She's Not a Fan

Chapter 24

Kelly was free for lunch so Sarah suggested they meet at a little cafe downtown.

Sarah arrived a bit early and was seated at a table for two in a sunny nook off to the side.  She sipped her water, and looked around the restaurant.  It was a bit late for the lunch crowd so the restaurant was quiet.  Only two other tables had customers. 

A young couple, in a quiet booth, sat with their heads together, holding hands.  The woman kept admiring a diamond ring on her finger with a huge grin and gave frequent kisses to the young man. 

A new engagement ring?  Silly to be jealous of strangers, Sarah thought when she felt a pang.  But wouldn’t it be lovely to skip all the dating kerfuffle and land happily there? 

A waitress was busy taking the order from a couple at another table.  They had a high chair pulled up to the table and a young boy, about two years old, rapped the tray with a fork and grinned.  The baby had low set ears, wide eyes and flat nose.  Down’s syndrome, she mused.

Sarah wondered if the couple were his parents.  The woman absently rubbed the man’s arm as they laughed with the waitress, and smiled at the toddler. 

Not young love, she thought, looking at the sprinkling of grey in their hair and the wrinkles as they smiled, but the comfort of years together.  Maybe a decision to wait to have children or maybe they were trying for a while and the surprise of a pregnancy occurred when they least expected it.  Did they find out about the Down’s syndrome during the prenatal testing or was it discovered after the baby was born?   And how would that change your life forever?  Not just a newborn, but a newborn with Down’s syndrome.  What an emotional roller coaster that must be.  The joy and worry.  The myriad of medical appointments, and the need to share the care of your child with specialists.   Strength, patience and love.  It would certainly take a special bond and it looked like they had one. 

Sarah was interrupted in her thoughts when Kelly arrived, with a swoosh of cool air. 

Kelly smiled and waved, and headed over to the table, removing her gloves and unwrapping the multi-coloured scarf she had pulled up to protect her ears.  “Hi,” she said breathlessly, giving Sarah a quick hug before sitting at the table.  “Sorry, I’m late.”

“Not at all.  I haven’t been here long,” Sarah reassured her.

 “Winter’s in the air.  It’s chilly out there,” she said as she unbuttoned her coat and set it on the back of her chair.  “Let’s order, then I want to hear all about how it went,” she said.  She sat down and picked up the menu.  “Do you know what you want?”

“I thought I’d get the cheese quiche with roasted vegetables.”

“Sounds perfect.  I’ll have the same,” she said, folding her menu.

The waitress, hovering nearby, came by and took their orders.

“So, how’d it go?” Kelly asked, leaning closer on her elbows.

“Good,” Sarah replied, trying to sound confident. “They seemed interested.  The teens put together a video, a combination of images and interviews explaining how important the clinic was to them.  That was definitely a highlight and I think probably helped to sway their opinion.”

“The human touch.  So they see it’s real and has value,” Kelly agreed.

Sarah nodded.  “The stories were powerful.  Maybe they could see their children or grandchildren.”

“What a great idea.  Did you ask them to do it?”

She shook her head.  “No.  I haven’t mentioned the clinic’s financial problems to the teens.  I didn’t want to worry them.  But Hank spends time with them while they’re waiting and he’s chatty.  I suspect he was the brainchild behind it.  It’s an amazing video.”