Three homeless brothers are rescued by a mother of five children, who then transport them to Child Services. But she cannot let them go, so she devises a strategy to bring them back into her life.
Lacy had been a mother five times because she enjoyed it so much! She and her husband Brian were the proud parents of three boys and two girls, though she occasionally wished they had had more children, particularly now that the three oldest kids were in college and the two youngest were in high school.
“We’ll be alone again soon,” Lacy told Brian sadly. “I’m going to miss having children around.”
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Even though he wasn’t paying attention, Brian nodded absentmindedly. He replied, “Yes, darling. Lacy glowed. She adored Brian and appreciated how well he always perceived her feelings.
Lacy’s marriage and life were completely upended three days afterward. She was walking her dog on the shore when she heard a baby crying close to an ancient, abandoned lifeguard hut. The canine barked and sprinted towards the hut. It was joyfully wagging its tail as Lacy pursued it.
There were three kids in front of the canine. The eldest appeared to be five years old, the second oldest was possibly four, and the youngest was a baby still in a carriage. The baby just appeared upset and very hungry, while the two eldest kids appeared to be afraid.
A family is built on love and the desire to sacrifice for one another.
“Hello,” Lacy said gently. “Who are you?”
The oldest boy said, “I’m Drew, that’s my brother Kim, and that’d baby Will; he’s two.”
“I’m Lacy,” she said. “And where is your mom?”
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Drew looked away. “Mom went to get hamburgers,” he said bravely. “But maybe she got lost ’cause it’s been a long time.”
“How long?” asked Lacy.
“Yesterday,” Drew whispered. “But I KNOW she’s coming back.”
“I tell you what,” Lacy said. “Why don’t I take you to have a burger, and then we can find your mom?”
“But…” Drew frowned. “If she returns, she won’t know where we are!”
“We’ll leave her a note, OK?” Lacy said. She wrote a note and pinned it to the door of the broken-down lifeguard hut. “I’ve also written down my cell phone number so she can call us!”
While the kids were eating at a beachfront burger joint, Lacy had taken them to; she called Child Services and the authorities. She went back to the table and placed her order for milkshakes.
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Smiling and unhurried, the children. Little Will touched Lacy’s face at that moment by extending his hand.
“Are you our mommy now?” he asked.
“No, no…” Lacy stammered. “We’re going to find your mommy; you’ll see.”
But Social Services weren’t as hopeful. They knew that if someone wanted to disappear, they could. “She’s got three mouths to feed,” the social worker explained to Lacy. “And she’s just nineteen. She’s been a mom since she was fourteen and is desperate for freedom. If she ever returns, it will be when she’s in her late thirties, and the kids don’t need her anymore.”
“That’s very sad,” Lacy said. “But these kids are so cute and young; I’m sure plenty of families will take them.”
“No,” the social worker said. “We have a policy not to separate siblings. We can usually place two; three is a stretch. These little boys will be in the foster system for a long time.”
Lacy went home and told Brian and her high school kids what had happened. “Can you believe it? Those poor babies…”
“Lacy,” Brian protested. “You end up mothering everyone!”
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Lacy laughed but remembered little Will’s question: “Are you our mommy now?” She took a deep breath. “Brian? Why don’t we take the three kids?”
“What?” gasped Brian.
“WHAT!” screamed the kids. “Are you KIDDING?”
“Why not?” asked Lacy. “Come on, Brian! We’re doing so well! You said the other day you’d like more kids…”
“NO!” Brian said crossly. “I told you what you wanted to hear! We don’t know these children, and we don’t owe them anything.”
“What about basic compassion, Brian?” Lacy asked softly. “What about love?”
“We don’t owe them, love, either!” Brian shouted. “These are NOT my kids, and I won’t spend a cent raising them! Do you want them? YOU find the money because you won’t get a cent from me!”
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Lacy looked at her husband. “You know, Brian,” she said quietly. “It’s not about the money. I’ll find the money. I’m sad you’ve become such a miser with your love. How can you grudge them with your compassion? You’ve become hard-hearted. I wonder, do you still love me?”
Lacy turned to her children: “This is not how I raised you, to be cold and selfish with those less fortunate. I must have been a bad mother to have you turn out like this.”
The toddlers and Brian exchanged glances before looking away. They wanted to apologize to Lacy but were too proud despite their humiliation. When Brian discovered what Lacy was doing from the family attorney, his feelings only worsened.
Along with the silver and jewelry her grandma had left her, she had put up for sale the beachfront home she had inherited from her parents. Lacy intended to sell some of her most prized possessions to support the three children.
That evening, Brian and the kids apologized to Lacy in person.
“Please, honey,” Brian said. “Don’t sell anything. We have more than enough money!”
“But do you have enough love?” Lacy asked, looking Brian and the two younger children in the eye. “I won’t bring those kids into a house where they won’t be loved.”
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Even the elder children, who called from college to assure Lacy of their support, Brian and the two younger children, ages 14 and 17, promised to be kind and encouraging.
For Drew, Kim, and Will, being a part of a large family with numerous older siblings to pamper them made them very happy. No one could soon even begin to fathom what life would be like without the three young children who had completed their family.
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