A Wedding In the Family by Kathryn Alexander

Author:Kathryn Alexander [Alexander, Kathryn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Chapter Nine

“Hey, Mom! My teacher’s sister had her baby. A little girl!” Nathan said from the rear of the van where he and David sat on the ride home from school the next afternoon.

“Already? Isn’t it kind of early?”

“Yeah. Two months early,” he replied. “Mrs. Mitchell talked to us about babies that are born too soon. She called them ‘preemies.’”

“Uh-huh,” Angela responded. “Heather, please roll that window up. It’s freezing in here.” She switched on the heater. “So, Nathan, is the baby okay?”

“Yeah, I guess so, but she only weighs four pounds. That’s not much, Mrs. Mitchell says.”

“That’s very small. But that doesn’t mean she won’t make it. The baby will stay in the hospital until they’re sure it’s strong enough and well enough to go home.”

“So, I must have been really small like that when I was born,” Nathan remarked.

Angela raised her eyes to the rearview mirror to see her son’s face. Her heart sank. She’d known someday that they’d have this discussion. It was inevitable. But she hadn’t thought it would be today. At age 12.

“Mom, how much did I weigh?”

Angela took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She’d had a springtime wedding and a late summer baby. And Nathan could count to nine. “Hon, let’s talk about this later when we have time. We’re in a rush to drop David at John’s house. And I have a terrible headache.” Which was mostly true—she instantly had the beginnings of a migraine.

“But don’t you remember how much I weighed?”

“Eight pounds, even,” she responded. “We’ll finish this discussion later. David, get your stuff together. This is the street John lives on.”

After dropping her middle child at his friend’s house, she, Heather and Nathan rode home without much conversation. Angela frantically ran over in her aching head the way she wanted to explain things to Nathan. He was the most sensitive and tenderhearted of all her children, and his reaction would largely depend on how well she handled the explanation. At least that’s what she assumed.

Their van eased into the driveway and, almost before the ignition was shut off, the doors flew open.

“Heather, change into your jeans before you go outside to play. And wear a jacket”

The two children with book bags and lunch boxes climbed out of the vehicle to cut across the yard, running toward the back door. Angela dawdled behind, picking up her own books and purse slowly and deliberately.

How do you tell a young boy that he wasn’t born prematurely? That his parents married a little late? That his conception was the sole reason for their marriage? Angela leaned her pounding head against the door of the vehicle as she stood, stalling, there in the driveway. She’d been sorry for things she’d done, but never sorrier than she was now. But she knew it was time to be honest with Nathan.

“Oh, Lord, help me to say the right things…the right way. Please don’t let Nathan be hurt by this. It wouldn’t be fair for him to suffer because of our wrong choices.

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