I was at work when the call came in.
“This is Lincoln Elementary’s Nurse Holloway. Lila, your daughter, passed out at recess.
After that, I hardly heard anything. With my mind racing, I grasped my keys with trembling hands. This morning, she was all right. She may have been a touch pale, but she had eaten breakfast, grinned at me, and hurried out the door.
By the time I arrived at the school, I was exhausted and terrified beyond belief. When I followed the front desk instructions to the nurse’s office, I saw my little girl laying on the cot with her small fingers gripping a juice box.
And she was sitting next to her, clutching her hand.
In the doorway, I froze. It had been more than ten years since I last saw Maria Holloway. Not since my life collapsed that night.
She raised her head, and I briefly caught the identical flash of amazement in her eyes. Then she smoothed her hair and looked back to Lila. She whispered, “She’s fine.” Her blood sugar became dangerously low. We managed to catch it in time.
I ought to have thanked her. However, I was unable to even locate my voice.
Maria wasn’t just any nurse, for that reason.
The man I used to love had a sister named her. I fled from the man.
And now she was the one who had saved my kid after all these years.
I forced myself to put my daughter first, my heart thumping in my chest as I took a step forward. “How are you feeling, Lilia, my dear?”
Her large brown eyes, still slightly disoriented but still able to identify me, stared up at me. “It’s better,” she whispered. “I got juice from Maria. “I just needed sugar,” she replied.
Maria. The name hurt. Never in my life did I think I would hear that again, much less from my daughter.
Maria got to her feet, her face unreadable. “I would take her to a doctor just to be sure, but she should be well now. Has she previously experienced problems with her blood sugar?
I took a deep breath. “No. Not in this manner.
Although Lila had never had any medical diagnoses, I felt guilty for ignoring her complaints of lightheadedness during the previous two weeks, assuming it was simply school-related exhaustion. How could I have missed this?
Maria gave a nod, and silence fell for a while. Then, cautiously, she finally said. “Callie, it’s been a while.”
Feeling conflicted, I looked up at her. Indeed. It has.
After hesitating, she inhaled deeply. “I was unaware that Lila belonged to you. I— She halted and shook her head. “I never thought you’d get to this point.”
I didn’t either.
I couldn’t get Maria’s face out of my head once I got home after a doctor’s appointment revealed Lila had early symptoms of hypoglycemia. Everything I had attempted to forget had abruptly returned, along with the past I had worked so hard to bury.
Michael Holloway was someone I once adored. I loved him unconditionally. However, love wasn’t always sufficient.
I was never accepted by his family. I was the girl from the wrong side of town, the one whose mother left and whose father drank too much. They viewed me as a passing fad, an error he would eventually outgrow. Finally, I allowed them to persuade me that they were correct. I broke both of our hearts when I left him.
I never explained why to him. I never gave an explanation. And now here I was, with a daughter he didn’t even know existed, standing in the same town as his sister.
Was Maria aware? Had she guessed it? My gut twisted at the thought.
My mind was racing that night, and I hardly slept at all. I found myself hanging around the nurse’s office the following morning after dropping Lila off at school and giving her strict orders to eat all of her snacks.
Maria saw me right away. “Callie.”
I shut the door behind me and went inside. “We must speak.”
With a cautious expression, she crossed her arms. “I wanted to know if you would return.”
With trepidation, I inhaled. “Is Michael aware?”
She knitted her brows. “You know what?” Then her eyes filled with comprehension. “Hold on. Are you saying—?
My throat tightened as I nodded. “He owns Lilia.”
Maria’s face went white. Pressing her fingers to her temples, she sat down in her chair and let out a quick exhale. “Oh my God.”
I muttered, “I never meant to keep it from him.” “I simply… I had no idea how to tell him.” I also believed it was too late when I departed.
Before she spoke, she gave me a long look. Michael has a right to know, Callie. He looked for you. He never moved on from you.
My chest hurt. “I believed he had moved on.”
Maria gave a headshake. “No. He waited for years in the town. I’m hoping. He believed he had done something incorrectly.
Like a wave, guilt swept over me. “I believed I was acting appropriately. I was never wanted by his family, or yours. I believed I was only making things more difficult for him.
Maria chuckled bitterly. “You never offered him an option.”
I took a deep breath. “Is he still residing here?”
After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. Indeed. He currently owns and operates his own company. However, Callie, if you tell him, be ready for the reality that everything will change.
I knew she was right, so I nodded.
The next night, with Maria’s grudging support, I was standing outside a tiny auto repair shop with my heart racing. Holloway Auto Services was written on the sign.
The smell of metal and oil filled my breath as I entered. Then I caught sight of him.
Michael.
He had a nearly same appearance. He may have been taller, thicker, and had a little more facial stubble. His storm-blue eyes, however, remained the same.
He turned, using a rag to wipe his hands, and paused upon seeing me. “Callie?”
My throat constricted. “Hi, Michael.”
He stepped forward slowly while looking into my eyes. “I—I believed you were permanently gone.”
“I believed I was as well.” I let out a trembling breath. However, I must tell you something. I should have told you this years ago.
He looked at me, then at Maria, who had come in after me. “What is this?”
I inhaled deeply. “You have a daughter, Michael.”
The quiet was overwhelming. His breath caught as his eyes grew wild. “What?”
“Lila is her name.” I took a picture out of my bag and held it up. She is eight years old. She is also yours.
Michael’s hands were shaking as he gazed at the picture. His jaw tightened, and I briefly prepared myself for rage and hatred.
Instead, tears welled up in his eyes. “I’ve got a daughter.”
With tears streaming down my face, I nodded. “She must also meet her father.”
After letting out a trembling breath, he gazed up at me with optimism, which I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Then let’s stop wasting time.”
There aren’t always second chances in life. However, we occasionally discover them in unexpected areas we never imagined visiting again.
Please remember to like and share if this story resonated with you. Perhaps there is someone out there who too needs to believe in second chances.
