A story of childhood memories, heartache and a fairy tale love

“Nurse!”
Sheila looked up from the medical journal she was reading, recognising the small, scared voice of the young patient on bed six in the maternity ward. She had been calling for attention at irregular intervals all night.
“What does she want now?” the nurse sitting beside Sheila, grumbled sleepily. “She probably had a bad dream,” Sheila said, “She’s very young.”
“Not too young though, to —-“
“Don’t say it,” Sheila interrupted her, in a mild tone but not too pleased with what she was about to say and went over to the girl’s bed.
“What is it, Sabrina?” she asked with a patient smile.
“I don’t know,” the girl said, confusion and fear flickering in her eyes, “I’m feeling restless.”
“Don’t worry,” Sheila said kindly to comfort her, “You’ll be fine.”
She was only fifteen, the young patient, having run away from an abused life at home and became close friends with a strange boy.
“Neil hasn’t come to see me in two days,” she said with tears in her eyes, “Why isn’t he visiting me? He wanted me to have the baby.”
“He will,” Sheila assured her, “Maybe he’s nervous and confused as you are,” not wanting her to know he had been detained by the authorities because she was below the age of consent. “You have to stop worrying and think of the baby, how sweet she’ll be.”
Sabrina smiled, a little relaxed. “You always talk to me so nice, nurse, but not all the others do. Will you be with me when it’s time?”
“Once I’m on that shift, I’ll be. Now close your eyes and go to sleep.”
Sheila stayed by her bedside, a little while longer, sorry for her being at that stage of her life, so young, a budding rose plucked before it could bloom. As a caregiver she knew patience and kind words were such great comforts for an expectant mother because the indescribable pain of giving birth often drove fear and uncertainty in her heart. Her first personal experience was four years ago when she had given birth to twin boys so she had a deep understanding of the pains and joys of motherhood.
That night at home, as she kissed her sleeping sons and said a prayer for them, she also said a prayer for Sabrina, a child bearing a child.
She closed her eyes to sleep, not always drifting off into its blissful comfort, concerns for others misfortunes often in her thoughts but deep rooted where no one could see were her own concerns, her loneliness and sadness. The only beautiful thing in her life was her two babies for their father had broken his vows and walked away not long after they were born.
The betrayal had felt like the cruel thrust of a sword through her heart. The wound could have bled profusely but the blood only trickled because her sons’ faces, their cute dimpled smiles, gave her inner strength to face life’s challenges for the two precious lives that were to her like a blessing.
The four years as they grew from newborns were not too kind because of the struggles and stress of being a single parent but since that separation when she would sometimes felt down, when she couldn’t stop the tears, a strange voice from somewhere far would say to her, “Don’t cry, Sheila.”
The soothing voice would send a calm feeling through his being and she would smile and say, “Thank you, Dear Lord” for who else could be speaking to her but the Lord.
The next night, at the hospital, fifteen minutes away from the end of Sheila’s shift, Sabrina went into labour and she held onto Sheila’s hand crying, “Please don’t leave me! Stay with me, please.”
Sheila stayed with her, talking with her gently, guiding her through the spasms of pain until almost an hour later, a baby girl was born. The young mother, tired and tearful, smiled a little on hearing the baby’s cries.
“You did great,” Sheila praised her as her fears receded slowly. “Now you need to rest.”
“I could not have done it without you,” the young girl said with overwhelming gratitude, “You’re my angel.”
The young father was waiting outside the ward, trembling with nervousness and Sheila touched him on the shoulder as she was leaving.
“The mother is fine and you’re the father of a sweet baby girl, congratulations.”
He exhaled with relief and grabbed her hand, kissing it unexpectedly, “Thank you so much.”
On the way home, Sheila smiled to herself, happy for the young couple and she closed her eyes with a cool wind on her face from the bus’s open window.
A few minutes later, she opened her eyes with a start as someone exclaimed loudly, “Oh my gosh, look at that!”
Sheila looked out the bus’s window as it slowed down by a private land, its impressive landscape and a magnificent mansion, unique in its own was something to behold.
“Someone’s dream,” she mused.
It was like a page torn from a fairytale book she had once read.
“Little girls always dream of castles and princes,” she reminisced, “I wonder whose dream that is.”
Over the years as she grew up from a little girl, there were many little things she wondered about that seemed to have been a part of her life. Not many things her mother told her, but Sheila had a compelling feeling there was something missing that was special to her.
On her sixteenth birthday, her mother had told her, “You had a close friend, he was your play mate but he left with his family for Europe when you were five.”
“I knew there was something I was missing. Why didn’t you make me remember, mom?”
She had explained to Sheila, “His mother and I were friends, nurses at the same hospital but she married a doctor and when he accepted a position in the UK, they left not to return. Your friend, Narendra was only six and growing up in the UK, he would have attained an even higher status. I did not want you to wait on something you’re not sure can belong to you.”
“That was your fear mom.” she whispered as she laid sleepless in bed, “But the one I gave my heart to, that I thought belonged to me, has left me. Now I’m all alone.”
Once again, from somewhere, the voice whispered softly, “Don’t cry, Sheila” and she closed her eyes, falling asleep.
The next Saturday, Sheila’s friend invited her for a night out to celebrate her birthday. Sheila’s social life had literally come to a halt because of the twin babies but tonight was a special occasion for her friend that she felt she shouldn’t miss again, so she called her mother to babysit the boys.
There were three other girls in the party, all nurses, a birth night to remember with dinner at an Italian restaurant, drinks at a Latino bar then the nightclubs. It was girls fun all night until the partying ended and Rachel, Sheila and Nandani took one cab home. On their way as they neared a popular hangout road side spot, Rachel ordered the driver to stop.
“Shouldn’t we be going home?” Sheila pleaded, already feeling light headed.
“Just a few more drinks,” Rachel urged her friends, “Then we’ll call it a night.”
The place was a little crowded but the girls found a good spot and were laughing at they cheered to Rachel’s birth night that wasn’t ending when one guy from a group of young men decided to make a move on Sheila. She smiled a little and told him she wasn’t interested in his company but he wouldn’t take no for an answer when a deep voice with a refined foreign accent interrupted, “Are you ladies having trouble?”
The young man causing the trouble turned around and said, aggressively, “It’s none of your business.”
“Really?” the stranger questioned casually but firmly. “The ladies don’t seem to like your company, why don’t you leave quietly?”
The young man started to say something then thought better of it at the no nonsense stance of the tall, well-built stranger.
The three girls looked at him, speechless for a moment, stunned by his incredible good looks and a body to die for.
“Are you ladies okay?”
“Y-yes.” Rachel answered.
“You do know, three pretty young women would attract attention,” he said with a casual but heart stopping smile, “I’ll be close by” and he walked back to his friends.
“Wow!” Nandani exclaimed, “Where did he come from?”
“I don’t know,” Rachel gushed, “But I like everything about him.”
“You’re always going crazy over the Indian movie stars, Nandani,” Sheila teased her friend, “There’s a dream for you.”
He sent over drinks and boxes of finger foods for them, looking their way often.
“I think he’s interested in one of us,” Nandani observed.
“It can’t be Rachel or I,” Sheila said, “We’re simple black girls, not super models or fashion divas.”
“I don’t see how he can’t be, you’re both pretty.”
“We also have child fathers,” Rachel reminded her, “Whilst you’re a single Indian girl, this is your chance.”
“You may be right,” Nandani agreed, “Only he’s not looking at me.”
She turned and looked at Sheila, “He’s looking at you, Sheila.”
“Oh,” Sheila exclaimed, quietly, surprised and she turned to look at the stranger, sure Nandani was mistaken but she was not. He smiled and raised his glass as his eyes met hers and Sheila said quietly, “This can’t be true, I’m not such a lucky girl.”
“Well,” Rachel said, raising her glass, “Seems as though your luck has changed.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Why not?” both girls looked at her, surprised, “Guys like that don’t come every day, he’s got class, he’s got style, he’s rich, Oh my God, he’s everything!”
“He may not have such good intentions,” she said, expressing doubts.
The two friends took another look at him for a short moment and turning back to Sheila, Nandani said with a mischievous smile, “A guy with such good looks and physique, I wouldn’t mind what intention he has.”
“Nor me.” Rachel said laughing.
Sheila shook her head with a resigning sigh, “The two of you are impossible.”
He came over a little while later to talk with them, “I’ll have a special taxi take you ladies home safe because I don’t want you to feel I have any bad intentions.”
“My friend here was wondering about that,” Rachel said and Sheila kicked her in the foot to stop her from saying anything more.
“Ouch!” she cried, looking at Sheila crossly.
The handsome stranger smiled at Sheila and said, “I understand your concerns because you have to go home to your two babies.”
Sheila looked at him surprised, “How do you know that?”
“Since I arrived here, I’ve made it my interest to know everyone in this town and—“ he paused for a moment before continuing to say, “I’ve found something of special interest and she has a sweet dimpled smile.”
The deep admiring look in his eyes, left her at a loss for words and he said quietly,
“Good night, Sheila.”

(TO BE CONTINUED)

(By Maureen Rampertab)