Lisa and Michael leave the house of their friends where they have just celebrated a birthday and head home. November has settled over the city, and the dim glow of street lamps reveals gentle snow drifting down, pushed occasionally by a light breeze.
What a view! Lisa exclaims, admiring the evening scene.
Absolutely, Michael replies, wrapping his arm around her.
They walk a little farther when Lisa suddenly stops.
Do you hear that? she asks.
I hear a baby crying, Michael says, looking around.
People really take infants out at this hour? It sounds like a newborns wail, Lisa worries. The child must be right nearby, but I cant tell where.
They pause and scan the surroundings.
It must be over there, Michael points, and they rush toward the city park. On a snowcovered bench sits a small bundle from which the cries emanate.
What a little thing Lisa whispers. Where are the parents?
It looks like they left her alone, Michael guesses.
Lisa lifts the baby gently, and the infant quiets immediately.
Little one, who could have hurt you? she coos tenderly. Did such cruel parents really abandon a child in the cold?
They hurry home. Lisa places the baby on the sofa, unwraps her, and gasps: its a girl, barely a month old, dressed in a threadbare shirt and wrapped in a wornout blanket with holes.
She needs to be fed right away, and her nappy was probably changed hours ago, Lisa says, tears trembling in her voice.
Ill run and buy everything, Michael offers.
Buy formula, a bottle and nappies, Lisa replies, cradling the shivering infant as if she might burst into tears.
Fifteen minutes later Michael returns with shopping bags.
Here are disposable nappy liners; we dont have any other stock yet, he says, setting the bag down.
Great, lets get her fed and changed, Lisa exclaims, bustling around the child. The babys skin is blotchy; Lisa carefully rubs a baby cream over it and spreads fresh liners. The infant greedily grabs the teat with formula as if she hasnt been fed for ages.
We should call the police; otherwise it will look like we stole her, Michael suggests.
I agree, Lisa answers, settling the content baby to sleep.
Early the next morning social workers and police arrive at their flat. Lisa watches anxiously as they take the child away. In one night she has become so attached that the separation hurts her heart. Lisa and Michael have been childless for seven years. Lisa once miscarried at four months, and they have lost hope of ever having their own child. Perhaps the found girl truly lost her parents
Alone, Lisa and Michael contemplate the babys fate.
My love, I wish I could hold her again. Shes beautiful, Lisa says.
You know, Ive enjoyed all the fuss around this little bundle, Michael replies thoughtfully, looking out the window at mothers pushing prams. He imagines Lisa among them and smiles.
Three months pass. Their dream comes true: the authorities never locate the biological parents of Sophie. Lisa and Michael are overjoyed. They buy everything she needspram, cot, clothes, toysand Sophie becomes their beloved daughter. Lisa now strolls around the courtyard with a pink pram, chatting cheerfully with other mums about their children. No one doubts that adoptive parents will do anything for their child.
Lisa and Michael truly raise Sophie. At seventeen she graduates with top marks and plans to study education.
After the graduation ball the whole family gathers for a celebratory dinner when a knock sounds at the door.
Ill get it, you all stay seated, Michael says with a smile, hurrying to the hallway.
Soon a disheveled couple, clearly intoxicated, bursts into the living room.
Congratulations, darling, on finishing school! a ragged lady in a threadbare coat shouts.
Were proud of you, love! the man replies, scratching his head as if searching for more words.
Who are you? Sophie jumps up from her seat. Why are you here?
Were your real parents, sweetheart, the woman croaks, introducing herself as the mother. We found you on a park bench seventeen years ago.
Mom, dad, whats going on? Is this a joke? Sophie asks, bewildered, glancing between the strangers and Lisa and Michael.
Dont listen to them, Sophie. Theyre just drunks looking for a drink, the man says.
Are you handing out hangovers now? Sophie replies sarcastically. Whats your game?
Lisa interjects, tears in her eyes, recounting the night they discovered the abandoned infant in the park.
Sophie, nearly in tears, gathers herself and commands, If this is true, both of you get out! She points the unwanted guests toward the door.
The ragged lady curses, Little girl, youve got younger brothers and sisters now, she slurs, pulling at her hair. Her husband shifts nervously, looking as if hes lost track of the year, let alone the time.
Fine, Ill visit you soon, Sophie says, hoping the strange couple will leave her home at once.
The drunken pair bows politely and finally exits.
Michael sighs with relief as he closes the door.
What a stench they left! Lisa exclaims, throwing open a window.
Sophie looks at her parents and asks, Is that really how it happened?
Her mother lowers her eyes.
Yes, love, the father admits.
They tell her how they found her on a snowcovered bench, wrapped in an old blanket, and how they struggled through the paperwork to adopt her.
Then then, Mum, Dad, I love you even more! Sophie says, on the verge of tears, hugging them tightly. She cant imagine what would have happened if they hadnt appeared that cold evening.
Time passes. The obnoxious guests never return. The family understands they only sought money for their drinking habit; the abandoned child was a convenient excuse for a cash grab. Sophie, however, thinks differently. She worries how such people can have several children and neglect them, realizing that these tragic parents need only childbenefit funds.
Years later Sophie finishes her training and takes a job at a teachertraining college. She never forgets the siblings she believes she left behind. One day she decides to find them.
She travels to the address with her boyfriend, Vernon, who has promised to support her. They reach a halfruined cottage still inhabited by someone.
Is this it? Vernon asks, eyes wide.
It seems so, Sophie replies, stepping onto the neglected garden that looks untouched for decades.
They knock on the old wooden door. After a moment, footsteps echo inside.
Oh, you remembered us? a disheveled aunt croaks. Come in. Whos with you? Your fiancé? We should pour a drink for him.
Im the fiancé, but were not here for drinks, Vernon says seriously.
Then why are you here? Even a penny for the kids, theyre starving. Your father died last year, the woman mutters, shrugging.
In the doorway two wary children appear.
Here you go, Vernon hands them two large boxes of sweets. The kids snatch the gifts and disappear into another room.
At a table sits a skinny boy, eyeing the newcomers cautiously.
This is Misha, the aunt whispers. Shy but good. He wants to learn.
Sophie steps forward, smiling gently. Nice to meet you, Misha. Im your sister.
The boy glances at her, hesitates, and reluctantly shakes her hand.
Sophie and Vernon take Misha with them. He proves clever and eager, and with Sophies help he gains a place at a local college and a flat in the city. She visits him daily, and he blossoms, laughing, telling jokes, and brightening his relatives lives.
The mothers house still shelters two younger children, ages nine and ten. Sophie sometimes meets them after school, bringing bags of groceries. She feels deep compassion for them, knowing their mother spends all benefits on alcohol. Sophie invites the kids over, giving them a taste of a normal childhood, taking them to the cinema, amusement parks, or simply walking in the park. Eventually their mother passes away, worn down by years of hard living.
Nik and Lisa have earned a reputation as caring parents. Soon their family grows again with two more children. Their son, Arthur, and daughter, Victoria, spend most of their time under the guidance of Colin and Sophie, who have more free hours. These two grow up in the adoptive home, leaving behind a painful, troubled childhood. As small children they dreamed of escaping the dilapidated house and the harsh, ragged mother, but were too frightened. Now their wish has been fulfilled: both finish school, obtain degrees, and become successful psychologists, eventually opening their own practice where they see many clients.
