Lessons Learned, Healing Hearts

Beginnings of Redemption (Chapter 50)

Time, like a runaway train, refuse to slow down for anything or anyone.

Dancing in her kitchen to a newly released Il Volo song Marlow smiled to herself. It had been another four years since Il Volo graced the stage in Seattle and nearly a decade since Marlow spoke face-to-face with Piero.

In a wonderful place in her life, her career in speech pathology had taken off, and she felt a profound calling to help other children who faced life in the foster care system. Nearing the completion of adopting two siblings, seven-year-old Everett and twin sister Amelia, 33-year-old Marlow had finally found the healing from childhood wounds.

Tossing her briefcase under the side table and kicking off her shoes, Marlow relished the cool touch of the hardwood floor on her tired, hot feet as she staggered to the kitchen. No longer afraid to indulge in the occasional alcoholic beverage, she reached for a wine glass from her cupboard and poured the last of the Zinfandel from Saturday night into it. Leaning against the counter, she savoured every sip of the light and fruity liquid as she scrolled through her notifications on her phone. Suddenly, a notification caught her eye. Il Volo was adding the city of Vancouver to their 2029 World tour. Without wasting time, she hopped onto the Official Fanclub website and purchased three tickets, one for her, one for Zoe and one for Harper.

Wanting so much to apologize in person to Piero for hurting him, she recognized that there was a chance he wouldn't want to see her. Committing herself to find the courage to at least try, she entered the concert date into her wall calendar and, grabbing her phone, she quickly texted Piero.

I am so happy to hear that you are coming to Vancouver. Can't wait. Would love to get together to reconnect.

She got a response back a few minutes later, but it was not what she wanted to read.

I'm sorry, but I think you sent this message to the wrong number. Good luck in reconnecting with your friend.

Had she punched in the wrong number? Hoping that was the case, she checked her contacts. She had texted the correct number. Piero must have changed his number for some reason. Unfortunately for her now, there was no way to test the waters beforehand.

***

"Why are you staying in the city tonight?" Everett asked, bounding into the bedroom, quickly followed by Amelia.

Pushing her suitcase out of the way, Marlow sat with her soon-to-be adopted children.

"Your Aunties Zoe and Harper and I are going to go and see someone extremely special to me, and then we're going to have a girls' weekend away from all you kids."

"Is that someone special, a boy?" Amelia asked, her eyes smiling in excitement.

"What makes you think it's a boy?"

Shrugging, Amelia flashed a crooked grin. With several empty spaces and partially grown adult teeth, she was the poster child for cuteness.

"I don't know. I just think it is," she said, giggling.

Quieter than his sister, Everett was a sharp detective. Preferring to observe before judging, he studied people's reactions, tone of voice and mannerisms. Catching a hint of colour on his mother's face, as an almost silent giggle escaped from her throat, he declared, "It's a boy."

Laughing, Marlow beamed at her two children.

"Yes, it's a boy. I am going to go and see the first man that I think I truly loved."

"If you loved him, why didn't you marry him?" Amelia asked.

"We weren't together long enough for that to even come up."