Margaret was sixty and finally ready to retire, though she wasnt in any hurry. After her shift she changed into her coat and headed home. A heavy rain was falling and she had forgotten her umbrella, so she pulled the hood of her coat up and walked toward the bus stop. Suddenly she heard a babys wail a newborn, no more than a few days old, lay curled on a bench.
She gathered the infant in her arms and tried to soothe him. The little one was soaked through, so she rushed back to the maternity ward at StMarys Hospital and called a paediatrician to examine the child.
Its a boy, about two weeks old, the doctor said after checking him. Hes perfectly healthy. I cant imagine why anyone would abandon him. A child like this deserves love and care.
Margaret decided to stay on the night shift so she wouldnt fall asleep at the desk. Just then the police arrived to take statements, and she kept the baby close, never letting go.
Two hours later a police car pulled up with a young couple. The woman was trembling, her eyes red, and the man looked pale.
Show us the baby, the woman said, her voice breaking. He might be ours.
They were led to the neonatal unit. When the girl saw the infant, she burst into tears and clutched him tightly, refusing to let him go. Margaret was bewildered, until an officer explained the whole story.
Emily and Robert had been seeing each other in secret because their families disapproved of the match. Emilys parents tolerated it, but Roberts mother had been determined to thwart any future daughterinlaw. When the baby was born she hoped her son would become softhearted, but she suspected Emily had been unfaithful and, in a fit of spite, slipped the child near the hospital and told a lie.
The truth emerged, and the young couple was reunited with their son, while Margaret returned the child to his grateful grandparents.
The tale shows that secrets and prejudice can cause needless pain, but honesty and compassion can mend even the deepest wounds.
