me if she needed a safe place. Her parents found out about my offer and gave her grief about it, pretty much just telling her she needed to focus on her education and she couldn't do that with a baby, especially not while living with a stranger. I gave her my contact information anyway, just in case she ever needed anything. What happened was, she told her parents she wasn't going to have the baby so they would allow her back into their home, but she only pretended to abort the pregnancy. When she finally turned 18 and was a little over four months pregnant, she called me and asked if she could come to stay. I said yes, the rest was history, and she's got a one-year-old daughter named Caylie."
"She still lives with you?" Chris wondered as he raised an eyebrow.
"Yep, and I wouldn't normally interfere with another family's issues, but girls should have the choice as to whether or not they want to have their own baby. Nobody should be able to infringe on their rights and decide for them, not even parents," Stephanie spoke passionately. "She's 19 and in college now, but we've got a nanny who comes in and watches her daughter while she goes to school and work. She landed a receptionist job in a great dental office and is in school to become a dental hygienist, so I'm pretty proud and excited for her. She plans on moving out of my place and into one of her own with Caylie after she finishes school."
"This is a habit for you?" Chris blurted out before he had time to reel his words back in. He couldn't help but notice going out of her way for strangers seemed to be a habit for Stephanie, and while the thought was nice, he didn't want to become just another one of her charity cases she could brag to people about. The story she had relayed seconds ago brought him crashing back down to earth and made him realize she was probably only making such a valiant effort for the purpose of building a good name for herself, or maybe she got some sort of tax write-off for bringing poor people to live in her house.
Stephanie tipped her head and scrunched her nose, "What do you mean?"
"Going out of your way to fix people's lives," he answered harshly, growing impatient with what he felt was an attempt at manipulation for her own personal gain.
"I just like helping people."
"Because it makes you look good?"
"What?" she straightened up in her seat and linked her hands, bringing them to a rest in her lap. "I'm not sure I completely understand what you're getting at."
"My son and I are people, not just play toys you can use to make yourself look better to the snobs in whatever rich community you probably live in. If you want to do stuff to improve your public image, you can do it on your own time."
Every hint of humor in her shining eyes evaporated as her face crumbled, in what Chris could only assume was anguish. She was taken aback and her lips moved but only a low croak sounded from her throat, as she seemingly struggled to find the right words to say. While he meant what he said when it came out, upon seeing her reaction, Chris realized he was dead wrong, and he hadn't ever felt lower in his life than he did right then. This woman had gone out of her way to feed him and his child and offer them a place to stay, and he had essentially rebuffed her humility and spat directly in her face.
"That's not what this was at all, but I can, uh...I'm sorry, I can leave if you want me to," Stephanie pointed absently towards the door with her index finger as she continued watching him, stunned by his brash response. Chris remained silent, and she reached out for her purse and slung it over her shoulder as she rushed to the door. Chris slid back in his chair and ran after her, catching Stephanie just as her hand came down on the doorknob. She hesitated before turning around, "It's fine, I'll still make sure your room is paid for. You guys can stay here as long as you need to."
"I'm so incredibly sorry for the crap I just said," Chris wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her closer. His eyes displayed the immense regret that plagued him, but Stephanie was studying the floor and didn't notice. "I am the biggest idiot on this planet, and I don't blame you if you never want to speak to me or offer me anything else again. I thought...when you told me the story about that girl, I guess I thought you did this kind of thing regularly, so it must have meant it was all part of your image. I was so stupid to think that, and when I saw the look on your face just now, I knew I was wrong."
"The truth is, my parents warn me against doing this type of stuff all the time," Stephanie admitted, and this go-round she was more timid in her approach. Chris felt awful for having reduced her to that and no longer thought he deserved her forgiveness, although she was a kind enough person that she would most likely extend it anyway. "They think it's dangerous for me to give people chances like this and let them into my house, but if I were ever in trouble, I pray someone would go out of their way to do something like this for me," she said, finally raising her head to look him in the eye. "I see something in you, the exact same way I saw it in the girl living with me, and that's why I made this offer. Nobody in my community knows anything about the people who live with me, and when we get there, you can even ask them for yourself and they'll say no. They have no clue about what I do, and it's because I choose not to tell them. It's nobody's business, and I'm not doing it to look good for them or anyone else—I'm doing it for the people in need."
"I don't know how I can ever make you understand how sorry I am for jumping to conclusions like that. You must think I'm a completely ungrateful jerk," Chris surmised, worry lines crinkling in his forehead. Stephanie reached out and brought a placating hand down on his arm.
"I don't think that about you at all," she shook her head. "It's normal to be wary when someone offers you an abundance of things like this, but I can promise you I don't do any of this for show. I want you and Graham to have a real chance at a better life, and you're more than welcome to come with me if you would still like to. If not, I'll leave you guys alone and you never have to hear from me again."
"No, no, I don't want that, I don't want to not hear from you. You're all we have, and I don't think I can ever repay you for what you've done."
"Like I said, you don't have to. I just want to make things better in any way I can," Stephanie repeated.
"You're so incredible, and I really am sorry for what I said. Do you mind if I hug you?" Chris was in complete reverence of the woman in front of him and wanted to show his appreciation for her astonishing deeds. She had done more than he ever could have expected from a single person, and he would never forget the gracious hospitality she showed to him and Graham in such a dire time of need.
"Not at all," she beamed.
Chris stepped forward just as Stephanie dropped her purse to the ground, and he slipped his arms around her back and held on tightly, relishing in the feeling of her arms snaking around his midsection. Even after such an unfounded outburst, she remained selfless enough to offer him the same amount of help she extended in the beginning, and Chris didn't understand how he managed to stumble across such good fortune, but he felt extremely blessed all the same. When he pulled away, her blissful smile had returned, and he met it with one of his own. "So, should I wake Graham back up and get him ready for the jet?"
"Go for it," Stephanie urged.
The quest for a new life was underway, and Chris couldn't have been more delighted.