The Chosen One (298 words)

The Chosen One

(298 words)

My husband, Cam, and I sat up straight, across the desk from the smartly-dressed professional woman interrogating us. “This is going to take a while,” she said, not unkindly.

Then the questions came, so many personal questions, about our health and lifestyle, finances and work, our marriage and home environment. It felt like we were on trial.

“Jenny,” she addressed me, “what was your childhood home like?”

Should I lie? No, I was not ashamed. “Not good,” I replied.

Cam put his reassuring hand on mine, relaxing me inside. “It’s okay,” he murmured.

How to explain the chaos? “My parents fought a lot,” I began. “Especially when they were drinking. I was raised to believe I was in the way, or worse, that I did not matter.”

“Must have been devastating,” the woman said, sympathizing with me.

“Could have been,” I quickly answered. “But instead, it strengthened me. I took lessons from it.”

“Such as?”

“How not to be. How not to live a life. How not to treat children.”

“How should children be treated?”

I smiled. “There was a family in our neighbourhood, with a daughter my age. Shelley. A real chatterbox. Anyway, I spent a lot of time over there, and watched Shelley’s mom listen to her. That woman never got impatient. Never put her daughter down. Always so interested in everything Shelley had to say. So, I want to treat my children how Shelley’s mom treated her.”

“Your role model?”

I raised my brows. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

There were other interviews, and home visits. Then the waiting began. Finally, one bright spring day, we got the call. The little guy was ready for us.

Towheaded and two years old, we welcomed our chosen one into our home, and into our lives.