You know, I always think back to those days when Michael was in Year 5 and had a bit of a soft spot for his neighbour, Emily. She was a bit younger than him, with long blonde plaits and a face full of charming freckles. Emily really drew his eyea real sweetheart. Michael used to walk her home sometimes, just to make sure she was safe from the bullies who hung around the estate and liked picking on younger kids.
But things changed for them, and not in a good way. Emilys dad got really ill, and after a tough struggle, he passed away. Her mum couldnt handle the loss and started drinking pretty heavily. It got so bad that Emily was left neglectedher mum even forgot to give her meals now and then. Eventually, Emily stopped turning up at school altogether. At first, Michael thought she was just a bit under the weather. But when weeks rolled into months, he started getting really worried about her disappearance. He ended up going to his own mum with his concerns, asking if she knew what had happened to Emily.
His mum broke the news softly: Love, Emilys been taken to a childrens home. Michael felt guttedhe realised he might never see her again.
Years moved on, and Michael came back to his hometown after finishing his service in the forces. One day, by sheer chance, he bumped into Emily in the street. She was walking hand-in-hand with her husband, her pregnant belly peeking out from under her coat. It was obvious she was almost due. But the encounter was so brief, and four years went by with no word.
Fate brought them together again when Emily returned to their hometown. She was a single mum nowher husband had died tragically in a drunken street fight, his addiction finally getting the better of him. She was left to raise her little boy all on her own. Whenever Michael saw her, that feeling would swell inside his chest. He couldnt shake the sense that their lives were somehow woven together. Both Emily and her son needed him, and Michael realised he had an important part to play in their lives. And he didhe stepped right in.
