TAXI DELIVERY

by Brooke Williams

Jed watched Sadie every chance he got as he drove. He found himself driving more cautiously than normal. Not just because he was carrying precious fare this time, but also because he wanted to prolong his time with the two of them. Seeing Sadie with her hand stretched across the cab, holding on to Ellison’s tiny little fingers as they drove sent goose bumps up Jed’s arms. There was definitely something special about the two of them.

  When they finally arrived near Sadie’s apartment building, Jed found a spot outside. He figured he would get the two girls inside and settled and if he was invited to stay longer, he would come back out and move the cab to a parking garage nearby. He almost laughed out loud at the thought of putting the cab in a parking garage. He would probably be fired on the spot if his boss even heard that he was considering putting another cab anywhere near another parking garage. The last time he had been in one, the backseat had been quite a mess and the cab had been towed away.

  Jed turned off the engine and quickly hopped out of the cab, opening the door for Sadie who then walked around the cab and gently lifted the car seat out of the base. “I’ll detach it for you,” he said. “Which apartment are you in?”

  “4F,” she said.

  “I’ll bring this right up,” he said. “Say, what happened to all of the flowers?” he asked. She appeared in the wheelchair at the hospital with only two small bouquets and the pink bear he bought for Ellison.

  “I asked the hospital staff to distribute them to other patients. You know, people that didn’t have anything at all in their rooms.”

  “What a good idea,” Jed agreed. “That was very sweet of you.”

  “It only made sense to spread the wealth. I certainly didn’t have anywhere to put all of it.”

  Jed nodded. “I’ll be up in a minute.” He wanted to give her a head start so that she wouldn’t know right away that he had a stroller in the trunk of his car to go along with the car seat.

  Once he got into the apartment building, he checked the directory on the wall and took the elevator to the fourth floor. 4F was at the opposite end of the hall. Jed knocked gently in case Ellison was still asleep.

  A woman answered the door. “Yeah?” she said upon seeing Jed.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I must have the wrong apartment.

  The woman snapped her gum loudly and then took inventory of Jed, the stroller, and the base of the car seat.

  “You here about the baby?” she asked.

  “Um, yeah, I guess so.”

  “So you’re the father,” she said, chewing loudly. “It’s about time you showed up.” The woman swung the door open wide and stepped to one side.

  This time, Jed didn’t bother correcting her. It was obvious that Sadie hadn’t told anyone about the father of her baby and it wasn’t his business to get into it. Denying the woman’s claim would only bring about questions that Sadie might not want to answer. Jed had questions of his own. One of which was, who was this woman?

  Sadie was in the corner of the room on a small single bed, gingerly taking Ellison out of the car seat. She turned when she heard the woman talking to Jed. As soon as she saw the stroller, she stopped what she was doing.

  “Jed, what have you done?” she asked as Jed noticed two other small single beds lining the other walls.

  “I just thought you could use a way to get around,” he said, wondering where he was going to put the large stroller in the small apartment.

  “I can’t pay you for that,” she said, a look of sadness on her face. “I feel awful, Jed. You’re going to have to take it back. The car seat was already too much.”

  “Are you kidding me? You gave me the experience of a lifetime. How many cab drivers do you think can say helped with a birth?”

  “That was you?” the woman asked, incredulously. The apartment was small enough that there certainly wasn’t any privacy.

  “I’m sorry, Jed, this is Lindsey. Lindsey, Jed.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Jed said.

  “Lindsey is one of my roommates,” Sadie supplied.

  “One of your roommates?”

  “Alice is working the swing shift right now. She’ll be back late tonight, Lindsey said as she flopped down on her bed across the small room.”

  Jed lowered his voice. “Sadie, are you living here with two other women?” He only hoped that Lindsey had tuned them out so she didn’t hear the surprise in his voice.

  Sadie nodded. “It’s a temporary thing. Until I can get settled in with Ellison and get back to work.”

  “Wait, you don’t even have a job?” he asked, wondering how she was going to afford rent at all, even with two roommates.

  “Not exactly,” she said. “But I have a little money saved and if I’m careful, I’ll be okay for a few more months.”

  A few months? That wasn’t a good sign with a new baby. And what did these roommates think about adding a baby to the mix?

  “Listen,” Sadie said, anxiously glancing at Lindsey over Jed’s shoulder. “I better get Ellison settled in. She’s going to be hungry soon. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us. Really. I’ll never forget it.”

  Jed felt as if he was being dismissed and he didn’t want his part in their lives to be over. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to get his foot back in the door once it was closed and the idea that he would never see the face of that little baby again or look into the eyes of her mother again nearly broke his heart.

  “Sadie,” he said, getting her attention for a brief second as she took her eyes off her daughter to meet his, “I want you to call me if you need anything. Anything at all. I may not be able to help you, but you’ll never know unless you ask.” Jed pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and grabbed a pen from the nearby kitchen counter. He scrawled his name and phone number down and grabbed her hand, pressing the paper firmly into it. “Do not hesitate to call me. Anything at all,” he said again with force. He wanted to make sure she understood that he was serious. “And,” he added, “you’re keeping the stroller. It folds up. It’ll fit under your bed.”

  Jed watched tears brim up in Sadie’s eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered as she took a step forward and tentatively wrapped her arms around his waist.

  Jed paused and then placed his arms around her narrow shoulders. He felt an even bigger jolt than he had the last time they had touched. There was something about this woman that just fit. He was terrified that this would be the last time they would speak.

  When Sadie pulled back, Jed leaned down towards her to reaffirm what he had said before. “I hope to hear from you,” he said, nearly raising his hand to stroke a strand of hair from her face.

  Sadie smiled sadly and rose up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. Jed left the small studio apartment with the feel of her lips burning on his face. He wasn’t soon going to forget how her soft lips felt against his skin. Somehow, a woman who had been a virtual stranger just two days before had found a way into his heart. She was residing in a corner and taking up more space every time he saw her. Her daughter had space as well and Jed turned around before he left not to see Sadie, but to get one more last look at Ellison.

  As the door closed behind him, he heard Lindsey say, “So that wasn’t the father, huh?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ellison was only five days old and already Sadie could tell that she was strong willed. Sadie put off buying too many baby supplies because she simply didn’t have the money and didn’t have the room for any of them. She had a few onesies and plenty of diapers, but that was the extent of it. She decided to nurse Ellison for convenience and cost, but she knew she was going to have to figure out a new plan once she found a good job.

  The biggest problem, however, was their living situation. Sadie had tried not to think about it in the hospital, but she knew having a newborn in the studio apartment was going to be a problem. It was one thing to have her own sleep interrupted, but when Ellison interrupted the sleep of two other people who were not her relatives and did not love her as
Sadie did, it was an immediate issue.

  “Can’t you DO anything?” Lindsey asked the first night when Ellison cried for nearly an hour as Sadie paced the small apartment floor.

  “I’m trying,” she said, tears in her own eyes. She was overwhelmed and she knew it. She had a new baby to care for, very little to her name, and no one to help her. Her roommates had given her a place to live when she needed it and she was grateful, but beyond that, they were not compassionate people.

  On the third night, Sadie knew that Lindsey and Alice were at the end of their ropes. They talked quietly back and forth while Sadie attempted to calm the baby. They no longer shouted at her to stop the crying or to do something. Sadie was certain they were about to take action on their own and she was afraid.

  As she bounced her daughter up and down, slowing the crying at last, she began to pray. Lord, she prayed silently, you know I’ve made plenty of mistakes. But none of that is Ellison’s fault. Please help me to protect her. Help me to give her the things she needs when she needs them. Guide me to the right place, Lord. Provide for us. Sadie didn’t know what else to say. Her situation was dire and becoming more desperate by the minute.

  She found out the next day what Lindsey and Alice had been whispering about when Alice announced that she wanted Sadie to leave immediately.

  “You and the baby have to go,” she said coldly without looking up from the newspaper that lay in front of her. Alice was always searching for a new job and usually got stuck with strange hours so her sleeping was about as varied as Ellison’s. But when Alice was home, she needed to sleep and Sadie understood that.

  “I know it’s not ideal,” Sadie replied, trying to figure out a way to make things easier for all of them quickly before the situation spiraled downward even farther. She didn’t even have a crib. The few times she got the baby to sleep, she simply laid her on her own bed and then propped her pillow behind her so that she would not risk rolling over on her daughter while they slept side by side.

  “I don’t think you understand,” Alice said, glancing up at Sadie and making a face at Ellison. “You’re out. Today. We can’t live like this.”

  “But…” Sadie began, grasping at straws. “What about rent? How will you get by?” She knew Lindsey and Alice were nearly as desperate as she was, moneywise. But at least they didn’t have anyone to care for but themselves.

  “I met a girl at my last job. Needs a place. Willing to pay double your share. She’s moving in tomorrow. You need to go today.”

  Suddenly, Sadie felt the rage of a mama bear swell up inside her. “You knew my situation when you allowed me to move in,” she said as she stood up, protectively hugging Ellison to her. “You knew I was pregnant. What did you expect?” What did her roommates want her to do? Live on the streets?

  “We knew,” Alice admitted. “And we needed the rent. But now we can get that from someone else.” She shrugged unapologetically. “And we’ll be able to sleep again.”

  Sadie could tell there was no swaying her, but she couldn’t resist one final question. “What are we supposed to do?” she asked quietly, wondering if she’d get an answer at all.

  Alice looked up from the paper once more and gave Sadie a look as if the answer was obvious. “Call her father, I guess.” And with that, she folded up the paper and wandered to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  Sadie was glad she left the room. She needed time to process the information. She was being kicked out of her apartment. With no notice. She had nowhere to go and she had a baby in her arms depending on her. She wanted to tell Alice that she wasn’t going anywhere. She wanted to ask what Lindsey thought of the situation. Lindsey wasn’t her ally, but she had a kinder heart than Alice. But in the end, Sadie knew it didn’t matter. Alice’s name was on the lease and hers wasn’t. It was up to Alice who stayed and who went. If Sadie didn’t do as Alice said and remove her belongings, she would likely go to the manager and complain that Sadie had overstayed her welcome. She would be officially kicked out. She wouldn’t put it past Alice to do just that and she didn’t want to put her little girl through any undo drama.

  But that didn’t solve her problem. Where was she going to go? What was she going to do? Sadie thought about Alice’s suggestion to call Ellison’s father. Sadie knew that was a possibility. He could easily bail her out of her money problems, but would he? He didn’t even know she had gone against his wishes and kept the baby in the first place.

  Fear might force him into writing a check. After all, though he hadn’t wanted the child, Ellison WAS his. And if he didn’t support her quietly, Sadie could always take him to court and force the issue, revealing her daughter’s paternity to the world. But at that point, she didn’t want anything to do with him. She didn’t want any more of his money and she didn’t want him to know her daughter. The very daughter that he hadn’t wanted.

  No, Sadie decided. She could not call Ellison’s father. Not now. Not yet. The time for him to learn about his daughter’s existence might come later in her life, but that time was not now. Certainly not because Sadie needed money.

  Sadie rocked back and forth, soothing Ellison as she folded a few of her little onesies and stuffed them in the bottom of the stroller. She only has a small suitcase herself and she lived out of that. Packing didn’t take long. She suddenly wanted to be anywhere but there. She wanted to get as far away from Alice as possible. She didn’t even want to say goodbye to Lindsey. She just wanted to put space between her and the situation.

  She would have to make a phone call. It was not one she wanted to make, but she didn’t see any other way at that point. Once she had Ellison in the stroller with all of her worldly belongings below, she rushed from the apartment to the convenience store around the corner. She stuffed a quarter into the pay phone, took the slip of paper from her pocket, and dialed.

  “Jed?”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Brenda, I need a favor,” Jed said as way of greeting his cousin.

  “Nice of you to call, Jed,” she replied with a laugh.

  “Yeah, fine, hi, how are you going and all that jazz,” Jed retorted, anxious to get to the point.

  “Okay, I get it, it’s important. What do you need?” she asked.

  “Do you mind if a friend of mine stays in your spare room for a while? Until she gets back up on her feet?”

  “She?” Brenda said with interest.

  “Yes, she,” Jed replied, knowing he was going to get the third degree.

  “Tell me more!” Brenda’s answer was enthusiastic. Jed knew she wasn’t going to give him an answer without hearing the details.

  “Have you seen the news lately?” Jed asked. Brenda, a busy stay at home mom of four, hadn’t. She rarely got to see a commercial, much less an entire news cast. Jed filled her in on his newfound fame and on the fact that the new mother had just gotten kicked out of her apartment and had nowhere to go.

  “She doesn’t have any family?” Brenda asked, feeling as if Sadie would be more comfortable staying with someone she knew.

  “It doesn’t seem as if she does,” Jed replied, shaking his head. “I mean, if she did…why would she call me?”

  “Of course she can stay here,” Brenda relented. Jed knew full well she would allow it if it was at all possible. She had a servant’s heart and she would pull over to help a squished spider if she could.

  “I promise it won’t be for all that long. She’s too proud to take charity. She’ll want to pay you rent and she’ll definitely pitch in around the house. She might even give you a break from the kids.”

  “There’s no way I’m saddling her with these four,” Brenda spoke over the noise that was continuously in the background of her life. “She has enough to deal with with a newborn and trying to find a job and all that.”

  Jed agreed, but he didn’t want to downplay her strength. She reached out to him for help, but he knew it was only temporary and likely only because she had Ellison to consider.

  “Thanks,
Brenda, I’m going to pick her up now.”

  Jed hung up the phone, grateful to his cousin. He would have asked Sadie to stay with him, but he didn’t feel that it was proper. He didn’t know anything about the father of the baby and he didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about them. He was still virtually a stranger to him and she already meant more to him than he would like to admit. It wouldn’t be right to insinuate himself into her life and he didn’t want to go against any of God’s rules if he could help it.

  The best thing Jed could do was set Sadie up with his cousin and then see what he could do about helping her find a job. Once she had a steady income, she could find a place of her own and get a few more things for Ellison. In the meantine, she would be set at Brenda’s. Brenda had four children, the youngest of which had just outgrown her crib. Sadie would have not only a crib, but plenty of clothes, toys, bottles, and other necessities. There wasn’t a better place in the greater New York City region for her to stay.