Traded for a Cadillac

Traded for a Cadillac

Millie kissed her husband and kids goodbye just before she walked out the door for the airport. She hated this part. The part where she had to travel for her job and leave her boys, but she loved her job. She was grateful her career allowed her to make an impact on so many young lives.

Millie was an inspirational speaker. She traveled the country telling her story of adoption. She taught people that no matter your upbringing, you could make something of yourself. Your fate is up to you, not your circumstances.

Millie was abandoned when she was just five months old. Not the kind of abandonment you are picturing in your mind right now. She wasn’t left on a doorstep or in a dumpster or anything. She was left with her aunt and uncle for a couple of days. They were going to babysit while her parents went out. Six weeks later, the aunt and uncle received a phone call. “Just keep her.” That was it. No explanation. But no explanation was needed. Her mother and father had a reputation, and her aunt and uncle, Nell and Blake Doyle, were not the least bit shocked to get the phone call. Millie’s parents were alcoholics.

Nell and Blake were happy to “just keep her.” Nell was especially fond of children. She and Blake had two boys of their own. Even though they didn’t have a lot of money, Nell wouldn’t dare let a child go unloved. Nell and Blake wanted to adopt Millie officially. Unfortunately, Jimmy, Millie’s biological father, would never allow it. After eight years of legal custody, Blake came up with a plan. Blake liked to “wheel and deal” in the car industry and had recently got his hands on a newer model Cadillac. He knew Jimmy wanted one. Believe it or not, Jimmy agreed to the adoption if Blake would give him the Cadillac. Millie had been officially traded. She wouldn’t find this out until years later, but it would become part of her speeches.

Millie was headed to New York for her a couple of speaking engagements. She was speaking at an orphanage. Most of these children, like Millie, would be adopted by loving parents. Loving parents don’t take away the wonder of how different life would be if you grew up with your “real” parents.

Millie’s second gig was a group of 20 adults who were attending her seminar for motivational speakers. Not only did Millie book speaking appearances, but she trained others on how to be successful at it. She would tell her adoption story to demonstrate her technique. Millie had an uneasy feeling the entire time she was speaking. She felt as though she was being studied a little harder than usual. Her feelings were validated when she was packing her things to leave. One of the men in the audience placed a little black notebook on her podium and left.

Millie studied the notebook. It was mostly empty. She noticed he had been taking notes on her lecture. It also had one of those silky ribbons in it meant to hold your place. She opened to the page where the ribbon rested and read:

I think I knew your parents. Your real ones. Please give me an opportunity to speak with you in person. My number is 615-859-5235. I have something that belongs to you.

“What?!” She was not about to meet up with this guy alone or in a private setting. She might be a black belt, but she wasn’t stupid. However, she was intrigued. How could this man possibly know her parents? She was from Nashville. This person was in New York. What could he possibly have for her? It all sounded ridiculous, but Millie found herself unable to let it go. She wanted to investigate.

She returned to her hotel and called her husband. “Of course, it’s a bad idea to call this man, honey! What if he’s trying to rob you or something?” Derek blurted.

“I know, Derek, but I will be careful. I’m just going to call him. I’m not going to meet up with him or give him any personal information”. Millie assured her husband.

“Personal information or not. I don’t like this. Why don’t you let me speak with this guy instead?” Derek pleaded.

“No, this is something I need to do for myself. We’ll talk later. I Love you”. Millie hung up and stared at the notebook. She started contemplating what she would say to the mysterious man. She decided she works best under pressure, so she just went for it. She dialed the number.

She dialed the number, and the man answered. “Hello?”

“Um, yes, this is Millie Harding. You left me a notebook?”

“Yes. Yes. I was wondering if you would meet me for a coffee or something. I knew your dad and I have something important to tell you. There’s a café on the corner of…”

“I’m sorry,” Millie interrupted. “I don’t think I’m comfortable meeting a total stranger in a strange town. I don’t even know if you are some crazy person or not.”

“Oh my gosh! Yes, of course. That’s actually why I didn’t approach you at your seminar. I didn’t want to alarm you. I got so excited when I realized who you were. I can’t believe it’s you. I knew your dad, Jimmy. He was a good friend of mine. Well, he was more like a lifesaver. We were old war buddies. My name is Hank, by the way.” He was starting to ramble. “Your father talked about you all the time. He regretted not being able to take care of you, you know.”

“Well, it seems like it would be pretty easy just to stop drinking to take care of your child.” Millie rolled her eyes.

Hank could hear the irritation in her voice. “I know you must’ve grown up hating him, but I promise you the man loved you. Addiction is hard. Unless it has taken hold of you, you have no idea what it’s like. But, listen, I don’t blame you for your anger. Jimmy wouldn’t either. He knew what he did was wrong. He just didn’t know how to fix it.”

Millie’s irritation started to fade. She was beginning to feel some sadness creep up inside her and wanted to end this conversation. All of the feelings she had as a child and had boxed away were starting to flood back. She had written off both of her biological parents for not wanting her a long time ago. To find out now that they may have felt any remorse was just too hard for Millie to take.

“Look, Hank, I’m sorry, but my biological father died a long time ago, and I honestly never had anything to do with him. Thank you for your kind words, but I really need to go.”

“Wait! I told you I have something for you. You talked about that Cadillac today. I bought that Cadillac from your dad before he passed. I’d ike lto meet you in person. Do you still live in Nashville?” Hank seemed very eager.

“Um, again, I’m not very comfortable discussing these things with you. I barely know you, and I still don’t know if you are telling me the truth.” Millie thought she could trust him based on what she’d already heard, but she didn’t want him to know that.

“I completely understand. I’m sure this does seem crazy to you. What are the odds, right? I used to live in Nashville. Jimmy and I were in Vietnam together. We were both from Nashville. We both liked music. We hit it off right away, but that wasn’t all. As I said, he saved my life once - pulled me out of a war zone when I was injured. He could have left me there to die, but didn’t. He was a good man. He just made some bad decisions after the war. War can do that to a person, you know? I have a picture of us from back in the 80s I can send you. I’m planning a trip to Nashville soon. I’ll meet you somewhere. A public place where you’ll be comfortable and bring someone with you so you know I’m not a maniac. The truth is I just sold that Cadillac, and I want to give you the money from the sale. It’s $20,000. I know Jimmy would want that, and it’s the least I can do for the man who saved my life.”

Millie’s jaw dropped. “Now this crazy person wants to give me $20,000?” she thought. “I’ll have to call you back.” She pushed the end button on the phone and dropped it on the bed. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Millie did not get much sleep that night.

Millie went home the next day and told her husband about the whole conversation. She was filled with so many different emotions: fear, excitement, resentment, hate, love. How could she feel all these opposite emotions all at the same time? Derek knew she needed to meet this man. It wasn’t about the money. It was about her finding some small connection with her past. She needed closure. Together, they decided to call Hank back and set up a time to meet.

Millie and Derek met with Hank in Nashville later that month. He indeed brought an envelope with $20k in it and insisted that they take the money. He shared stories of Millie’s father and even talked about what giving up Millie was like for him. Jimmy had battled with alcoholism, but his wife, Maria, had struggled even worse. Jimmy knew that if he tried to get Millie back, he would be raising her alone. All while trying to take care of his wife and himself.

Millie found herself at peace. She never knew she needed to hear these details about her birth parents. She was content hating them for the rest of her life. She was still grateful for her childhood. She knew she was lucky.

The following month, a $20,000 donation was made to “Change Children’s Lives,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping orphaned children.