A pregnant mother of three needs to sell her stroller to feed her three children after she was abandoned by her husband.
Anne Sargent sat on her kitchen floor and cried. It was past midnight, and it was the only time she could allow herself to show her pain — when her three children were asleep upstairs.
Anne felt the baby move and placed a tender hand on her belly. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to her unborn child. “I’m doing my best, but it’s just not good enough…”
Just two months ago, Anne had been a radially happy wife and mother, confidently expecting the birth of her fourth child, and confident in her place in the world and her husband’s love. That woman was gone.
Derek had come home one night and told her he was leaving, just like that. “But why?” asked Anne. “I don’t understand, I thought we were happy!”
“YOU were happy!” Derek cried. “YOU, not me! All you did was have babies and fuss over them, now there’s one more on the way!”
“But you WANTED children!” Anne protested. “You were happy every time I was pregnant…”
A family is built on understanding and mutual respect.
“Happy?” screamed Derek. “Happy that you gave all your love and attention to the kids? All I was to you was a paycheck! Well, that’s OVER!”
So three months after Anne announced her fourth pregnancy, Derek was gone. Anne immediately went out and found herself a part-time job at a local grocery store.
The owner would have been willing to give her a full-time job, but for that, Anne would have needed to pay a sitter for her three boys and that would have consumed most of her salary, so she carefully stretched her salary. But even with the child support check Derek sent, it just wasn’t enough.
Anne started selling some antique china she’d inherited from her grandmother and that paid for the utilities for a few months. Then she sold a silver brush-and-mirror set she’d had since she was a little girl, and that paid for groceries. Little by little, as her belly grew, Anne sold her treasures to keep her family safe and fed.
Then one day, there was nothing left to sell except bric-a-brac. Anything of greater value was gone. Anne looked at the old stroller she’d brought up from the cellar.
It had been hers when she was a baby and had been used by each of her children in turn. It was very old, probably from the sixties, but it was in mint condition.
She ran her hand over the roses painted on the side and bit back her tears. She needed it for the new baby, but she needed the money even more.
She thought about getting a good price for it down at the flea market. Vintage items were always popular… And so she took the stroller to the flea market, and one of the dealers gave her $50 for it. Not much at all, but every cent helped.
Anne walked away, sure she’d never see the stroller again, but she was wrong. Two days later, she opened the front door and saw the stroller on the porch!
There was an envelope inside and Anne opened it and read: “Please call me.” The message was followed by a phone number. Anne called the number ad a woman answered her.
“Hello?” Anne said. “Are you the person who left the stroller? How did you know who it belonged to and where I live?”
“Derek told me,” the woman on the other side said. “I’m Grace Robbs. I think we should meet.”
An hour later, Grace was sitting on Anne’s sofa sipping tea. She was a pretty woman, six or seven years younger than Anne, and she looked very unhappy. Her pale skin was blotched and her eyes were swollen as if she’d been crying.
“How do you know Derek,” Anne asked, even though in her heart she already knew the answer.
“I was his girlfriend,” Grace said.
“Was?” asked Anne. “You broke up?”
“Today, as a matter of fact,” Grace said and started crying. “I didn’t know…I didn’t know about you or the children, or the baby… I found out I was pregnant, and I didn’t know how to tell him…”
“So I went to the flea market with a friend and saw this darling stroller and I bought it. I put it in the middle of the lounge and tied balloons to it with a message: ‘Hello Dad!’”
“But he wasn’t happy like I thought he’d be. He started screaming and asking where II got the stroller and if his stupid wife had given it to me. He asked if it was a joke.”
“He told me to take it right back, that he didn’t want to know about your baby. So I told him: ‘It’s for OUR baby.’ and that’s when he went crazy.”
“He accused me of wanting to trap him and said he already had three brats with you and one more on the way, and he didn’t want my baby. He told me to get out and come to you.”
“He said: ‘Might as well have all the breeding cows under the same roof.’ I’m so sorry, I didn’t know about you, I guess I didn’t know him at all!”
Anne got up and put her arm around the crying girl. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay, you’ll see.”
“He’s kicked me out,” Grace said quietly. “I have no family here and nowhere to go. I have a job, but with the rents in this city, I can’t afford to live alone, and who is going to want a pregnant roommate?”
“I will!” Anne said firmly. “I need a tenant because what I earn isn’t enough, and I can’t work full-time because I can’t afford a babysitter for after school.”
“But…” Grace’s face lit up. “I work online! I can take care of the kids after school. I love kids!”
“So I can take a full-time job?” asked Anne, delighted. “The owner of the grocery store wants me to manage it for him. With your help, I can! And you don’t have to worry about stuff for the baby. After three kids I have enough for an army.”
Grace smiled through her tears. “And we have the stroller too…” she pointed out. “Are you sure? It’s Derek’s baby…”
“No,” Anne shook her head. “It’s YOUR baby, and my children’s sibling, that is all that matters.”
The two women settled into a new life together, and when Anne’s baby was born, Grace was there. When it was Grace’s turn four months later, Anne held her hand. They became a real family and raised their five children together.
As for Derek, he had several failed relationships and eventually came knocking on Anne’s door. He was shocked when he saw Grace there and asked to speak to Anne. “What do you want, Derek?” Anne asked.
“I miss you, babe…” Derek said.
Anne stared at him for a long moment then said, “Sorry, so not interested!” And she closed the door in his face.
What can we learn from this story?
If we work together, we can overcome any problem. Anne and Grace couldn’t survive alone, but together they were an unbeatable team.
A family is built on understanding and mutual respect. Anne and Grace forged a family out of their friendship and mutual support.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
90-year-old Joan Collins stuns in sizzling swimsuit photo
Using any yardstick you use, Joan Collins is unquestionably a legend.
It’s safe to say that, as she approaches her 90s, her most glamorous and flamboyant days are behind her, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped having fun and flaunting her physique to the world.
Joan Collins has many lessons to teach about grace, elegance, and proper behavior for even the most ‘new’ superstars. What an incredible life this woman has led and continues to lead!
The Paddington, London-born actress of English descent is primarily remembered for her role as Dynasty’s Alexis Carrington Colby.
Dynasty turned Joan into a global celebrity, and in 1984 it was the most watched television program in the US. She was making $15,000 every episode back then. Every week, about 21 million homes tuned in to see her, eager to see what her egotistical and vicious persona would come up with.
“She was the initial strong woman on television.” And for that, I took a lot of heat. She’s such a vixen, so spiteful, and such a ballbreaker! Joan said to CBS in 2019 that “you know, I was just standing up for myself as an independent woman!”
Amazingly, over 70 years after making her on-screen debut, Collins is still employed in the entertainment sector.
Wikipedia states that she starred in two film-related projects in 2022, Tomorrow Morning and The Gentle Sex, and that she is currently filming In Bed with the Duchess.
She uses social media quite frequently as well.
For most of the US, last month was unseasonably chilly; storms delivered exceptionally low temperatures to many locations. However, Joan Collins was all about the heat.
According to sources, the legendary actress thought that the holidays would be the perfect time to post a picture of herself and her 57-year-old husband, Percy Gibson, practically sizzling.
Many people anticipate that at Christmas, family would gather around the fireplace and exchange gifts while the chilly breeze from outside the window blows in.
However, Joan Collins discovered that she was deviating from the custom this Christmas.On December 26, she posted to her roughly 300k followers, saying, “Had a terrific #christmasday.”
“I had a great lunch at the Bricusses after swimming in 82F in Beverly Hills—thank you, Evie and Adam Bricusse!”
Reactions to Collins’ chic leopard print swimsuit were swift. Even though the actress is about to turn ninety, she looked simply lovely.
She was pictured next to her spouse Percy in another picture; the two of them have been together since 2002.
All told, Collins has been married five times. The first marriage lasted four years, to actor Maxwell Reed. The second marriage was to singer-songwriter Anthony Newley. After she wed billionaire Ronald S. Kass, Newley welcomed Swedish pop sensation Peter Holm into her family.
“I did that too many times and I regret several of my marriages. I made a mistake. I don’t regret my marriage to Tony [Newley], though, as I had two amazing kids, Tara and Alexander, and one gorgeous daughter, Kathy, from my marriage to Ron [Kass]. Joan stated last year, “I truly regret getting married to Peter Holm, a Swede.
Collins claims that she has formed the closest relationship with Percy. She disclosed details about their connection during the pandemic.
“I’ve realized how strong our relationship really is because of being in lockdown,” the woman remarked. “I used to like traveling, hosting parties at the villa, and interacting with people, but due to constraints, it’s now just Percy and I. The best aspect is that we are conspirators, partners in crime.
Whatever others may say, Joan Collins is a legend, an icon, and incredibly beautiful for her age!
If you’re a fan of Joan’s as well or have liked any of her earlier work, do share this post.
Leave a Reply