Toe the Line(90)

My mother-in-law came up behind me. “What are you smiling about?”

“I didn’t realize I was smiling.”

“Yeah. You were smiling to yourself.”

“I was just thinking how awesome it is to have every single person who means something to me here.”

“This week’s been awesome.” Noelle rubbed my back. “I wish we didn’t have to leave.”

“Well, we could always try to buy the house again, if it ever comes on the market,” her dad said.

“Wouldn’t that be something?” her mom agreed.

“Can we pick a movie now?” my eight-year-old asked as she stuffed her mouth with popcorn.

Noelle’s dad brought the laptop over, and the two of them worked on picking something. Ironically, Noelle’s parents had become a second set of grandparents to my daughter. Mark and Amy always treated Clancy like their own, which meant a lot to me.

I’d love to be able to tell you our efforts to have a child of our own paid off, but a pregnancy wasn’t in the cards for us. Noelle and I got married six months after our engagement and about a year later, we started IVF. After several failed attempts, we decided to pursue adoption. But the wait list was long. So, we vowed to let fate do its job. It hadn’t steered us wrong yet, despite the rocky road we’d taken to get here. Whatever was meant to happen would. No more IVF for now. That meant no more added stress, which was a blessing in itself.

But sometimes in those moments when you’ve finally let go, magic happens. And it was fitting that we were here at this special place when we got the call. When I saw the name pop up on my phone, I flagged down Noelle, put the phone in speaker mode, and walked over to a corner of the yard so we could have some privacy.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Mr. Remington? It’s Nancy Cartwright from the agency.”

“Yes. Hi.”

“Is your wife with you?”

“I’m right here,” Noelle spoke into the phone.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

“No. Not at all,” I said. “We’re actually out of town for a week in Maine with family.”

“Oh. How nice.”

Glancing over at Noelle, I asked a hopeful question. “I assume if you’re calling on a weekend, you might have some news for us?”

“Yes, actually. I wanted to let you know about a little boy I’ve just become aware of. His temporary guardians are trying to find him a new home. I know you were looking for an infant. He’s a bit older—two and a half.”

Noelle and I looked at each other. When she nodded, I knew we were on the same page.

“Tell me about him,” I said.

“Well, his mom passed away suddenly in an accident. She was a single mother and doesn’t have any family who’s suitable to care for the boy. There would be no one contesting, if you chose to move forward. I thought I’d come to you two before exploring other options.”

Noelle reached for my hand, and her shoulders rose and fell. I could tell she had the same hopeful feeling about this as I did.

“I’ve met him,” Nancy added. “He’s very shy but well-behaved. No major issues to speak of. He’s in desperate need of a family. My heart breaks for him.” She paused. “If you want, I can send you some more information, along with a photo.”

“That would be wonderful, Nancy,” Noelle said. “And we promise to get back to you soon. We don’t want to hold anything up.”

“Okay,” she said. “Expect something from me in the next ten minutes.”

After I hung up the phone, I turned to Noelle. “What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know. It feels oddly right. He’s still young enough to nurture, not to mention how badly he needs a home.”

I nodded. Feeling cautiously optimistic, I took Noelle’s hand as we returned to our family. I started the movie while we waited for the email. I checked my phone every minute or so until finally, a bolded message from Nancy appeared.

I jumped and whispered to Noelle, “We got it.”

We excused ourselves from the rest of the pack and walked into the house where my laptop was on the kitchen counter. I opened the email and went right to the photo attached.

Noelle grabbed my arm as I clicked on it.

My chest tightened at the sight of this smiling boy. I always used to say that whenever Noelle smiled, it lit up her entire face. This kid had the same type of smile.

I finally spoke. “He’s…”

“Beautiful,” Noelle breathed, her eyes wide with wonder.

I scrolled up to the information Nancy sent along and couldn’t believe my eyes.

I pointed to the screen. “Look at his name.”

Freddy.

“Wow,” she mouthed. “Freddy. Like Fred, your old alter ego.”

“That sounds like it was meant to be, doesn’t it?”

Noelle couldn’t stop smiling. And it certainly reached her eyes. Feeling it in my bones—and in my heart—I knew this was it.

“He kind of looks like you, Archie. He’s got the same wild hair.”

“Actually, his smile reminds me of you,” I said.

She examined the photo more closely and tilted her head. “I’m not sure who he looks like…and I’m not sure I care. He’s perfect.”