A Serendipitous Meeting

A giggle rang across the park. The cheerful sound caused the birdwatcher couple to smile and glance towards the source. A small, pigtailed child toddled around the slide, tossing smiles and giggles over her shoulder as a woman slowly chased after making monster noises. This was a picture-perfect morning for everyone in the vicinity. Everyone, except one. On the far side of the park, a middle-aged woman was tucked up under a giant oak tree with a small, black notebook lying limply across her lap. Her gaze was fixed upon the middle distance, and her mouth was turned down slightly at the corners. To any who could see her, she appeared lost in an upsetting memory.

A muscle in her calf spasmed, reminding Jenna Thomas that she’d been sitting stationary for far too long. She’d been having a relaxing Saturday morning, journaling about her hopes for the future and her feelings about the present while carefully not thinking about her last conversation with her parents. Unfortunately, the peal of laughter from a small child somewhere in the park threw her into the memory of the phone call last night.

“We haven’t heard from you in a while, Jenna. How’s life?” Jenna took a deep breath and attempted a smile at the neutral faces of her parents on the small screen of her phone. She had big news to share with them and a pretty good idea that they wouldn’t respond well to what she had to say.

“It’s been busy over here! My patients have been wonderful lately and have confirmed how much I love my career.” Jenna paused and clenched her fingers around the screen, her knuckles turning white.

“Nursing is such a thankless career, but if you’re happy with your choice, we’re glad for you.” Her parents never seemed to understand her job, but this comment was a step up from things they’ve said in the past, so she let it slide.

“So, I found out something big today and wanted to share the good news with you.” Jenna smiled wider, this time genuinely. “After months of research, informational sessions, and interviews, I was finally offered a spot at an adoption agency! They specialize in single-parent adoptions and have a 96% success rate, so I’m so excited to begin this journey with them.” She stopped, afraid to continue gushing about the benefits of this situation to the blank faces staring up at her.

Protests tumbled out of their mouths one after the other. “We thought your adoption plan was a phase you’d grow out of.”

“What happens when you finally get married, and your husband wants biological children or doesn’t want to accept your adopted kids?”

“How will you parent without a partner?”

“What will you do if you lose your job or get sick? We won’t help you.”

“You’ll never get a break. You’ll be ‘mom’ 24/7, never able to hand off your kid to their dad. You’ll end up resenting them.”

“You’re doing a disservice to that child by purposefully denying them a father figure. How could you be so cruel?”

Jenna felt her parents' comments wash over her and her excitement faded entirely to a small pit of anxiety in her chest. She knew they wouldn’t jump with joy over this, but she didn’t imagine they’d respond with such vitriol. “Well, I just wanted to share my news. I’ll speak with you again if there’s anything else to say.” She hung up the video call before they had the chance to respond. Tears gathered on her lashes, but she managed to hold them off through pure force of will. She didn’t need them. She could do this without them.

Jenna wiped a hand across her eyes, almost surprised to find her fingers come away damp. She was stronger than this. Jenna stood slowly and gathered up her belongings, still in a rut about that phone call. She trudged back across the park, lost in her thoughts.

Ooomf. Halfway back to her car, that same giggly child ran straight into her legs. She dropped the bag in her hands and grabbed the arm of the projectile before the little thing could fall backward. A young woman ran up with an embarrassed smile, “I am so sorry for that. It’s my fault! I shouldn’t be chasing her around now that it’s gotten busy.” Jenna smiled and reassured the woman there was no harm done before easing the child back towards her mother. “You have great reflexes! Are you used to catching little monsters running about?”

Usually a private person, Jenna felt drawn to this woman and her daughter and shared a small piece of herself with the total stranger. “Actually, no. But I just began the adoption process this week. Hopefully, in the next few years, I’ll get the chance to flex my monster-catching muscles.” Jenna winked at the little girl, who grinned in return.

The young woman shifted the child in her arms and stuck out her hand with a wide smile. “I’m Lila. And this seems to be a serendipitous meeting.”

Jenna shook hands with the woman. “Alright, you’ve piqued my curiosity. What do you mean?”

“Let’s take a walk, and I’ll explain my mysterious statement.”

The two women strolled down the walking path encircling the park. The little girl fell asleep from exhaustion within five minutes. As they walked, Lila explained that her family ran a philanthropic organization that was looking to branch into children and family charities. They’d recently been toying with the idea of an adoption grant for deserving would-be parents that showed a financial need. “Not that I want to make an assumption about your finances! But if that is something that would benefit you, would you be interested in being our first applicant? It’s up to me to choose the recipient, so I can guarantee you’d be chosen.” Lila had such a welcoming smile that despite the bombshell she’d just dropped on Jenna, there was an immediate sense of trust between them.

“I… I’m a nurse. I live within my means, but I'm definitely not rolling in the dough.” She held up the little notebook still in her hand. “I’d just been considering my options for financing this adventure. Starting a blog, getting a side job, selling some extra things… I’d been trying to figure out how to pay for the adoption and set up a nursery simultaneously.”

“Excellent! I knew right when we met that there was a reason I needed to know you. So the grant is $20,000 and will be paid directly to the adoption agency. You can use any money left over to cover lawyer fees.”

“How do I apply? I haven’t started the home study yet, and that seems to be a requirement for most grants.” Jenna paused and turned towards Lila, now a couple of steps ahead. “This would make such a difference in my ability to adopt. I could save my own budgeting for childcare instead.”

Lila shifted the sleeping child in her arms again and nodded towards a nearby bench. “Mind if we sit for a bit? I need to rest my arms now; I’m starting to lose feeling in my fingers.” They made their way to the bench and got comfortable, both quiet for a moment, just observing the bustling park around them. “This was my idea, my plan to get into funding adoptions. I’ve thought about what to require for the application but haven’t made any solid decisions yet. The one thing I’m absolutely certain of is a letter written to a potential birth mother. Would that be a problem?”

Jenna laughed and opened up the notebook, flipping to a dog-eared page near the back, and silently passing it over to her new friend. “Take a look.”

Lila was surprised to find a three-page, handwritten letter beginning, ‘To the Birth Mom of my Little One.' She read it slowly, thoughtfully. Lila absorbed the naked sincerity, utter thankfulness, and stark joy directed towards a woman Jenna didn’t know about a baby she wasn’t even connected with yet. Her eyes teared up, and she slowly closed the book and handed it back to its owner. “This is perfect. Congratulations! You are the very first recipient of the Danielson Foundation’s Family Forever Adoption Grant. I think this letter truly showcases how much you deserve this. I hope it helps you find your little one.” Lila passed over her phone. “Could you please text yourself and respond with your full name? I’ll call you later this afternoon with the details.”

Jenna entered her details and felt as if she was in a dream. All the messiness of the phone call with her parents was forgotten. Her doubts were erased. If not for the accidental meeting of a stranger in the park, Jenna wasn’t sure how her dreams to adopt could have come true. Serendipitous indeed. Fate was funny like that, and Jenna knew that despite her lack of familial support, with Lila’s financial gift, she was going to come out of this adoption stronger than ever, with a forever family.

As Lila walked away with her precious bundle, Jenna read back over her letter.

To the Birth Mom of My Little One,

…and from the bottom of my heart, I will forever be grateful for the strength that you have exhibited throughout this entire process. I’m amazed at the force of your love for this child and thank the fates for connecting us. I vow that this Little One will be loved unconditionally. That they will be cared for and protected with all that I am and all that I am capable of. They will know what you did for them and will always love and appreciate you for it because I will tell them the story of you. Thank you, from one mom to another.

Jenna closed the little black notebook and tucked it into her bag. Fate had blessed her today, beyond her wildest dreams or expectations. She made her way back to the car and began to imagine her future park days with her own precious baby. Giggling and monster chasing included.