Page 34 of Two Weeks
His mother was the most kindhearted, deeply compassionate person he knew. Her early days had broken her. God had redeemed her. She saw hope for every person she met. “If God can love someone like me, then He must certainly love everyone,” she often said.
But between parking and opening Elise’s passenger door, Cole felt clammy and light-headed. He wasn’t sure where today’s conversation was going. He had just one prayer.Lord, please let her keep the baby. Please, God.His mother was expecting them. Today Elise would learn the truth. That abortion was murder. That tissue she referred to made up a life.
Cole took a deep breath. Of course he wanted Elise to talk to his mom. Her story was personal to him. It was the reason he was alive today.
On the way to the door, Elise stopped to watch Amy and Devin building a snowman in the front yard. Cole tried to smile. “That’s my brother and my cousin Amy.” He paused and looked at Elise. “She lives with us. Long story.” He waved at the two. “I think they’re trying to make the tallest snowman ever.Guinness Book of World Recordsstuff. Something like that.”
“Wish I were doing that today.” Elise sounded defeated. Like she’d given up before the meeting had even begun.
There was no time to think about all that might go wrong in the next hour. His mom opened the door before they reached it. As soon as he saw her eyes, her smile and gentle expression, Cole felt himself relax. His mom wouldn’t do anything to push Elise away. Today was going to be just what he’d prayed:
A turning point for the girl he cared about.
They walked inside and once they reached the kitchen, Cole peered into the living room. It was empty. “Hey, Mom.” He looked around. “Where’s Dad?”
“At the store.” His mom chuckled. “You know us. Always out of something.”
“Okay.” Cole didn’t laugh. As serious as today was, it didn’t feel right that his dad wasn’t there. “Mom, this is Elise.”
“Hello.” His mother turned to Elise and smiled. Like she’d known Cole’s friend for years. “Nice to meet you.” She went to take Elise’s hand, but then seemed to change her mind and instead she hugged her. “I’ve looked forward to this.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Elise sounded sullen, like she hadn’t even heard his mother.
Panic grabbed at Cole’s throat. What was Elise doing? She could at least be nice.Please, God, don’t let this be awkward.He looked down at his shoes and then back at Elise. “Um, yeah. I’ll get you some water.”
His mom hesitated, but her expression remained genuine. “I’ll get it.” She poured water for each of them and turned to Elise. “Can I get you anything else? A sandwich or fruit?”
“No, ma’am. No thank you.” Again she sounded different. Stiff, beyond scared. Which made no sense. Cole had already told Elise that if anyone would understand her situation, his mother would. So why was Elise doing this? Her eyes looked hard. Completely closed off. When they had their water, Cole led the way to the living room. He sat next to Elise on the sofa, and his mom took the chair across from them.
He didn’t want to wait for someone else to start talking. “First, thank you, Mom.” Cole looked from her to Elise and back again. “For meeting with us.”
“Of course.” His mom leaned forward in the chair, fully engaged. Ready for whatever came next. Cole had told her just the basics. That Elise was, in fact, pregnant and not happy about it. The other details he wanted his mom to hear for herself. So she wouldn’t come in with any predetermined responses. Just real, genuine conversation.
His mom’s wisdom at its best.
Next to him, Elise crossed her arms and stared at her knees. Cole cared about her more than he wanted to admit. But she needed to let her walls down. He put his arm around her shoulders. “Hey.”
She looked up for a brief moment, then back down again. “Cole...” she whispered. “I don’t want to do this.”
His mother must’ve heard her. “Elise, whatever it is, I understand.” She hesitated, her tone kind. “That’s why we’re all here.”
“Please, Elise.” Cole tried to make eye contact with her. He dropped his voice to a whisper. He remembered when she had made up her mind about this visit. The words she had said. “You promised.”
Something about those last words seemed to get Elise’s attention, snap her out of her emotional collapse. She turned to Cole and then to his mom. “I’m sorry.”
His mother waited. Cole, too.
Elise sat a little straighter and took a long breath. She faced his mom and tears filled her eyes. “I’m pregnant, Mrs. Blake. I found out for sure at the crisis pregnancy center.” She sniffed and wiped her tears with the palms of her hands. Her determination seemed to build. “But I’ve already decided... I want an abortion.” She paused but not long enough for Cole or his mom to say anything. “It’s not really a... a baby yet. I’m not that far along. I found a website that said it was just an embryo, cells and tissue.”
Cole looked at his mother. “Mom... I thought maybe if... if you told Elise your story...”
“Sure.” His mother nodded, and Cole could see the past filling her expression. She wasn’t smiling anymore. “Would you like that, Elise? Do you want to hear what I went through?”
Elise squirmed in her spot on the sofa and finally folded her hands in her lap. As if she was only here to keep her word. “Yes.” She looked at Cole then back to his mom. “Cole says it’s important. I should hear it.”
His mom seemed to think for a minute. Like she was trying to decide where to start. “I moved to Paris after high school. I wanted to be an artist.”
Elise’s eyes lit up for the first time today. She was softening. Anyone could see that. “I’m an artist, too.”
