Back then, when I was still a young woman, I remember limping my way into the little health centre on the edge of a Yorkshire village, my ankle twisted so badly I could barely stand. A bald gentleman, swift as a sparrow, slipped past me and vanished right before the doctors door. Exhausted, I sank into a wooden chair and muttered under my breath, And the men never give way, do they? A lady nearby, her voice soft as wool, replied, Hes been here twice today, still cant find a proper prosthetic. She laughed, Good bloke, Arthur Clarke, my neighbour. Life never gave him a fair shakelost his leg at the knee, his wife left him, and no children to speak of. Yet he still hops about like a colt. At that moment the slightly limping doctor emerged, a smile playing on his lips, and gave us both a cheeky wink. What say you, ladies, shall we carry on? he said, giving his foot a little tap as he headed for the exit.
I chuckled at his ladies remark. It was long past my own days of being a bride; Id married early, my husband twelve years my senior. By horoscope we were both canines, and he, Thomas Black, loved dogs as much as I did. Soon we had a sturdy Labrador named Rex, and then I found out I was with child.
Friends would coo, What a perfect little familyhouse, motor, cottage by the sea, a dog, a baby on the way. But at six months my pregnancy ended in a miscarriage; the little boy wed hoped for never made it. Thomas tried to console me, then said, Were not as spry as we once were, but weve got Rex. I adored the dog, and Thomas took him to shows, but a dog could never fill the place a child should have.
At one of those shows Thomas met a young woman named Clara Whitby, who also owned a show dog. He soon put me on the spot: You and Clara will have a child, shes young and will bear a healthy baby. Shes fresh as a spring lamb, unlike you, who seem older now. Clara was indeed almost twenty years younger than Thomas, and perhaps the Almighty smiled on her. I began to feel older, as if life had whirled past in a blink. Retirements just around the corner, Thomas would say, as if it were my own fate too.
One week later, after the strain in my leg had almost eased, I went back to the doctors office and ran into the same bald man again.
Excuse me, miss, he said, smiling apologetically, please go ahead of me, I cut in line earlier. When I left the doctors room he was still waiting outside.
The next, please! called the nurse from inside.
You’re invited in, I heard him murmur, not heading for the examination room. Ive been here already. I was just joking. Im waiting for you, lovely lady. The names Arthur, and you must be Emma Whitmore. A name as pretty as yours could only belong to a brighteyed girl like you. May I escort you a bit?
I laughed, If Im the pretty one, youre certainly not the picture of a cripple.
Arthur offered his arm, noting my limp, and we stepped out together. He pointed to a tiny café across the road. Lets pop ingood tea and cheap scones. I havent had breakfast yet.
The conversation flowed easy as ever, and Arthur kept suggesting we meet again, which I never turned down.
One day Ill say, Emma, Im not in a hurry, but I fear someone might dash past me on the bend and leave me standing there. Im a limping, bald man, and youre a beautiful young woman! he once declared, pausing, Emma, marry me! Dont say we barely know each other; I want to spend the rest of my days learning you. Ive got a flat, a job, Im a sturdy fellow. He looked at me expectantly, then lowered his head, as if sensing my hesitation. These days everyone wants a strong, wealthy partner, not a cripple.
I burst out laughing, Youre a dream, Arthur! It feels odd to agree at once, but I do.
Astonishingly, after the wedding we were blessed with a child almost immediately. I never imagined Id ever carry a baby again; Id long since given up hope. Yet there it wasour son, a curlyhaired little chap named Samuel, eyes bright as his mothers, curls as soft as his fathers.
Look, Andy, Id coo, our little Sam with his wild curls!
Hed run a hand over his bald head, I may be a bald, lurching lad now, but once I was a goldenhaired fellow, soaring like an eagle. Our son, his eyes are yours, his curls yours. Wed laugh together, unable to believe the miracle.
I clung to Arthurs shoulder, It feels as if we were strangers, and now our son is here because our paths crossed. If wed never met, wed never have Sam. Tears welled up, and I sobbed. Arthur, taken aback, said, Love, why cry? Look at Samcould he have not been born? Im sure he was meant to be. Wed have lost each other otherwise.
Im crying from joy, I whispered, wiping my cheeks, for the first time in my life I weep with happiness. A smile crept across my face, tears glinting like tiny diamonds on my lashes. I felt rich beyond measure.
In those days I learned that the greatest riches are children, and the truest happiness is love.
