Another Angel of Love Page 15

  “Oh, Jenny,” Tammy said again, squeezing Jenny’s hand. “What happened? Did you have an abortion?” Tammy’s eyes were wide, searching Jenny’s face for an answer she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear.

  “At first I wanted to—I didn’t want anything to do with that drunken oaf! But Tammy, I quickly learned to love the baby growing inside me. It wasn’t it’s fault. It didn’t ask to be born— and the thought of destroying it, a live little baby, became unthinkable.”

  Tammy was puzzled. “So when did this happen, and where’s the baby now? I never saw that you were pregnant.”

  “Remember in the spring of Grade 9 when I told you I had mononucleosis…?”

  Tammy nodded and Jenny went on. “The baby was small, and I hid my belly under big sweaters, but I got more and more tired and my parents thought it best for me to stay home. On May 24, 1957, I gave birth to a little girl. I named her Camilla.”

  Tammy could barely believe her ears. “Oh, Jenny! Where is she?”

  Tears rose in Jenny’s eyes and for a moment she couldn’t speak. “I…I don’t know. I gave her up for adoption. I was only in Grade 9, too young to raise a baby and …” Jenny was going to tell her about Henry, how if he’d known and written to her she felt certain she would have kept the baby. But Henry never wrote…and Tammy had enough on her plate, Jenny knew, without burdening her with old heartaches, especially now. “I was just too young, Tammy—but I think about her every day. And I’m so glad I didn’t have an abortion—I only saw Camilla for a moment before they took her away, but she was beautiful.”

  “But Robbie says it’s just a fetus—he says it isn’t really anything until it’s born.”

  “Oh, Tammy, he’s wrong. When you feel it flutter inside you, you know it’s a real little baby. And the doctor can hear its heartbeat even before that. Remember Mrs. Torrence, our English teacher last year? Her baby was born premature and had to be put in an incubator for several weeks, but you saw the pictures she shared with the class. Your baby is growing now too, Tammy, and I believe a baby is a baby as soon as it’s conceived.”

  “But, Jenny what would I do with a baby without Robbie? I’m only seventeen…”

  “Have you told your parents yet?”

  “Oh God, no, they’ll have a fit. I’ll never hear the end of it from my dad. When I’m not home on time he grounds me. I know how worried he is I’ll get in trouble. And now he’s right.” Tammy could barely get the last word out before the tears started again, fear etched in her face.

  “Tammy, first you have to tell your mom. I’ll drive you home right now and we’ll tell her together. After all, I have all this experience,” Jenny added, “so because of Camilla, maybe I can help. Besides, the sooner you get it over with, the sooner we can start to deal with everything. I was terrified of what my parents would say too, especially my mother, but I was actually surprised by how supportive she was.”

  A watery smile lifted the corners of Tammy’s mouth. How grateful she was for her friend. And there was even a small comfort in knowing that Jenny’s perfect life wasn’t so perfect. If Jenny had survived an unplanned pregnancy, maybe there was hope for her too. “So you really think it would be a mistake to get an abortion? Robbie thinks he might be able to get someone to do it so we could keep the whole thing a secret and avoid the shame—and having to tell our parents.”

  “Oh, Tammy. It’s not so easy to get an abortion. In my case, because of the circumstances, I could have had one, but—but Tammy!” Jenny blurted. “I really believe in my heart that you’d regret it. I believe from the moment of conception a baby has a spirit and a soul. I believe God sends each of us a guardian angel who stays with us from that moment on.

  “I think of Camilla every day—and I just know that one day we’ll meet again. And that’s what got me through it, that’s what kept me going, Tammy, and still does. If I’d had an abortion I don’t think I could’ve lived with myself; to take my own little baby’s life would haunt me for the rest of mine. At least this way I know she has a good home and that one day we’ll be together again. I just know my guardian angel is going to make it all work out.”

  Jenny blushed a little then; she’d gotten so passionate about it she had spoken aloud her innermost belief. She didn’t know if Tammy would understand the close relationship she had with her unseen helper—and didn’t want her to criticize it.

  But Tammy didn’t seem to take it in; her thoughts were mired in practicalities. “But Jenny, if I decide to keep it and Robbie doesn’t support me, I don’t know if I can make it. And what will all our friends say when they see my belly growing…oh! it’s mortifying even to think about!”

  “Most of that is just fear, Tammy, of something that’s bigger in your head than it is in reality. Things will work out. They did for me, didn’t they? And I’ll be at your side the whole time.”

  Footsteps echoed down the hall. The girls turned to see the principal approaching them.

  “My gosh, girls, why are you both still here? I’m just about to lock up.” When he came closer and saw that both girls had been crying he added, “Is something the matter?”

  “Oh no, Mr. Thompson,” Jenny quickly replied, “just some boy/girl problems. We were just leaving.”

  Bracing themselves for the coming confrontation, they went out together to face whatever came next.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A week after Mr. Engelmann had mentioned to Henry that he was thinking about selling the business, a tall man dressed smartly in a brown houndstooth suit entered the store. He exuded an air of importance which was softened by a friendly smile. He stopped short of the counter and introduced himself as Jim Webster. Mr. Engelmann shook his extended hand and responded with his own name.

  “Mr. Engelmann, I’m representing a company interested in learning if the property your store sits on and the adjacent lot are for sale.

  “Well, possibly. What would they do with the store?”

  “It would probably be torn down.”

  “But what about all my customers?”

  “They would go to another store. Safeway is only a few blocks away.”

  “For many of my customers, three blocks is like three miles.”

  “Well, I’m sure something could be figured out. There’s a solution for everything.”

  It was clear to Mr. Engelmann that this Mr. Webster was very serious.

  “How much is your client offering, do you know?”

  “Well, Mr. Engelmann, unfortunately your building here isn’t worth very much; we can easily hire a real estate firm to do an appraisal, if you like. But your business itself is another matter. We know you’ve built up a large clientele, and I’m sure it’s become quite profitable for you. Perhaps if we were to go over your financial statements for the last two or three years, we could arrive at a fair figure.”

  “Oh, I will have to think about that. My business is my business. I don’t like anyone to come in and look at my books.”

  “I understand, but how else can we determine the value of your store?”

  “I’m not certain I want to sell. If and when I do, I will think about what I want.”

  “That’s just fine, Mr. Engelmann. Would you be willing to meet again, say in about two weeks?”

  Mr. Engelmann looked at the man in front of him, so smooth, so polite and so agreeable. He had to be cautious and think the entire matter through very carefully before making a decision. “Yes, yes, that will be fine. Yes, come again in two weeks. I might have an answer for you then.”

  But as Mr. Webster headed for the door, Mr. Engelmann knew two weeks wouldn’t be long enough. “Mr. Webster, better make that a month. I am very busy for the next little while.” He hoped the delay would disappoint him and he would go away.

  “That’s fine. A month it is.” The door banged shut behind him.

  He needed to discuss this with
Henry and Mary; he needed a sounding board. Oh, Anna, if only I could talk to you too! Mrs. Dance’s son was a real estate lawyer who could, perhaps, provide counsel. And he himself would naturally have to review the accounts. As a plan began to formulate in his mind, Mr. Engelmann relaxed against the wall behind the counter.

  On Sunday evening, a week before Bill was to return home, Mr. Engelmann sat down with Henry and Mary for their usual dinner. After everyone had helped themselves to roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and creamed corn, they resumed the discussion they’d been having since Mr. Engelmann had arrived.

  “Well, David, if you sell the store what would you do?” Mary wanted to know. “You’re too young to retire.”

  “And where would you live?” Henry added.

  David chewed a succulent slice of chicken, then swallowed.

  “Yes, yes, I have thought about all these things and haven’t found the answer yet, but I know the Lord will help me sort it out. I’m worried about all the old people we deliver groceries to, though. Who would do that if we close down?”

  “They’d have to go to Safeway or maybe have their children get their groceries for them,” Henry said.

  “Yes, but most of their children are grown and gone. Many of our elderly customers are all alone and sometimes are too achy with arthritis to get out. They need someone to bring the groceries to them.”

  “What about a taxi service?” Mary suggested.

  “Oh no, they would never pay for a taxi. Too expensive.”

  And so it went, back and forth, for several minutes until Mr. Engelmann laid his fork and knife on the table and stared at a spot between Mary and Henry with a strange, far-off look.

  “What is it?” Henry asked.

  Mr. Engelmann was quiet, then he whispered, “Maybe, just maybe, I might have the answer.”

  Henry leaned closer. “What is it? What’s the answer? The answer to what?”

  The vacant look on Mr. Engelmann’s face dissolved into a warm smile and his eyes sparkled. He shook his head as if to clear it.

  “Oh, it is just a thought,” he said, taking a sip of water.

  “What is it?” Henry pressed.

  David picked up his fork, about to take another mouthful.

  “Mr. Engelmann, you have to tell us what it is,” Henry said, exasperated. “You…you just can’t leave us hanging here.”

  But Mr. Engelmann only smiled and filled his fork with potatoes. “It’s just an idea. Way too early to tell. It’s something I alone will have to think on.”

  “But…but—”

  “Now, Henry,” Mary interjected, “David will tell us when he’s ready.”

  “But, Mom, we’re in this together—!”

  The phone rang.

  “That’s your father,” Mary said as she rose to answer.

  As Mary talked to Bill, David took a moment to consider his brainwave. Henry and Mary might think it was crazy, but it was something he’d felt a tugging in his heart to do for a while.

  “What?!”

  David snapped out of his musings and noticed Henry paying rapt attention to his mother’s conversation.

  “Join you in Toronto? Oh, I don’t think so—I’m too busy. I have work to do at home and at the store. And besides, we can’t afford it right now. No, Bill.”

  “Go, Mom,” Henry said.

  Mary shook her head at Henry and waved at him to be quiet. Henry looked down at the table, stung. David knew there was more to her defiance than the household budget.

  Mary turned to her son. “Do you want to speak to Dad?”

  “No, it’s okay. Say hi, and—”

  Mary held her hand over the receiver and motioned for him to come and say hello.

  Henry slouched over to her and chatted with his dad for a minute. While he talked, Mary sliced the saskatoon berry pie she’d made earlier. As Henry hung up, she brought three plates of pie out to the table. Silence fell over the room.

  Henry stabbed at his slice of pie without eating.

  “Is anything wrong, Henry?” his mom asked.

  “Just feeling tired, I guess,” then he looked at his mother and added, “I wish you had agreed to go to Toronto.”

  Mary blushed and turned her attention to her pie.

  David looked from mother to son, caught in the middle of a deep-seated issue he’d no business being a part of. So that’s it.

  “Oh, there will be other times and right now we can’t afford it.” But she wasn’t fooling anyone—least of all herself.

  “Mary, this was a wonderful supper,” David said to change the subject. He asked Mary to remind him to get the pumpkin order in that week for Hallowe’en, then questioned Henry about school. After a brief cup of tea with Mary in the living room and reminding Henry that he should concentrate on his schoolwork instead of trying to do everything, including making it into the store, David excused himself.

  He used the walk home to plan out what he would do with the next phase of his life, without the store.

  Henry wasn’t able to get in to work until the next Saturday. He usually walked to the store with his mother on the weekend, but she was going to meet his father at the airport at eleven so he walked alone.

  Mr. Engelmann’s characteristic whistle greeted Henry as he stepped into the store, a sure sign that he was happy about something. Henry was curious to know what was on his mentor’s mind, but no sooner had he opened his mouth than a customer entered, starting another busy day.

  His mother arrived around two, but it was so busy that Henry didn’t have time to ask about his father. After spending much of the day in silence, Henry and his mother turned the lock on the front door at five-thirty.

  As they said good night to Mr. Engelmann, his mother said, “We’re looking forward to seeing you for supper tomorrow night.”

  “Yes, yes,” he answered, “I am anxious to see Bill and learn all about his trip. And I may have something to share with all of you, too.”

  “What is it?” Henry asked.

  “Tomorrow evening will come soon enough. We’ll talk then.”

  The days were growing shorter now and winter was just around the corner. Henry and his mother walked into the cool breeze.

  “Wonder what Mr. Engelmann’s news is?”

  “I was thinking about that myself,” his mother replied. “We’ll know tomorrow, I guess.”

  “What will you do if Mr. Engelmann sells the store?” He could hardly think about it himself, but knew he’d support whatever decision Mr. Engelmann made.

  “Oh, I’ll find something else. I may have to go downtown, though. It won’t be so bad. We just have to be ready to go wherever the door opens.”

  Henry’s heart sped up as they reached their front door.

  His father emerged from the living room as they walked in. Henry rushed over and gave him a strong hug.

  “Glad to see you home, Dad.” Henry said, hoping his mom would follow his example. “How was the trip?”

  “Fine, son.”

  “Did you like flying?”

  “Yes, it’s quite the experience, being way up there. I liked the take-off, but landing was a bit nerve-wracking.”

  Henry’s mother pecked her husband on the cheek, then disappeared into the kitchen, saying, “I’ll start supper right away; it won’t take long—I put a chicken casserole into the oven before I came to the store this afternoon. Why don’t you two sit in the living room until dinner?”

  Henry looked at his father, the expression in his father’s eyes echoing his own. Not quite the reaction he’d hoped for either. Obviously, she hadn’t completely forgiven his dad yet.

  Henry wondered if she ever would.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Mr. Engelmann arrived promptly at five-thirty, his whistle preceding him through the screen door. During dinner, David told Bi
ll about the visit from Mr. Webster.

  “Who do you think his client is?” Bill asked.

  “I think it is Safeway. He never told me and I never asked, I was so surprised that someone had walked through the door to make such an offer. I am not even sure I want to sell the store yet. It has been so much a part of my life, and now that it is doing so well, it is going to be very hard for me to sell.”

  “I know what you mean,” said Bill. “But maybe now is the time to sell—when your profit is at a peak.”

  “Yes, yes, you are right, of course. I know I have to sell. But it’s almost like a child to me. It’s so hard to give it up.”

  “We understand,” Mary interjected, reaching over and touching David’s hand.

  “Do you have a price in mind?” Bill asked.

  “I was hoping to get maybe around $40,000 for it. We didn’t pay too much for the building.”

  “You should get an appraisal,” Bill said.

  “I called Mrs. Dance last Friday. Her son is a lawyer. I told her I have some business to do, and that I need some legal help and she said she would have her son phone me. Hopefully, I will hear from him soon so I can ask him all these things.”

  “Good idea,” Bill nodded.

  Mary opened her mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it and rose from her chair to go to the oven. They all watched as she pulled out a lemon meringue pie, Bill’s favourite dessert, the tips of the egg white peaks a perfectly browned mountain range.

  The men wasted little time digging into their after-dinner treat.

  Pie finished, Bill asked, “If you sell the store, where will you live? Have you got other plans?”

  David looked at Henry, knowing he’d been waiting anxiously for this answer.

  “Well…?” Henry prompted, leaning forward.

  Excitement was written on Mr. Engelmann’s face, his eyes sparkled. His smile grew into a broad grin. He raised his fork, a piece of lemon pie hanging precariously off the tip of it, and waved it around as if he were a conductor setting the beat to music about to begin. The words of his song would be sweet and soothing to their ears and hearts. He knew he had found the perfect solution. Now that Anna was gone, he would do what he was meant to do.