William had adored Mabel since they were children in school, and the two dreamed of a future wedding.
Williams mother, Margaret Whitfield, ran the maternity ward at St.Marys Hospital and disapproved of her sons choice. She had long favored a young nurse called Clara, hoping William would someday take her handa nurse beloved by the staff and praised by patients, a daughter of a family of doctors.
After finishing school, William entered medical school, while Mabel enrolled in a foreignlanguages college to become an English translator like her mother and grandmother. Their classmates decided to mark the occasion with a weekend in the countryside, so they travelled to Williams familys cottage in the Lake District.
They lingered there for almost a month, reluctant to return, but the new term was drawing near and lectures waited.
One crisp autumn evening Mabel whispered to William:
Im with child. How will you take it?
Of course Ill whisk you off to the registry office, he answered, smiling.
Im heavy now, not just a whisper.
Youre as light as a feather to me, he joked, recalling school wrestling matches.
What about our studies?
Youll need a years pause after the birth, he said, teasing.
Ill switch to distance learning, like Mother did. She had me at nineteen and carried on. But promise me, William, after the wedding youll move in with us. Keep your mother at a distance; shell never accept me, Mabel pleaded.
Only for your peace of mind, love, William agreed.
They filed their notice at the registry office and then drifted back to their homes. At Mabels flat, a friend of her father arrived with his wife and their son, Alistair, a sixteenyearold who looked older than his years.
That night William told his parents about the impending marriage, urging them to ready the house.
Margaret, displeased, stalked to Mabels parents house at dusk to cause a scene. She rang the doorbell repeatedly, but no one answered. Inside, a table was being set and a melody drifted from a gramophone, masking the chimes. Alistair was in the shower, startled by the ignored ringing. He wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door.
Margaret, bewildered at first, raised her phone, hit record, and began filming the hallway, focusing on the towelclad boy.
Are you here to see MrsHarper? Alistair asked, puzzled by the phones motion.
No longer, Margaret muttered, hurrying down the stairs.
Back at her own flat, she showed William the footage, emphasizing how long it had taken Alistair to answer.
Do you recognise that corridor? Still no word on who the child belongs to.
I understand, Mum. You were right. She isnt the one for me.
William sent a furious text to Mabel, then switched his phone off. Mabel, confused, could not reach him, so she trudged to his doorstep despite the late hour.
Margaret anticipated Mabels arrival, watched from a upstairs window, and when the girl appeared she flung open the door herself. She barred Mabel from entering, stepping onto the landing.
What do you want from William? Hes already asleep. And you, playing both parts? Keep chasing other men, you twofaced witch, she snapped, retreating to her flat and slamming the door.
Mabel, tears spilling, collapsed onto the step. After a while she returned home, where her mother, Mary Harper, was washing dishes.
Mabel, why are you crying? The wedding is near; you should be joyous.
Mother, therell be nothing now but this child. Williams mother stirred trouble after learning wed applied for marriage, she sobbed, showing a message from William about an unknown lover.
If William acts like that, hell always obey his parents. God has kept him from you. Well raise the child ourselves, Mary tried to soothe her.
Mabels pregnancy was fraught. She was rushed to the maternity ward while her parents were at work. Under anaesthetic she delivered a son, only to learn moments later that the baby was stillborn.
The paperwork handed the lifeless infant to the grieving parents, who buried him quietly. Mabel remained in the ward, missing the ceremony.
Soon after, Williams parents sold their house and moved away.
Its for the best, dear. You tangled with William, and he just brushed past you.
I hope Ill forget him sooner, Mum.
Eight years slipped by. Mabel worked as a translator for a modest firm when William suddenly appeared in her office.
Why have you returned to my life? Ive long forgotten you.
Im sorry, but tragedy has driven me back.
Thats odd, William. Your mother is a hard woman. Take your woes to her. I have no time for you. Leave my office.
Please, Mabel, listen. It matters to you too. Meet me at the café across the street after work.
Ill come out of sheer curiosity, Mabel said, turning back to her screen, ending the exchange.
That evening they met again.
Im sorry, Mabel, but my son is ill and needs a donor.
Youve the wrong address, William. Your mother has more means here.
Weve waited, and no donor is available. I even listed my flat for sale. Youre a mother; you could help our son.
Is this a joke? Our son was stillborn. My parents buried him.
Hes alive, eight now.
How?
Remember the day we lodged our marriage papers?
Ill never forget your cruel message.
William recounted the tale Margaret had told him about the hallway vision.
Mabel explained who Alistair was, and Williams face turned ashen. He still loved her and had never remarried; she too remained single, fearing another loss.
William, tell me about our son. What did your mother do?
When you were in the maternity ward, my mother saw you being wheeled down the corridor to the operating theatre. She guessed, halfin jest, that the child might be yours. The test proved paternity, but she refused to hand the boy over. Im to blame for agreeing. My resentment haunted me. It seems God punished us; our son, Samuel, is sick.
Lets test compatibility. If Im not a match, he must share my blood type, the first one.
Yes, Im typeO, youre typeA, William replied.
Mabels hands trembled as she entered the clinics ward and saw the boy.
Samuel, Ive finally found you. Weve been lost, but strangers have guided us to each other, William whispered, while Mabel could only stare.
Mother, Ive imagined you like this forever, though we have no pictures of you at home.
My dear, everything will be alright. Im here and will do anything for your health, Mabel wept, embracing her son.
Son, let your mother speak with the doctor.
Mabel proved a perfect match; Samuels treatment succeeded. William sold his remaining flat and settled the clinics bill. They now live together in a modest terraced house with Mabels parents.
Mabel, forgive me. We must marry, and you need another child. Our sons doctor says siblings make better donors than parents.
Ive read that, William. For our childrens sake Ill do whatever is required.
William and Mabel wed, and alongside Samuel they now raise two more childrena boy and a girlunder a roof that once echoed with heartbreak but now hums with new, hopeful dreams.
