To her surprise, she really liked Nick. He had a completely different character from his late father.
That night, Susan and Paul were whispering.
“Sue, are you serious? How can we take him in? He’s already a teenager,” Paul protested. “And why would we do that?”
“Paul, they’re brothers. And Nick is a good kid. You can see it yourself, he’s a normal guy. I feel sorry for him. I found out about his mother. She’s completely forgotten about him. She’s a mess, it’s a shame. The boy needs a family.”
“And you decided that should be our family?”
“Whose else?”
“What if he doesn’t want to?”
“Then we’ll ask him.”
A few days later, Paul and Susan were at the group home, talking to Nick.
“You’re asking me to live with you?” the teenager’s voice trembled. “Why would you want me?”
“You’re Alex’s brother. That means you’re not a stranger to us either,” Paul answered. “It’s your decision, of course. But we think it would be better if you two lived together.”
“Will they let me?” Nick asked, wringing his hands nervously.
“They will,” Susan smiled. “We’ve already asked.”
Nick nodded uncertainly. A month later, he moved into Paul and Susan’s home. And neither Paul nor Susan ever regretted it. The boys were close. They helped around the house. For the first time in a long time, Nick felt loved again. He rarely thought about his mother. If she didn’t need him, he would forget about her too.
Then one beautiful morning, Susan was taking a long time in the bathroom. Paul started to worry.
“Sue, is everything okay in there?” He knocked on the locked door. “You’ve been in there for almost an hour. Open up.”
After a while, Susan finally opened the door.
“Paul, I could be wrong, but this is the fifth one.” She handed her husband a pregnancy test.
“I don’t understand…” He broke out in a sweat. “Two lines?”
“I’ve been feeling sick for a week. I thought I was ill, made a doctor’s appointment, but the wait is two weeks. I went to the pharmacy and asked for something for nausea. The young pharmacist joked, ‘Maybe you should try a test instead?’ What test? All the doctors told me I could never get pregnant. But I bought one. The girl convinced me. Then I went back to the pharmacy a few more times. Paul, they all have two lines!”
“Sue!” Paul exclaimed. “This is a miracle! Do you understand? A miracle!”
He swept Susan up in his arms and spun her around the room.
Nick and Alex peeked out of their room in surprise.
“Aunt Sue, what are you guys doing?”
“Uncle Paul?”
Finally, Alex dared to ask:
“Alex, are we going to have a baby?” Susan smiled.
“You mean, like, a brother?” Alex asked, scratching his head.
“Or a sister,” Nick said.
And they all laughed.
The doctor at the clinic was amazed by this turn of events. So many years of infertility, and now, just like that, Susan was pregnant. A few months later, they found out it was twins. This news stunned Paul a bit. Where would they put everyone? The house was spacious, but not designed for such a large family. The problem was solved rather quickly. Paul was offered a management position at his company. The salary was significantly higher. Paul didn’t hesitate and accepted. Then he took out a mortgage on a large house with a nice yard. And his whole family settled in comfortably.
And that’s how they live. Nick and Alex are finishing high school. The twins, Allie and Igor, are growing up, bringing joy to their parents. Susan and Paul are happy.
Alex hadn’t had that dream in a long time. And then, suddenly, he dreams again of the field of daisies. And his mother is walking through it. She’s so beautiful. She waves to him. Alex wants to take a step toward her and suddenly remembers his feet are tied. He looks down in horror. And to his surprise, he sees a small bird at his feet. It’s pulling at the rope that binds his legs, and the rope suddenly turns to ash.
Alex picks up the bird. It’s not afraid. It’s so beautiful, golden. It looks at Alex with its beady eyes.
“Mom, look at this bird!” he shouts to Eleanor. “Catch!”
He swings his arm to send the bird flying to his mother. But his mother just laughs and waves her hands, as if to say, no, let it stay with you. The bird flutters around Alex and doesn’t fly away. It chirps so joyfully, and it fills his heart with light.
“Mom, wait!” Alex shouts and runs after her.
But she smiles and disappears. And the bird keeps chirping, calling him to follow. And Alex follows it. There’s a road. And walking toward him on the road are Susan and Paul, and Nick. On each of his brother’s shoulders sits a toddler—Allie and Igor, laughing. And Alex is so happy to see them all. The bird flaps its wings and flies away.
Alex woke up with a feeling of happiness. Yes, he had a family. A big, loving family. No, no one could ever replace his mom. But if there are people around you who can soothe your sorrows, protect you from grief, and save you from trouble, then that alone is worth living for.
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