They
were expecting their first child, so Bob and Bobbie decided to move out
of the basement efficiency they were renting and find a place with a
little more room, where they could create a nursery. They agreed that
it would have to be something inexpensive. She was a cashier in a
drugstore and he did the accounts for a small business. On a
spreadsheet, Bob had calculated—almost down to the dollar—how much it
would cost them to live after the baby arrived. He believed that they
could do it on one salary, if the new rented place fit their budget.
Every weekend, they looked in the papers, but couldn’t find what they
were looking for. In the meantime, Bobbie was showing more and more.
Bobbie’s pregnancy generated interest
among the female customers, especially the one who came to the store
every week to get medicines for her ongoing illnesses. Bobbie went out
of her way to be helpful to her. The two women often chatted. On
Christmas Eve, Bobbie was working. When the woman came in, there
happened to be no customers. Right away, Bobbie noticed that the woman
was in bad shape. Without saying hello or anything, she began, “I get
so depressed during the holidays. It was during this time that my
sweetheart was killed in Vietnam. We were to get married when he came
back. He did come back, but in a body bag. I feel so happy for you,
with a touch of envy of course, that you have a husband and are
expecting a child.”
