Greenwich, Connecticut
Linda sat at the table reading the mornings paper when Vince came in.
"Morning baby." Vince came into the kitchen and kissed the top of her head.
"Good morning, you finally decided to join me then?" She said with a grin. "Your breakfast is in the oven, I kept it warm for you."
"We are on the ball this morning then."
"Well I am, but what's with you? You're normally awake hours before me."
"I don't know, just been a bit tired recently." Vince said as he set down his full English breakfast on the table. "Anything interesting happening in the news world?"
"Not so far but you never know." Linda asked, turning the page of the newspaper. A small article in the top left hand corner grabbed her attention. "Oh, hang on, what's this?"
"What's what?" Vince asked, as he took his first mouthful.
"My God, Andrew Chambers was found dead three days ago in his house. They found a pistol. foul play has been ruled out. He was about to be declared bankrupt after it was revealed that all his capitol was tied up in his businesses, which had recently been the subject of arson attacks, he had no insurance. Oh my god. I can't believe it." Linda shook her head, dumbfounded at the news.
"Well, the world's better of without him as far as I'm concerned." Vince hadn't really expected Andrew to kill himself and although he was surprised and shocked, he certainly wasn't upset, it was just an added bonus in his opinion.
"Vince the man's dead."
"Why are you making such a big deal out of it anyway? Aren't you glad after what he did to you?"
"Maybe years ago I would have loved to see him dead, but I've made my peace with it now, it doesn't matter to me anymore. I've accepted what happened and I've dealt with it."
"So you've made your peace with him but you're still not ready to make peace with your own child?" Vince asked quietly.
Linda looked at him. "I assume you're talking about Rachel?"
"Well I'm not talking about Stephanie. Can't you see yourself having a relationship with her, like you've got with Shane and Stephanie? After all of these years? I mean she's your daughter, she's your own flesh and blood."
"Shane and Stephanie are completely different from her. They're a product of love, of our love. I wanted them because I wanted your babies, your children. Rachel is a product of one of the worst experiences of my life, someone I don't want to be reminded of."
"She's not him Linda. She's not even you, she's her own person. Rachel doesn't even look like him, she is the spitting image of you, even more so than Stephanie is. When Rachel came you said you didn't have it in you to love her. Well I think you do, I think you've had the ability since the day Rachel was born but you were scared too, and you were scared she would turn out to be like him."
Linda shook her head. "No."
"YES!" Vince banged his fist on the table making Linda jump. "I know that deep down, in your heart, you love Rachel as much as you do Shane and Stephanie and I know that there is not a day that doesn't go past when you don't regret giving her up. All of these years Linda, I could tell there was something missing, something you craved for, yet I was never able to give it to you and now I know, you wanted your first born, you wanted to hold her in your arms, to comfort her when she cried, to be able to reassure her when things went wrong. No matter what you say, I know that's the truth but you haven't got the guts to admit it to yourself."
Linda was crying by this point. "You don't understand Vince, maybe that is the truth but I never could have had it. If I'd have had her, my mom and dad would have thrown me out onto the streets. And if you're honest with yourself Vince, you never would have married me. You wouldn't have wanted to be stuck with a sixteen year old wife and a screaming baby. I knew that then and I know it now and now I know where she is and I want to get to know her Vince, I want her to be my daughter but the truth is I'm scared, scared that she'll reject me, that she'll always hold some sort of grudge against me." Linda let out a sob and Vince came over to her and put his arms around her. "On her first birthday I brought a charm bracelet with one single charm on and every year since I've brought a charm and added it to the bracelet. It was in case she ever found me, if she ever wanted to get to know me, I could give it to her and let her know I was always thinking about her. I wish I had never given her up Vince, I wish I could have kept her, if only I could have found the guts to stand up to my parents."
"Shhh, its okay." Vince whispered to her. "Linda, you know better than anyone that if only's won't do any good. There's no point in looking back and having regrets what you've got to do now is act on it. Phone her, arrange to meet her, if things go well invite her to lunch or dinner, give her the bracelet. It time Linda, it's time for you to fill that hole that's been gaping open ever since the day you gave her up. You're never going to know if you don't try."
"What if she doesn't."
"What did I just say, if's don't do anything, you've got to dive in feet first and don't worry about any obstacles until you get to them. I want you to get to know her, I want her to become part of this family."
"Thank you Vince, thank you." Linda sobbed in his arms.
Vince rocked his wife gently as she cried into his chest, his own tears falling down his face. As much as he hated to admit it, he would never have married Linda if she had a baby. She was right, he never could have done it, it was bad enough with Shane and Stephanie but to have taken on a baby who wasn't even his, he knew Linda spoke the truth. And as he rocked her he couldn't help but feel remorse about what Linda had done, although she hadn't said it, Vince could tell by the look in her eyes, the real reason she gave that baby up was for him. So she could marry him and have his children. Linda had made the ultimate sacrifice for him, giving up her own baby and Vince couldn't even imagine the pain she had been going through every day since.
Linda sat at the table reading the mornings paper when Vince came in.
"Morning baby." Vince came into the kitchen and kissed the top of her head.
"Good morning, you finally decided to join me then?" She said with a grin. "Your breakfast is in the oven, I kept it warm for you."
"We are on the ball this morning then."
"Well I am, but what's with you? You're normally awake hours before me."
"I don't know, just been a bit tired recently." Vince said as he set down his full English breakfast on the table. "Anything interesting happening in the news world?"
"Not so far but you never know." Linda asked, turning the page of the newspaper. A small article in the top left hand corner grabbed her attention. "Oh, hang on, what's this?"
"What's what?" Vince asked, as he took his first mouthful.
"My God, Andrew Chambers was found dead three days ago in his house. They found a pistol. foul play has been ruled out. He was about to be declared bankrupt after it was revealed that all his capitol was tied up in his businesses, which had recently been the subject of arson attacks, he had no insurance. Oh my god. I can't believe it." Linda shook her head, dumbfounded at the news.
"Well, the world's better of without him as far as I'm concerned." Vince hadn't really expected Andrew to kill himself and although he was surprised and shocked, he certainly wasn't upset, it was just an added bonus in his opinion.
"Vince the man's dead."
"Why are you making such a big deal out of it anyway? Aren't you glad after what he did to you?"
"Maybe years ago I would have loved to see him dead, but I've made my peace with it now, it doesn't matter to me anymore. I've accepted what happened and I've dealt with it."
"So you've made your peace with him but you're still not ready to make peace with your own child?" Vince asked quietly.
Linda looked at him. "I assume you're talking about Rachel?"
"Well I'm not talking about Stephanie. Can't you see yourself having a relationship with her, like you've got with Shane and Stephanie? After all of these years? I mean she's your daughter, she's your own flesh and blood."
"Shane and Stephanie are completely different from her. They're a product of love, of our love. I wanted them because I wanted your babies, your children. Rachel is a product of one of the worst experiences of my life, someone I don't want to be reminded of."
"She's not him Linda. She's not even you, she's her own person. Rachel doesn't even look like him, she is the spitting image of you, even more so than Stephanie is. When Rachel came you said you didn't have it in you to love her. Well I think you do, I think you've had the ability since the day Rachel was born but you were scared too, and you were scared she would turn out to be like him."
Linda shook her head. "No."
"YES!" Vince banged his fist on the table making Linda jump. "I know that deep down, in your heart, you love Rachel as much as you do Shane and Stephanie and I know that there is not a day that doesn't go past when you don't regret giving her up. All of these years Linda, I could tell there was something missing, something you craved for, yet I was never able to give it to you and now I know, you wanted your first born, you wanted to hold her in your arms, to comfort her when she cried, to be able to reassure her when things went wrong. No matter what you say, I know that's the truth but you haven't got the guts to admit it to yourself."
Linda was crying by this point. "You don't understand Vince, maybe that is the truth but I never could have had it. If I'd have had her, my mom and dad would have thrown me out onto the streets. And if you're honest with yourself Vince, you never would have married me. You wouldn't have wanted to be stuck with a sixteen year old wife and a screaming baby. I knew that then and I know it now and now I know where she is and I want to get to know her Vince, I want her to be my daughter but the truth is I'm scared, scared that she'll reject me, that she'll always hold some sort of grudge against me." Linda let out a sob and Vince came over to her and put his arms around her. "On her first birthday I brought a charm bracelet with one single charm on and every year since I've brought a charm and added it to the bracelet. It was in case she ever found me, if she ever wanted to get to know me, I could give it to her and let her know I was always thinking about her. I wish I had never given her up Vince, I wish I could have kept her, if only I could have found the guts to stand up to my parents."
"Shhh, its okay." Vince whispered to her. "Linda, you know better than anyone that if only's won't do any good. There's no point in looking back and having regrets what you've got to do now is act on it. Phone her, arrange to meet her, if things go well invite her to lunch or dinner, give her the bracelet. It time Linda, it's time for you to fill that hole that's been gaping open ever since the day you gave her up. You're never going to know if you don't try."
"What if she doesn't."
"What did I just say, if's don't do anything, you've got to dive in feet first and don't worry about any obstacles until you get to them. I want you to get to know her, I want her to become part of this family."
"Thank you Vince, thank you." Linda sobbed in his arms.
Vince rocked his wife gently as she cried into his chest, his own tears falling down his face. As much as he hated to admit it, he would never have married Linda if she had a baby. She was right, he never could have done it, it was bad enough with Shane and Stephanie but to have taken on a baby who wasn't even his, he knew Linda spoke the truth. And as he rocked her he couldn't help but feel remorse about what Linda had done, although she hadn't said it, Vince could tell by the look in her eyes, the real reason she gave that baby up was for him. So she could marry him and have his children. Linda had made the ultimate sacrifice for him, giving up her own baby and Vince couldn't even imagine the pain she had been going through every day since.