Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74407 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74407 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
They are already beginning to move around and take a closer look at some of the facilities. Ashley only mentioned a few of the facilities, but there’s also computers for the kids to use to apply for jobs or housing. And there’s a book library too, so every kid can come here to lose themselves in a book and forget their troubles for a few hours.
Members of staff are already moving through the crowd, talking to the donors and answering any questions.
“God, was that speech as awful as I feel like it was?” Ashley asks as she takes Reece from me and holds him up in the air until he giggles.
I lean in and kiss her cheek. “Awful? No, it was perfect. Just like you.”
“I don’t feel very perfect.” Ashley laughs, bringing Reece down to her hip where he contentedly blows spit bubbles. “I just keep waiting for something to go wrong.”
“Nothing will go wrong,” I assure her.
Carla tugs on Ashley’s skirt and holds out a small dinosaur toy. “Nothing bad can happen. I have my lucky dinosaur,” she announces.
“Oh see, I didn’t know that.” Ashley smiles. “But yeah, obviously, you’re right.”
“Hey, Finn. Ashley said you’d be here today. It’s so good to see you,” a young woman says as she comes up to us. She’s wearing the red polo shirt and black pants that say she works at the center, but I don’t think I’ve seen her before. Clearly, I must have though because she knows who I am. I study her for a moment. She looks vaguely familiar, but I still can’t place her. Talk about embarrassing.
“You don’t know who I am do you?” the woman asks.
I shake my head. “No. I’m sorry, I don’t,” I admit.
She laughs. “Oh, I’m taking that to be a good thing. I obviously don’t look as rough as I did the last time we met,” she says with a smirk.
Suddenly, it clicks into place who she is. “Gemma?”
“You got me.” She laughs. “I’ve just finished my social work degree and Ashley offered me a job here.”
“That’s amazing, congratulations on the degree,” I say. “And the new job.”
She looks serious suddenly. “It’s thanks in part to Ashley for getting me a place with a family who made me see I did have something to offer the world. But it’s also in part thanks to you…”
I wave away her words and shake my head. “No way. It’s because of you. You went out and did the work.”
“I did. And I guess some of it comes down to me, but that day you saw me outside of Ashley’s old office, you really saw me. And you showed me the world isn’t always a bad place. So thank you. Not just for the room, but for seeing the human being instead of the problem.”
“May I?” I ask, extending my arms.
“Of course.” Gemma smiles, accepting my hug with a fierce hug of her own. She pulls back from me and smirks again, nodding to Ashley and the kids. “And I see it worked. It impressed her.” She winks.
“Yeah, maybe I should be the one thanking you!” I chuckle.
Gemma spots a teenager in ragged clothes hanging around in the doorway to the center. “I have to go,” she says. “But it was wonderful to see you again, Finn.”
“You too,” I respond, meaning it. It is so good to see how her life has turned around.
She flashes me one last smile and then she goes over to the kid in the doorway, ushering her in and chatting to her all of the time as she does it.
“You didn’t tell me Gemma would be here,” I glance at Ashley.
“She wanted to surprise you. I think she wanted you to see you made a good investment in her, that she really did take her second chance.”
“She’s really turned her life around.” I nod. “But all I did was get her a hotel room. Really, the credit has to go to you for finding her a nice family and her for sticking in school and going the distance.”
“How about we call it a team effort?” Ashley concedes.
“Yeah, I like the sound of that,” I agree. I bend down, scoop Carla up into my arms then I sit her on my hip and wrap my arm around Ashley’s shoulders.
We stand quietly for a moment as a family and I can’t help but wonder, even now, how I got so lucky as to have this wonderful, selfless woman fall in love with me.
The End