Page 15 of A Ferry Merry Christmas
Avery added her opinion. “This should all be resolved in no time, and we’ll be on our way.”
James frowned, doubt showing in his eyes.
“I don’t know much about the birthing process,” Dan admitted. “My wife gave birth while I was at sea. What I do know is that the first baby generally doesn’t come quickly. It will be hours before your wife is ready to deliver.”
“Hours,” James repeated, and sighed with relief.
Avery certainly hoped that would be the case for James and Lilly.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Mommy, does Daddy know the ferryboat is stuck?” Olivia asked.
Beth Sullivan placed her arm around her daughter’s small shoulders and rested her chin on top of Olivia’s head. “Probably not, sweetie.” She wasn’t sure about anything these days. Her life was in turmoil, her future uncertain.
Her husband had left her and Olivia two years ago. Two lonely, tortuous years. Yet not a day passed when Olivia didn’t bring up her father. Beth simply didn’t know how best to explain that Logan had decided he no longer wanted to be married. His discontent started when he learned Beth’s parents had helped with the medical expenses following Olivia’s birth. Born at thirty-five weeks, a full seven weeks before she was due, problems had developed with Olivia’s lungs. Weighing barely five pounds, their infant daughter had been placed in the NICU for three days. Their health insurance covered only part of the hospital fees. The bills compounded further as they became a one-income family.
Logan grew depressed and withdrawn, as if the financial help had somehow made him even less of a man. Gone were the evenings when they’d snuggled in front of the television or when they’d talked late into the night. Beth didn’t know what to do. It felt like she’d married a stranger.
A month after he discovered the truth, with little more than some weak excuse, Logan moved out and suggested she file for a divorce.
The pregnancy with Olivia hadn’t been planned. Beth had been on birth control and they weren’t financially ready to start a family. The morning sickness had been terrible the first few months. She hadn’t been able to hold down anything for weeks. But Logan had been wonderful. He’d stood with her and held her hair back as she threw up her breakfast morning after morning. When the doctor prescribed a drug that was safe for her to take that would help ease her discomfort, he’d blanched at the cost. Beth had, too, and that was only the beginning. Soon the medical bills seemed astronomical.
After the first three months, Beth was back to normal. While the pregnancy had been a surprise, Beth was happy and glowing. Logan went with her to every doctor appointment. They both loved their baby long before Olivia was born.
Their tight finances became even tighter, only getting worse as the full weight of paying the bills fell solely on her husband.
She noticed that Logan rarely laughed anymore and became obsessed over the mounting bills. Working as a carpenter, he was often out of work for short stretches of time, which led to them going deeper and deeper into debt. Around the time Olivia turned two, her mother noticed how stressed out Beth was. When she learned the degree to which the young couple continued to struggle making even the minimum payments for the crippling medical bills, her parents had stepped in to help. Knowing how proud Logan was, Beth didn’t tell him. But it didn’t take her husband long to notice, and once he did, everything changed.
Beth tried to make amends, but nothing she said or did seemed to make a difference. She cooked his favorite dinner only to watch him stir the food around on his plate. Their healthy love life went down the drain until they did nothing more than sleep in the same bed. Whatever troubled Logan, Beth believed, was more than the assistance her parents had given them. Shethought it might have something to do with his work. Again and again she tried to get Logan to talk to her, but every effort was met with denials.
It was like he gave up on their marriage and, sadly, on himself. Little she said or did could bring him out of his depression. Sick at heart, Beth felt that she had let him down by accepting her parents’ help.
She offered to return to work, even though she preferred to be a full-time mom. Logan was against it, claiming daycare costs were prohibitive and it didn’t make sense for her to work and then pay nearly every cent she earned to the childcare center. Besides, he also wanted Beth to be at home with Olivia, as no one would love and care for her better than her mother would. The situation continued unresolved for two full years as they both struggled to keep their heads above water financially while their marriage limped along. Then a bout of unemployment became the final straw.
When Logan moved out, it had devastated Beth. No matter how hard she tried to convince him to stay, his mind was set. He decided to live elsewhere, packed his bags, and was gone.
Olivia loved her father and missed him terribly. It broke Beth’s heart to have her daughter ask when her daddy would come back. Even now, two years after he’d moved out, the six-year-old talked about her father constantly.
Beth didn’t know how she would have survived without her parents’ help. They paid the rent on her small apartment because her income as a substitute teacher wasn’t enough to meet her financial obligations, even with the money Logan gave her each month. With Olivia entering first grade the next school year, Beth planned to return to work full-time.
Logan faithfully paid child support and came for Olivia every other weekend, spending Saturday with their daughter. Because he was renting a room in a friend’s house, he couldn’t keepher overnight. They rarely spoke, and if they did, Logan’s first question was to inquire if she’d seen an attorney yet. He seemed eager to end their marriage. Beth hoped that in time Logan would realize how much she loved him, that he would miss them both enough that he would come home. More than anything, she longed for their marriage to survive.
Olivia leaned against her arm, breaking into her thoughts.
“I’m not going to be able to see Santa, am I?” Olivia said, sighing, as the reality of their situation hit home.
“We don’t know that yet,” Beth said, trying to sound optimistic. It didn’t look promising, though. The information on visiting Santa stated that he was only available until 3:00. The captain’s last announcement was discouraging. Beth couldn’t imagine that this was a quick fix, seeing that a part had to be found and delivered, and then the engine repaired. It went without saying that this delay could last for hours. By the time they docked, Santa was sure to be heading back to the North Pole.
Thinking it might be best to prepare Olivia for the disappointment, she asked, “If we can’t see Santa, will that make you sad?”
Olivia twisted her head to one side as she considered her answer.
After a few minutes of thinking matters through, she said, “If Santa needs to get home before the ferryboat is fixed, I’ll understand.”
“That’s a great attitude.” Beth was proud of how well her daughter had taken the frustrating news.
“It’s what Miss Avery said that convinced me. Not every little girl and boy gets to talk to Santa to tell him their Christmas wishes. That means if I don’t see him today, that’ll be okay, because he already knows what I really want for Christmas.”
