The Great Kidnap Caper I wish blokes would chase after me and bawl their eyes out because they can’
Three Broken Fates Well, well, lets see what weve got here! Now this looks promising. It all began with
I dont want your son living with us after the wedding. Auntie Jane, could you help me with my arithmetic?
Yesterday morning Mabel Harper cranked her phone to the loudest setting, just in case. Deep down she
Ill make a proper person out of him! My grandson is not going to be left-handed! Margaret Evans exclaims
The Road to Compassion Im sitting behind the wheel of my brand-new Ford Focus the very car Ive been dreaming
When Dad Brian came back from a business trip he looked pensive, as if hed been mulling over something
My Son Isn’t Ready to Be a Father…
“Slut! Ungrateful Pig!” shrieked her mother at Natalie at the top of her lungs. Her daughter’s rounded belly only fueled her fury. “Get out and never come back! I never want to see you again!”
Natalie’s mother truly threw her out, as she had many times before for smaller infractions. But this time, when Natalie “got herself in trouble,” her mother said she was never, ever welcome again unless she straightened herself out.
Drenched in tears and carrying a small suitcase, Natalie hobbled to her beloved—her utterly flustered boyfriend. It turned out Nazar hadn’t even admitted to his parents that Natalie was pregnant by him. Nazar’s mother asked at once if “something could still be done,” but it was clearly too late—Natalie’s belly was unmistakable. In complete shock, terrified for her future, Natalie was ready for anything if only someone would help. A month ago, she had fought firmly against her mother’s suggestion; now, desperation and fear had set in.
“My son isn’t ready to be a father,” Nazar’s mother declared resolutely. “He’s young—you’ll ruin his life. Of course, we’ll help as we can, but for now I’ve arranged for you to stay at a rehabilitation home for unwanted pregnant girls like you.”
In the centre, Natalie finally found a small room, a breath of relief. No one pestered her, and she was prepared for birth emotionally and physically, with the help of a psychologist. When the key moment came and she held a tiny bundle in her arms—a baby girl—Natalie panicked. When she calmed down and really looked at the child, she marvelled at her small, mysterious daughter.
With Christmas drawing near, Natalie was told to seek new lodgings—her place was needed for someone else.
With month-old Eva in her arms, Natalie sat with no idea how they’d survive, where to find money or a place to sleep. Her own mother’s heart remained frozen, refusing to acknowledge her granddaughter; she wrote them both out of her life.
“What a sad Christmas Eve, darling,” Natalie whispered to Eva. She had always loved the holiday, going carolling since childhood to earn a tidy sum. Eager to recapture that warmth, she thought, “Why not? My baby is quiet, I’ll bundle her up and go sing. If people don’t open their doors, so be it.”
The next day, Natalie picked a quiet residential street for her carolling. At first, people eyed such an unusual caroller suspiciously, expecting male singers as tradition. Yet in some houses, warmed by her heartfelt singing and moved by the sight of her baby, they gifted her with money and treats, understanding that misfortune, not merriment, had brought her there.
Going door to door was hard. “Just that last big house—maybe I’ll get a proper gift,” she thought, feeling hopeful as her pockets grew heavy with coins, enough to feel some relief.
“May I sing you a carol?” she asked when the owner welcomed her inside. But the man’s behaviour unsettled her. He stared at Natalie’s face, then at her child, grew pale, and slumped shakily onto the sofa.
“Nadine?” he said, voice trembling.
“What? No, I’m Natalie… you must have mistaken me for someone else.”
“Natalie? You look just like my wife… and the baby—she’s a girl?”
“Yes.”
“I had a daughter, too. But they’re gone… a car accident. Just the other night, I dreamed they came home… Then you appeared. Is such a thing possible?”
“I… I don’t know what to say…”
“Please, come in. Don’t be shy. Tell me your story.”
At first, Natalie feared the stranger—his emotions so raw, his reactions so strange. Yet she had nowhere else to go. She stepped into the spacious sitting room, seeing on the wall a photo of his late wife—so like herself…
Natalie found herself pouring out her story, every detail. At last, someone was listening, truly interested in her. The man sat in silence, soaking in every word, glancing now and then at baby Eva, sleeping soundly and smiling in her dreams—as if she already sensed she had found a home, soon to become her own… The Son Unready for Fatherhood… Shameless! Ungrateful little pig! my mother shrieked at me, then
Three Broken Fortunes Well, well, what have we here? Theres clearly something worth investigating!
A Lesson for the Wife “I’ve had enough!” Edward flings his spoon down, glaring at his
