In a world where there are two kinds of people, those who leave
legacies and those who receive them, it is hard to tell which you will be
until the very end. I, unfortunately, did not realise this for a rather
embarassing amount of time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REAL LIFE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Okay, you've got your house baby-proofed, you have a room set up for her and you have formul and nappies. I guess I had better be going."
"What? Hannah, you can't just leave! I have a baby here."
"What's that got to do with the price of eggs?"
"Everything!"
Hannah sighed and sat down. She looked levelly at Seamus. "Look, I can take Lena, I'll have to talk it over with Ernie, but I'm sure-" she trailed off and looked at Seamus.
He looked at the baby, sitting in her pram next to his chair, not a care in the world. "Baby-snatcher." He said.
Hannah rolled her eyes and leaned across the table. "Can you take care of a baby?" sha asked seriously.
"Well Harry could."
"Harry had Susan to help until three months ago. You won't have anyone. Seamus, your mother is dead, you have no brothers or sisters, you haven't got a girlfriend and I'm expecting a child myself soon."
Seamus looked at her suddenly and then turned back to the baby. "Give me a day, aye?"
"Aye." And she left.
Seamus looked at the little girl. "You deserve a little brother or sister. And a mum and a dad. And grandparents."
Tears brimmed in his eyes, and he brushed them roughly away. He was angry with himself, so angry. Harry had asked him to do one thing for him, take care of his baby and he couldn't even do that.
Hannah and Ernie came to pick Lena up the next day. They brought her tiny frocks home, her biddy little jumpers and tiny lace-up trainers. They told Seamus he was welcome to visit all he wanted but this didn't keep him for collapsing in the doorway as they left, sobbing, for the first time since his mothers death almost ten years before.
True to their word Hannah and Ernie allowed Seamus to visit little Lena as often as he liked, but what he really wanted was to take her home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REAL LIFE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Okay, you've got your house baby-proofed, you have a room set up for her and you have formul and nappies. I guess I had better be going."
"What? Hannah, you can't just leave! I have a baby here."
"What's that got to do with the price of eggs?"
"Everything!"
Hannah sighed and sat down. She looked levelly at Seamus. "Look, I can take Lena, I'll have to talk it over with Ernie, but I'm sure-" she trailed off and looked at Seamus.
He looked at the baby, sitting in her pram next to his chair, not a care in the world. "Baby-snatcher." He said.
Hannah rolled her eyes and leaned across the table. "Can you take care of a baby?" sha asked seriously.
"Well Harry could."
"Harry had Susan to help until three months ago. You won't have anyone. Seamus, your mother is dead, you have no brothers or sisters, you haven't got a girlfriend and I'm expecting a child myself soon."
Seamus looked at her suddenly and then turned back to the baby. "Give me a day, aye?"
"Aye." And she left.
Seamus looked at the little girl. "You deserve a little brother or sister. And a mum and a dad. And grandparents."
Tears brimmed in his eyes, and he brushed them roughly away. He was angry with himself, so angry. Harry had asked him to do one thing for him, take care of his baby and he couldn't even do that.
Hannah and Ernie came to pick Lena up the next day. They brought her tiny frocks home, her biddy little jumpers and tiny lace-up trainers. They told Seamus he was welcome to visit all he wanted but this didn't keep him for collapsing in the doorway as they left, sobbing, for the first time since his mothers death almost ten years before.
True to their word Hannah and Ernie allowed Seamus to visit little Lena as often as he liked, but what he really wanted was to take her home.