Jack was very fond of children and would always carry a small candy box during his shift every day. He was a bus driver and loved treating the kids who rode on his bus to some goodies.
Being around naughty and chirpy little kids comforted Jack . It eased his sorrow and helped him forget he was childless. His wife, Kelly, couldn’t conceive due to some health issues.
Jack ‘s world was very small. It was just him, his wife, and their dog, Zeus. He became the solid support Kelly needed to overcome her grief. “God is watching over us, and He will surely answer our prayers one day,” he often told her.
One day, Jack was busy driving when he heard chaos on the bus. Suddenly, a man came running to him and said: “Driver, there’s a pregnant woman on the bus. I think she’s in labor…Please, do something!”
Jack was alarmed and realized he had no time to waste. He turned around and saw only five or six passengers on board. He stepped on the gas and drove as fast as he could.
The nearest hospital was five stops away, and time was running out. Jack had previously worked as a taxi driver, so he knew most of the shortcuts. Moreover, getting to the hospital would take half an hour on a direct route, and the woman was in terrible pain.
“Hold on, Miss! We’ll get there on time! Please hold on!” he shouted from the front.
Jack thought his passengers would understand it was an emergency, so he switched routes and sped up, arriving at the hospital in ten minutes.
“Jesus…thank you so much!” he gasped as the lady was taken inside. She panted and puffed in pain as she lay on the stretcher.
Jack was about to get onto the bus and leave when a nurse shouted to him: “Excuse me, sir! She said she left her bag on the bus! “
Jack quickly retrieved the lady’s handbag and gave it to the nurse before taking off with the other passengers.
That whole day, Jack was worried about the woman. He was glad he helped her get to the hospital on time, but he wanted to make sure she and her baby were alright. He decided to visit her a week later.
“Are you going to visit that woman today?” Kelly asked Jack as he left home for work. He had told her everything about the encounter that happened a week ago. “Please don’t go empty-handed. Buy something nice for the newborn!”
Jack kissed his wife and left. At the end of his shift, he went to the hospital to visit the woman. He learned her name was Andrea, but she was no longer at the hospital.
“She left yesterday with her baby,” the nurse informed Jack . He was pretty disappointed. He had bought a onesie and a warm blanket for the newborn.
“Do you have her address?” he asked.
“Yes, one minute….”
Jack took down Andreas’ address and went to meet her. As he neared, he found out that the address was of a shelter for the homeless. “She lives here?” he wondered.
He hurried inside to meet Andrea and her baby but came out disheartened. It turned out that she had moved out that morning, and nobody knew where she had gone.
Jack returned home disappointed. “I should have visited her sooner. It’s my mistake,” he grumbled.
“Darling, it’s okay. Maybe somebody came for her. Let’s hope she and her baby are fine now,” Kelly comforted Jack .
Eventually, the couple forgot about Andrea and her baby. Everything returned to normal until one day, two years later, when Jack noticed something unusual as he got on the bus. He saw a woman fidgeting with a heart-shaped locket and was drawn to Andreas’ picture in it.
“Do you know this woman? Is her name Andrea?” he asked the lady.
“Yes. But how do you know her?” the woman asked as Jack grabbed the locket and stared closely at the picture.
“I can never forget that face…I still remember how she screamed in pain that day…How is she? I hope she and her baby are doing well.”
Jack saw the woman turn pale as tears slowly rose in her eyes. He was unprepared for the heartbreaking revelation about Andrea and her baby.
“I’m Peg. I work in a shelter for orphaned kids,” the woman said. “This locket belongs to Andreas’ daughter, Tiffany. It’s her birthday tomorrow. This is her only memory of her late mother.”
“Late mother?” Jack was alarmed.
“Yes, Andrea died last year of a terminal illness. She had lost her husband and their little house in the flood. She was pregnant and lived in the homeless shelter for a few months after that. Before she died, she gave her baby up for adoption. Tiffany has been in the shelter ever since, and we haven’t found a good family for her yet.”
Jack could not believe his ears. Later that evening, he and Kelly visited the shelter and found little Tiffany with her nanny.
“She is adorable!” exclaimed Kelly, tears of joy sparkling in her eyes. It was as if the darkness in their lives was finally lit up with happiness. They brought Tiffany some toys and new clothes. These were the first birthday presents she’d received since her birth.
Six months later, Jack and Kelly adopted Tiffany, and since then, the couple always had new wholesome reasons to laugh and feel blessed. They no longer regretted being childless and started celebrating their lives with their adopted daughter.
“I told you…God watches over His children and always answers our prayers unexpectedly!” said Jack as he cradled his little bundle of joy in his arms.
