Love Songs in a Minor Key: A Collection of Short Stories

9

Ran had lost touch with Leah. They'd been the best of friends once, long ago in college, and had promised to keep in touch. Their friendship faded.

Ran was flattered when she received the call from Leah that she was pregnant. It had come out of the blue. After a few embarrassing moments, Leah warmed to the conversation and began baring her soul to Ran like the old days.

Leah had fallen for an older guy who was married, and even though the couple had been careful, she found herself pregnant. Her lover pushed for an abortion. He had a wife, kids of his own. A newborn was not in the plans.

He'd given Leah an ultimatum – him or the baby.

Leah chose to have the child, without his support, emotionally or financially. It had been a tough pregnancy, but now her baby boy was here.

Ran offered to come out for a couple of weeks to help with the baby.

Leah declined.

Laughing, she said, "Oh, you know me. Head in the clouds. Crash and burn. Then rise from the ashes. Anyway, I'll be fine. I always bounce back. Don't worry. But I do have the responsibility of this new life, and I'll be honest, Ran, it bowls me over to think about what would happen to him if, you know, something happened to me.

That's why I want to know if it would be alright if I made you his godparent. I have no family left. I trust you, I always have, even with my baby. I'd like to know he had someone to look after him, you know, if something happened to me. I'll go to the lawyers and make it legal if it's O.K.

I mean, not that I think I'm gonna be hit by a bus tomorrow, but you know what I'm getting at, don't you? I want someone there for him, as his guardian if I'm not in the picture any more."

"Leah," Ran said, "I know what you're saying. Sure. I love the idea. I'd be honored. I mean it."

And now that conversation had come back to haunt her over a decade later. Ran remembered that second call from out of the blue, too.