After the war, she called him up, just to see how he was.
"I'm fine" he said, but all was not good. "You?"
"Fine too" was all she could render. After a long awkward silence she spoke up. "I'm going to be in town for a conference. If you want to meet up." She gulped over the phone. Nervous only from impending rejection. Every man had rejected her. Every man…but him.
"Sure…will your" he paused to gulp "husband be joining you?"
She cringed "I'm no longer married…we split up after you left"
He couldn't be happier.
"Okay then…when do you wanna…meet up?"
And so the date was set. January 11th 1955.
She walked into the surgery. She could hear his voice a mile away. She smiled at the sound of a familiar voice. Looking down her smile broadened. At least one good thing came of past relationships.
Going to the front desk she asked for him.
"Would you like to make an appointment?"
"No, I'm an old friend."
"Oh, the doctor will be out in a moment."
The grip at her hand tightened. She bent down to pick the small child up. She looked in the baby's eyes and saw him. Her daughter had his eyes. She sighed and mentally, for that moment, wiped him from her mind. It wasn't her or her daughter's fault that her father didn't want her. She didn't know if it was the bus incident…or him going back to his old ways…but when she told him he said, there and then he wanted nothing to do with the baby. She refused termination and so they – like all before him – were over.
"Okay doctor. The doctor will see you now"
"Thank you" anything to forget him.
She walked in, baby in arms. He smiled at her, then frowned.
"Margaret…who is this?"
"My daughter Frank"
"Penobscotts?"
"No"
"Then who?"
"She's mine, her father was never a part of this."
"Oh…how are you?"
"Better" she smiled at him. "You?"
"I'm okay now." His goofy smile was still there.
"Your family?" she changed the subject.
Frank's smile faded. "Louise was killed in a car crash a year ago."
"Oh Frank, I'm so sorry" she said, putting her hand on his arm.
"So it's just been me and the four kids."
"How are they?"
"They're okay now too." He paused before continuing "But they need a mother."
She looked him directly in the eye "My child needs a father too."
They closed the gap between them.
"I've missed you"
"I've missed you too."
"Come home, meet my children?"
"Okay" she nodded.
And the rest as they say, is history. Until…of course…the matter of Margaret's daughter came up.
"Margaret, darling, who is Laurie's real father?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Yes. Will he come back into your lives?"
"No. He didn't want her. And he didn't want me."
"Who is he?"
"You know him."
"I do?" puzzled as to whom.
"Think Korea Frank. Think the Swamp. Think red robe"
"Pierce?"
"Yes Frank."
"But…how?"
"Things changed, we grew, we…got together and when I was pregnant I realized 'things never change'." She paused before continuing "That's why I'm back here…sitting in front of you. My soft spot for you never went away Frank."
"As mine did neither." He got down on one knee "Marry me Margaret?"
She chuckled "What?"
"Marry me, be my wife, be me children's mother and I'll be your child's father."
She smiled "Yes."
Fin!