“I said, ‘Mom, I’ll take care of them. I will never abandon them. I’ll be their mother and father.’”
Maya looked at Lance. “That’s why I came here as a helper. I let people call me a ‘disaster’ or ‘bad luck.’ I allowed them to think that those children were mine, so that men wouldn’t pursue me. I didn’t want to get married, Lance. I didn’t want anyone to take away my attention or resources from them. I’ve devoted my whole life to them.”
“I don’t have children, Lance. I gave my virginity and my youth to children who didn’t come from my womb, but from my heart.”
The room fell silent. It felt as though Lance’s world had stopped.
The woman he thought had a “dark past” was actually an angel. The person he believed to be the “woman with baggage” was, in truth, the most selfless woman he had ever encountered. Maya had endured harsh judgments, been called “loose” or “cheap” in the province, all to protect and provide for her orphaned nieces and nephews.
