Small Miracles

The girl woke to the sound of men shouting. When she opened her eyes, she realized three men were arguing in the alleyway. Shae looked at her watch tiredly, realizing it was 3 pm. She must have fallen asleep reading her book. She grabbed her backpack, put her book in it and her blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and started walking towards the main street. Shae had been homeless for 6 months. At only 15, she made the mistake of getting pregnant by her boyfriend on her 15th birthday, and her father had kicked her out. The day Shae told her father she had just gotten home from school, all she had was her backpack with some books in it and her iPod. So here she was, now 15, 6 months pregnant, and living on the streets. She had tried to talk to her boyfriend, but he denied the baby and then broke up with her. She was left alone and scared.

As Shae walked down the sidewalk towards the homeless shelter, she thought about what would happen to her baby. Would her baby be okay? Is her baby a boy or a girl? How is she going to take care of her baby? So many questions in her mind... She had about 3 months to figure things out, but time was running out. All she ever wanted was to make her mom proud. Her mom passed away when she was 12, leaving a hole in Shae’s heart. Her stomach began to growl.

Shae reached the door to the shelter and pushed the door buzzer. “Yes?” A voice from the intercom rang out.

“It’s Shae,” Shae answered.

“Oh, hey Shae, I was wondering when you were going to show up today. Missed you at lunch. Come on in!”

The door buzzed, and Shae pulled it open. The shelter was small but comfortable. There were small rooms with one bed, a dresser, a nightstand with a lamp, and a bathroom in each with a toilet, sink, and little shower. The cafeteria was big, with tables and chairs filling the room. There was also a shared room with couches, chairs, a few coffee tables, and three TVs, each bolted up on the wall on three of the walls. Then there was the nursery, which wasn’t very big but allowed parents to leave their children to work. The place wasn’t bad. Usually, the shelter rules are you can stay the night but have to leave by 9 am to go job searching. Then at 9 pm, you have to check back in or lose your spot in the shelter. They bend the rules for Shae but only because she can’t get a job yet and she’s pregnant.

Shae walks into the cafeteria and up to the food bar. She smiles at the girl a who she has become close. Her name is Grace. Grace was the one who showed Shae where the shelter was when she caught Shae looking in a dumpster for food and throwing up. Grace was two years older than Shae and had it rough in life as well.

“Hey, Shae! You must be starving. I saved you some food, and also, I have some clothes for you since you are outgrowing those.” Grace said with a big grin.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Said Shae.

“Oh, you know, starve and be naked,” Grace said jokingly.

Shae laughed and took the plate that Grace held out. It was two grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and a small carton of milk. She sat down by the window and enjoyed her food. Looking out the window, she thought about what her dad might be doing right now... Probably drinking like always and forgetting she existed.

After finishing her food, she took her tray to the dish cart and threw away her milk carton. “Hey take this with you!” Grace called out. She was holding a bag of clothes and extra milk.

“Yep, I would starve and be naked!” Shae said, laughing and took the clothes from Grace, and went to the front desk. Grace got her room key from them and headed off to shower and put on some fresh clothes.

As she stood there, the water running over her head, Shae started crying. She didn’t know what she was going to do or how she would raise her baby. What she did know was that she was going to do everything in her power to be a good mom. She even had a GED test the next day to get a job as soon as she turned 16. I can do this, she thought to herself and breathed deeply. After showering, Shae put on some of her deodorants that she had sitting on her dresser. She looked in the mirror and barely recognized herself. Her belly was so big, and the stretch marks were wrapped around her sides. She rubbed her belly and sighed. She finished getting dressed into a pair of PJs and put her new clothes up. After she did that, she went through the other garments Grace had brought her and bagged up the ones that did not fit her anymore. Exhausted, she crawled into the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning Shae got dressed in her new clothes and brushed her hair. She looked at her reflection and shuddered. Her brown eyes had dark circles under them, her blonde hair was frizzy from falling asleep with it wet, and her lips, although generous, were chapped and sore. She sighed, grabbed her backpack and key, and then headed out the door towards the front desk. She handed them the key and readjusted her bag on her shoulder. She preferred to leave her key at the front desk, so she did not lose it.

When Shae got to the community building where the test was being held, she stopped at the door and took a big deep breath. She studied for this for 3 months, and she was nervous but knew her baby’s future depended on it. She walked into the building and up to a woman sitting at a table with a laptop.

“Name?” she asked.

“Shae Lockley.” She said.

The woman handed her a test and a pencil and showed her a table where some other people were sitting about two chairs apart. Shae sat down and started to work as the woman started a timer. Shae felt more and more at ease after each question. When she was finished before the timer, she returned the pencil and test to the woman.

“You can come back in an hour for the results.” Said the woman.

Feeling confident, Shae walked out of the building, her head held high. When she was walking down the sidewalk when her foot kicked something. She looked down, and it was a small black notebook. Curious, she picked it up. She opened it and saw several account numbers and routing numbers. Thumbing through the book, she came across a blank check for $50,000. Her jaw dropped. A lot of things went through her mind at that moment. Shae knew it was wrong and knew she should do the right thing. She kept looking for a name, and then in the very back of the small black notebook, she found a name, address, and phone number. Parker Ryan, 146 Grant Street, Vineland, New Jersey. With it only being two blocks away, Shae decided to take the book to the owner,

As she got up to the door of the owner, she exhaled as she pushed the doorbell. An amazingly handsome teenage boy who couldn’t have been more than 16 answered the door. “Can I help you?” The guy asked, taking in Shae’s homely appearance.

“Yes, I found this notebook on a sidewalk on main and wanted to return it.” She answered.

“Oh, wow, thank you! You must have seen the reward we put out for it then...?” He asked.

“Umm no... I did not know there was a reward. I was walking back from taking my GED test then saw it.” Said Shae.

A voice rang out from the house, “Hey Parker, the reward fliers have not even been put out yet. The city hall was waiting on a signature.” Parker’s face filled with shock and amusement.

“Well then, how about that? Come on in. I will give you the reward.” Said Parker.

“What reward? I don’t understand... Reward?” Shae stammered.

“Yes, you see that small black book has a lot of important information belonging to my dad’s clients and also a check for one of my clients that he had not filled out yet. My dad passed away very suddenly yesterday and left everything to my older brother and me. The book is precious. So, I will write you a check, and I just need your name.” He answered.

“Oh... I don’t have a way to cash a check. I haven’t got a job yet, and I’m on my own. No one to cash it for me.” She said.

His eyes suddenly looked soft, like he realized she was just a young girl. He looked down at her stomach.

“Okay so here is what we are going to do. The reward is $20,000. So, I will give you $20,000 cash and let you rent our guesthouse until you get on your feet. You can work for me by answering emails, and I will pay you $15 an hour. I will have someone train you on the things you don’t know how to do. The guest house is very nice, and it is a two-bedroom. I assume you will need more than one room eventually.” Said Parker. Shae accepted the offer and thanked him for his generosity.

“Breath Shae, breath!” Shouted Parker. Parker and Shae had gotten close over the last 3 months, and after Shae got the results that she passed her GED, Parker took her on a date to celebrate. The rest was history. She breathed in and out and pushed with all her might. Then came the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. Her baby’s cry.

“It’s a boy!” Someone yelled. They placed the baby in her arms. All of a sudden, another sharp pain shot through her.

“Hey doc, we got another one coming.” Said one of the nurses.

Shae sits there in awe, staring at her TWO beautiful babies. One boy, one girl. She looked up at Parker and smiled. Her life was perfect now. She had a job, two beautiful babies, passed her GED and enrolled in college courses, and wasn’t homeless anymore. All thanks to finding a small black notebook. Can life get any better than this?