Chapter 6: Where It All Began

In the early spring we decided it was past time for Mrs. Donovan and Harry to meet, so we cleared it with both our families to celebrate his first birthday at her house in Wisconsin. Luckily, Mrs. Donovan's latest tenant would graduate in May, so when we told her that we would like to visit over the summer, she decided not to advertise for another one until the fall. Darren and I were beyond excited to stay "where it all began."

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"I can't believe we're here, Darren!" I exclaimed with a wide grin. He reached over to squeeze my hand as he negotiated the last few turns to our destination.

"There she is, Dare! There she is! Look, Harry! It's Mrs. D!" I had called my former landlady when we reached the outskirts of my old neighborhood and it looked like she had been waiting on her front porch for us ever since.

Darren had barely put the car in park when I jumped out and ran up the stairs to wrap my arms around Mrs. Donovan. We were both laughing and crying, and we kept alternating hugs with holding each other at arm's length, as if we had to visually reassure ourselves that the other person was real.

Darren had gotten Harry out of the car and was approaching us at a more normal pace with a big smile on his face while he whispered in our son's ear and pointed at Mrs. Donovan.

When my guys entered her line of sight, Mrs. Donovan's smile broadened to take in the rest of my family. She whispered, "Oh, Rhiannon...Darren...he's so...precious...can I..."

Darren gave her a peck on the cheek and immediately handed Harry over to her. Our son stared at her for a few seconds, and then patted her cheek gently with his chubby hand. As we had been practicing, he very distinctly said, "D...D," and then laid his curl-covered head on the elderly lady's shoulder.

Thankfully, my husband was still standing beside her, because it seemed like she might collapse under the emotional weight of our reunion. Darren snuck an arm around her waist while I opened the door so we could all make it inside to get reacquainted.

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Darren had put Harry down for a nap after taking him to the park so Mrs. Donovan and I could visit without any interruptions.

He leaned down to kiss me softly when he found me laying on the bed...the same bed where we had made love for the first time. Realizing that I might need to talk, he lay down beside me, took my hand and brushed some hair from my face. "How are you feeling, Rhi?"

I smiled sadly at him, replying, "That's the first thing you asked me after we... Up until then I couldn't get over how understanding you were because of how...slowly you took everything for me, but THAT was when I knew you were the kindest person I had ever met. You didn't even hint at leaving when you could have walked away with no one being the wiser. You were worried about me right up until you got out of my car at your hotel...and you were concerned about Megan too, remember? You wanted to make sure that she was taken care of when I visited you in..."

Darren put his finger to my lips. "Sweetie...what's wrong?"

I inhaled shakily before replying, "Oh, Darren, nothing really. I'm just...emotional being here with all the reminders of...and Mrs. Donovan..." I trailed off as my eyes started to fill.

"What, Rhiannon? Is she okay?"

Trying to control myself, I responded, "I think so...it's just...she's slowed down so much...and I'm worried about her managing on her own...and being lonely...and..." I couldn't keep from crying any longer.

Surrounding me with his love, Darren whispered, "Harry's party will give us all something happy to focus on." He pulled back to smile at me, kissing me softly while I sniffled, nodding through my tears.

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Harry did provide endless entertainment with all the new feats he accomplished every day - he took his first real steps in Mrs. Donovan's living room! - so we had a lot to smile about, even before the party. At my request, Darren took tons of pictures of various combinations of us so I could add them to our family album.

Sometimes I would catch Mrs. Donovan looking at Harry wistfully. When I asked her if everything was all right, she would only reply, "Just making memories, Rhiannon," before hugging me and changing the subject.

I had invited Laura to Harry's party, and she brought her husband and daughters. Unfortunately, Margie had moved to Illinois to attend college - she said I had inspired her - but she sent a copy of "Owl Babies," a book she knew that I loved to read out loud.

After we opened gifts and had cake - Harry smeared enough on himself to make up for what I had missed at our wedding - Darren and Michael, Laura's husband, talked sports and music while Laura and I cleaned up Harry and the general mess so we could catch up. Chloe and Frannie entertained themselves with the badminton set Darren had found in Mrs. Donovan's basement. Our hostess relaxed in the shade with a glass of lemonade, seeming to enjoy observing all the activity.

Laura and her family said their goodbyes after a while, and I handed Harry off to Darren so I could check on Mrs. D. I found her still in the backyard, and we smiled at each other, not breaking the silence. Suddenly she grabbed my hand so tightly that it almost hurt. "Rhiannon..." she started in an impassioned tone.

I waited for her to gather her thoughts, trying to convey my love and support through our clasped hands.

"Rhiannon," she began again, a bit calmer. "I can't tell you how happy I am to have maybe nudged you along the path to your beautiful family."

Interrupting her a bit more forcefully than I intended, I assured her, "Mrs. Donovan, you pushed me to meet people when I would have actively avoided them. You let me feel comfortable about leaving Megan to visit Darren that first time, which I could have easily used as an excuse to stay home. You ordered me multiple times to pursue him, not letting me think I wasn't good enough for him. I'm not sure I would have had the courage without..." I trailed off as a lump formed in my throat.

"Rhiannon," she started one more time, "I want you to know that you always meant more to me than just a tenant, or even a friend. Our marriage was a happy one, but there was always a hole because my husband and I couldn't have children. When you came along, you were like a...bright, sparkling gift. You were so sweet and smart, but didn't believe in yourself, and I'm just glad that I could help..." She wiped away the tears that had started to fall down her cheeks before continuing, "Then Darren popped up, and now you've got that amazing little boy."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Mrs. Donovan," I choked out. "I'm just sorry that we can't see you more..."

"Those DVDs you send me are more than enough to make an old lady happy, Rhiannon. Just promise me one thing - no matter what, don't ever forget the connection that you told me you felt with Darren right off the bat. Connections are what get you through."

She paused again, and struggled to stand. Darren had just come out the back door, and hurried over to help her. After she was upright, she hugged him, whispering in his ear, "You take care of your family, young man. And don't forget to stop by my house next time you visit." She gave him a peck on the cheek, waving off any further assistance, saying she was worn out from the party and needed a nap.

My husband kneeled in front of me, holding my hands and leaning his forehead on mine, both of us so grateful that this very special lady was in our lives.