Bri's Child

Bri looked back down at her phone, opening it in a rush to reread the email he’d sent her. Her eyes scanned over each word, anxiously drinking them in, hoping they would read differently than last time. But the words on the screen weren't magic, meaning Peter either lied, got caught up somewhere, or was in deep trouble.

Lost in thought and worry, Bri easily lost her balance when someone slammed into her as they speed walked past. The infant in Bri’s arms let loose a scream and started crying hysterically. Bri pushed herself off the wall she’d fallen into and hugged her daughter close to her chest. Right away, the awful feeling returned, clutching at her chest and restricting her breathing. Something inside Bri told her to toss the baby on the sidewalk and sprint away. She wasn’t cut out to be a mother, not at 18 with her life a mess.

Bri looked down at the sidewalk, feet streaming past. Why in the world had Bri sold her house to what appeared to be a drug addict? Why had she responded to the random email and changed courses to New York instead of her uncle’s house? Why had she brought her three month old child to the streets of New York City? The questions and shame beat down and she felt a panic attack rising.

One moment, Bri was collapsing onto the sidewalk, infant still in her arms. The next moment, someone was supporting her entire body weight and prying the child from her intense grip. The baby’s scream was nearly as loud as the honking cars, random music, and shouting people who crowded the streets.

Not even caring to look up at who it was that took her daughter, Bri let them guide her into the nearest cafe and sit her down at a booth in the back corner. The cafe smelled heavily of freshly brewed coffee and stale pastries, as if the owners could only get one thing right. The coffee aroma filled Bri’s lungs and she coughed, not used to such a strong smell. In fact, she couldn’t even pinpoint what it was. Either way, she was grateful for the quieter atmosphere and the dim lights.

The stranger sat down opposite of Bri, rocking her crying child back and forth in an attempt to calm them. Once Bri’s head stopped spinning, she looked up and was shocked to see herself staring into the face of a man.

The man shot a warm smile in Bri’s direction and continued bouncing her child and talking softly to her. Bri watched in astonishment. The man wore his beard scraggly but his head of light brown hair was clean shaven. His eyes were emerald green and very soft. The man looked to be in his forties and was wearing a button up shirt that announced itself to be an employee shirt from a New York company. Bri decided he must have been on his way to or from work.

“I’m very sorry,” Bri eventually said.

“No worries,” said the stranger, chuckling. “I saw you were about to go down and figured you needed some help.”

“Thank you. I’m just very tired, that’s all.” Bri reached her arms out for her daughter and the man gently gave her back.

“I’m Shane,” the man said.

Bri nodded and smiled gratefully in his general direction while trying to get her daughter situated comfortably on her lap. “Bri.”

“Nice to meet you.” Shane stood up, seeming a little uncomfortable now and eager to go. But then he paused for a moment. “Do you need anything else?”

Bri, still shocked at Shane’s kindness, quickly shook her head. “I’m just waiting to meet someone, my grandfather. He should be here soon.”

Shane nodded grimly, like the idea of Bri sitting here alone wasn’t a pleasant thought. Either way, he said goodbye and left her to her waiting.

Bri waited for only five minutes before the familiar face walked through the door of the cafe. When the old man appeared, Bri jumped up, his presence giving her an extra boost of energy and spirit. She hadn’t seen him in a couple months, but she recognized him anyhow, even if age had clearly taken a toll on his body.

Placing her daughter carefully on the bench where she was sitting, Bri embraced her grandfather, letting his arms wrap her in a much needed hug. Bri tried not to think about the last encounter she’d had with this man. It had been almost five months since they buried her mom; no need to bring up the past.

Peter took a seat across the table from Bri. Bri sat back down and moved the baby so they were laying beside her. For minutes, no words were spoken between anyone. It remained a mystery to Bri why Peter had asked her to meet him in New York City.

Finally, Peter spoke up. “Your father needs you. I would go to him myself but I am much too old. Besides, his emotions and decisions have always puzzled me. I would be of no help to him.”

Bri stared at him like he’d gone mad. She was broke, on the run from the family enemy, and caring for an infant. How did her grandfather expect her to take care of her father as well?

As if reading her thoughts, Peter took a deep breath. “I’m taking the child.”

“No!” Bri cried out. The whole cafe turned at the sound of her loud voice. A brave employee, maybe in her late twenties, stepped cautiously from behind the counter and made her way over to Bri and Peter. Her name tag read Cora and she was frowning. An orange phone was hanging delicately from her hand, as though she was about to call the police at any moment. Being as though the cafe she worked at was located in the heart of New York City, it wasn’t unbelievable to think the employee had witnessed intense conflicts before, especially ones starting with a yell or two.

Peter waved her away. “All good here.”

Cora hesitated but returned back to her spot at the cash register.

“She’s my daughter,” Bri said, once the employee was out of earshot, voice cracking.

Peter’s chest felt suddenly tight. He’d never been close with his granddaughter but he loved her nonetheless. “You don’t know how to take care of her.”

“She’s alive! Doesn’t that count for something?”

Peter hoped she was joking. Caring for a child was so much more than keeping them alive. And Bri was barely succeeding at that. “She could be dead right now. I watched that man save you and then I talked to him as he was leaving. He seems like a very nice man. You’re lucky he showed up at the right moment.”

Bri didn’t respond to that. The baby started crying again, her wail echoing across the cafe. Two teenagers at a nearby table wrinkled their noses and left the cafe. Cora frowned at Bri from across the room. Bri wanted to do something about the crying, in her heart she wished, even longed, for nothing but peace for her daughter. But Bri also felt very weak all of the sudden. She willed her body to move but all she could do was stare at the swaddled child lying on the bench beside her. Bri didn’t make any move to comfort the child.

Peter sighed, stood up, and crossed to the other side of the booth where he gently lifted his great granddaughter from the bench. The realization that he was holding a human three generations younger than him came full force. Peter instinctively reached up to his scalp where his gray hairs were beginning to thin out. He was only 59, and in good health, but death felt very close in that instance. The baby’s tiny eyes squinted at him through her cries, a reminder that she had many years ahead of her, if given the right opportunity.

Bri watched her grandfather holding her daughter. His every move was careful and well thought out as he sat down, his eyes never leaving the baby’s. Bri thought back to every story, every warning her mother had told her. Now, she couldn’t stop a few tears as they slipped from their prison. Shame washed over her as she stared at the table and mumbled, “Maybe it’d be better for her if she died young.”

Peter froze and stared at Bri. He knew immediately what she was referring to, but he refused to agree with her. This child was born into a dangerous family and had lived the first three months of her life on the run with her neglective mother. But Peter was sure there was a purpose for her; God was good like that.

“What’s her name?” Peter quietly asked.

Bri looked confused. “We ran from the hospital before I could sign the birth certificate.”

Once again, Peter was stunned into silence. The child didn’t even have a name. He looked back into her beautiful brown eyes and the cafe around him seemed to shift. He was suddenly 38 years old again, watching as a young man took care of his wounded body and later pulled him and his family away from their hometown. The same man later married his daughter and then left them all for mysterious reasons. Peter had gone from being okay with this boy to hating him in just a few days. Now, as he stared into his great granddaughters eyes, he could see her resemblance to this man, her grandfather, and felt nothing but love for his family.

“She looks like her grandfather,” Peter said, giving voice to his observations.

Bri sucked in a breath at the mention of her dad. “Is that such a bad thing?”

Peter didn’t want to lie, or bring to the surface other worries, so he simply shrugged and changed the subject. “Did you bring anything with you? Food? Clothes? Diapers?”

Bri shook her head in response to the entire list.

Peter sighed disappointingly while noticing for the first time Bri’s sunken cheeks and pale skin. She looked weak, tired, and sick. “When’s the last time you ate?”

“Yesterday.”

Peter waved Cora over as she was still standing behind the register, but now with a book open to keep her occupied. Eventually, she glanced up, rolled her eyes, and came over to their table.

“You know you’re supposed to order up front,” she said.

Aggravated, Peter stood up, baby still in arms, and walked over to the register. Cora followed him, glaring at anyone who made eye contact. Clearly, her day had been ruined by these customers' presence.

Bri waited patiently at the table for Peter to order but then she got up to look for a bathroom. The small cafe didn’t have one and she wasn’t surprised. She simply shrugged away the random anxiety of not being able to find a bathroom, and returned to the table. When she sat down again, Peter pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and laid it in front of her.

Bri leaned over the paper and read it carefully. Each word was a stone being thrown full force at her. With each rock, the pain grew until she broke down in tears. The reality of her family’s troubles had been known since she was an infant. Yet it was only now that they made themselves brutally honest and clear.

When Bri wouldn’t stop crying, Peter lifted himself carefully from his seat and came to Bri’s side. “It’s gonna be okay.”

The whispered words were comforting and scary at the same time. Bri wiped her eyes, determined to completely understand the plans laid out on paper and how she fit into them. “Where is dad anyhow?”

“Living in a basement in Ohio. Random guy from the streets took him in. I’ve personally triple checked his background and I think he’s safe but I can’t be sure. That’s why I want you to rent a house and live with him.”

Bri drew in a breath. She’d known in the back of her mind that her dad had been on the run practically since Bri was born; but she hadn’t expected him to get desperate enough to live in strangers’ basements. “What’s the host's name?”

“Luis Prim.”

“Luis Prim!” exclaimed a soft voice from the table beside them. A kind old woman stared thoughtfully at the threesome. The woman got up from her own table and sat down across from Bri, Peter, and the child. “Why, I know that man! My name’s Zoe.”

She stuck out her hand and Bri shook it gently. “I’m Bri. This is my grandfather Peter.”

Zoe leaned forward, her voice a whisper. “Sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation, but it sounds like you need a connection to Luis.”

Peter’s eyes went wide and Bri shrank into herself.

“Oh don’t worry!” Zoe laughed. “I just want to help. My family has troubles too and I remember how tough it was to get through them when you were practically alone or separated by distance.”

Cora suddenly appeared out of nowhere and angrily put a plate of pastries and two drinks on the table. Peter opened his mouth to thank her but she stalked off before he could get a word out. Zoe rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her new friends, Bri specifically. “Anyway, Luis is a great man! He was best friends with my son all throughout their school years. I still live right down the street from him! Do you need to get to him?”

Peter eyed Zoe suspiciously. “We don’t even know you.”

Zoe shook her head. “No, you don’t. But I know Luis and I would love to help you guys out.”

Bri took a sip of one of the drinks. The temperature alone burned her throat, causing her to gag. Aside from that, the taste was horrible and she immediately came to the conclusion that it must be coffee. Peter sighed and switched the cups. “This was supposed to be yours.”

Embarrassed, Bri tried this drink and found that it was just plain water. Thirsty, and still ignoring her need for a restroom, Bri drank the whole thing as quickly as she could, the result of another fear.

Zoe started off into a long explanation about who she was, where she lived, and where she used to work. She was retired now, but owned a house in Ohio. She said she’d overheard Peter saying Bri’s dad was in Ohio, and wanted to offer a ride and a temporary place to stay for Bri.

Peter thought for a long time. Sending his granddaughter to live with this stranger was just as dangerous as leaving her father alone for a few more days. Bri’s father was on the verge of going mad. Though Bri hadn’t grown up with him in her life, Peter was positive Bri’s dad needed her. Zoe was the easiest and safest way they had to get to him. As the saying goes, ‘desperate times call for desperate measures.’

Peter gave the baby back to Bri and dug in his pocket for his wallet. He too had been in hiding for years and therefore wasn’t very stable with his money. However, he wasn’t going to let Zoe perform this big of a favor without a little payment. Before she could object, Peter pulled out all the cash he had and handed it to Zoe. “You better take good care of her.”

Zoe’s eyes went wide. “Oh no! I can’t accept this! I’m an old woman with too much time on her hands and too few friends. I’ll be content simply with the company and excitement.”

Bri eyed Peter. What was he doing? Surely he wasn’t sending her with this woman, right? But Peter started in on a deep conversation with Zoe. He began explaining when and how he wanted his granddaughter to make contact with her dad. He refused to take back the money, and said just the expenses of caring for Bri would be costly enough. Zoe insisted she had the money and wasn’t a poor old fool, but Peter wouldn’t let it go. Bri listened with a distant mind until her daughter was brought into the conversation.

“I’ll be taking the child,” Peter said to Zoe. “So she won’t be a problem.”

Both Bri and Zoe suddenly looked terribly troubled. Bri started crying again and Zoe’s heart broke for the young woman in front of her. Speaking up, she said, “I think it’d be best for Bri and the child to stick together for a while. I can help with the care. Maybe once things are settled down, then you could move the girl?”

Peter hesitated. He really just wanted to protect the small child’s life. Peter’s son was only 24 years old, married to a wonderful woman, and without children. Peter had spoken to him on the phone before coming here. He would be more than thrilled to adopt the girl and raise her as his own.

However, when Peter took one look at Bri, the baby girl cradled carefully in her arms, her tears falling gently on the child’s blanket, Peter gave in. He just didn’t have the heart to do it. Reluctantly, he nodded to Zoe. The child would stay with Bri. He could only pray she would give them a name soon.