This happened to me fifteen years ago. I remember it all as if it were yesterday, the day that changed my life forever. I was visiting a childrens home in Bath when a little girl with striking green eyes watched me silently for several minutes before suddenly asking, Do you have a daughter?
I was a bit taken aback, and replied, No, I dont.
She let out a gentle sigh and gave me such a sorrowful look. Wouldnt you like one? she asked softly. Before I could really process what shed said, she continued, I could be your daughter. If youd like that, of course
My mind was spinning. At the time, I had a son who was twenty, grown up and independent. Id never imagined having a second child nowI was well past those bustling years of nappies and bedtime stories. But the way she looked at me, those words: A daughter wouldnt be too much, and her wide, hopeful eyes stuck with me.
Id always dreamed of having a daughtersomeone I could call my little princess. I imagined us going shopping for dresses together, picking out hairbands and dolls, perhaps even sharing lip balm in front of the mirror. But life had given me a wonderful son, and Id never dared to hope for more. Standing there, it seemed childish to wish for a daughter at this stage in my life, didnt it? And yet, I heard my own voice say, Of course I would. She flung her arms around me like wed known each other forever.
It was as if, through that hug, she poured out all the love shed been holding in during her years growing up in the care system. Her name was Harriet. She was five then, and had come to the childrens home at just eighteen months old. Her parents had tragically died in a car crash that also claimed five others. Since then, Harriet had been dreaming of a family of her own, but like so many children, shed been left waiting.
Words can hardly capture how overjoyed she was to have a new familyto meet everyone, to learn all their names and faces. She was such a loving little soul that everyone quickly adored her. Even my husband, whod initially had his doubts about my idea, was charmed by Harriet almost immediately. She started calling us Mum and Dad from the very first day, and any hesitation hed felt simply melted away.
Harriet settled in so quicklyshe kept up with the children at school, and when she started Year One, it wasnt long before her quick thinking and intelligence stood out. Now, shes taken to writing poetry as a new hobby. Shes become a favourite amongst our friends and family, and I quietly thank fate every day that I decided to visit that childrens home in Bath all those years ago.
Looking back, I realise she gave me something wonderful that daya chance to experience a love Id always wished for, and a reason to believe in unexpected happiness.
