Abby | Teen Ink

Abby

June 17, 2009
By Kelsey Hill BRONZE, State University, Arkansas
Kelsey Hill BRONZE, State University, Arkansas
2 articles 1 photo 1 comment

Her blue eyes stare up at me, full of trust. So naïve, so innocent. No idea of the injustice of this world. Her tiny hands reach for my hair, fingers closing around the blonde curls. I brush my hand over her own blonde curls, trailing my fingers around her beautiful ears, down her soft shoulders, coming to her fingers and loosening them to free my hair. Four months ago, I didn’t even know her, now she’s the love of my life. Her face fills my dreams; her soft coo is always in my ears.
Suddenly she smiles, and I smile back. She has her daddy’s smile, that’s for sure. That smile that could make my heart stop and my stomach flutter, is now permanently imprinted on this beautiful baby. Such a beautiful smile. I wonder if she makes him smile like that. I wonder if that smile has the same effect on her as it does me. I wonder if she knows that his smile doesn’t mean what she thinks it does. I wonder if she knows that his smile is just a part of a bigger lie.
A baby begins wailing and I remember Abby’s not the only baby here; this is a daycare after all. Gently, I put her back in her crib and tend to the other babies. The others are cute, but not beautiful like my baby. Gradually the room calms down and I make my way back towards my baby, my Abby. I’m almost there when a baby two cribs down begins to cry. I sigh. Deep breath. I remind myself why I wanted this job; it pays and I can see my baby all day.
“I’ll get him,” Tamah says. “You’ve changed diapers all day. Sit down for a minute.”
“Thanks,” I breathe. Scooping Abby out of her crib, I pull the rocker out of the corner and sink into the faded blue cushion with relief.
“It’s almost 5:00 and we’ve still got seven left. We better get rid of one before 5:00 because I’m not staying late again today, and you can only have six by yourself.” She chats casually as she changes the diaper. “You holding Abby again? Girl, you’re going spoil that baby.”
“Look at that face, Tamah. You can’t say no to that face.”
She glaces at me and laughs, “well, we don’t have to deal with her at home, so what do we care? You spoil that baby as much as you want.”
The half-door creaks as a mother walks in. I settle Abby back in her crib and walk to gather another sleeping bundle from his crib and hand him lightly to his mother. He stirs a little and begins to fuss.
“It’s alright, Sweetheart, Mommy’s here.”
At the sound of her familiar voice, he quiets, looking up and smiling at his mother.
Walking to the closet, I grab the black and green diaper bag. I slip his bottle inside and hand it to the mother, who shifts her baby to reach out and grab it and makes her way to the door.
Tamah finishes disinfecting the diaper-changing area and opens the cabinet. Pulling out her purse, she turns to me.
“I’m out of here, Girl. And on time for once. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I bid farewell and she’s gone, leaving me with five babies and Abby.
Slowly the numbers dwindle, as parents come one by one to retrieve their children. By 5:50, it’s only me and Abby. Reluctantly, I place Abby in the crib and begin to shut down the room. Wipe off the tables, sweep the floor, empty the trash, extra bottles and cups in the sink. I bend to lock the bottom cabinets and hear the door creak one last time. Footsteps pad across the carpeted floor until they reach her crib.
“There’s my baby girl,” a voice coos. A voice that sends shivers up my spine no matter how many times I hear it. “How was daycare today? Did you have a good time?”
Steeling myself, I turn to face the voice. She stands in front of me, still dressed from work in a suit and heels. Her perfect blonde curls make mine look limp and dull; her clear blue eyes make my green eyes look faded and aged. Her perfect posture befits her as a lawyer, while my slumped shoulders make it apparent that I’ve bent over too many cribs today. She’s the obvious choice. She’s has everything. Everything. She has him and Abby too.
“Tell Ms. Jacqueline you’ll see her tomorrow, Abby,” she coos in her too-sweet voice.
“Bye-bye, Abby,” I coo back, my own voice a sickly sweet echo of hers.
I watch as she carries Abby off, buckles her into the car seat in the back of the Mercedes, and drives away.
I should be in her place. Abby should have been mine. She could have been. She would have been, if she hadn’t come into the picture. If she hadn’t come along, he wouldn’t have left me. I know he wouldn’t have. We could have been happy if she hadn’t come along. We would have settled in to our marriage after a few more months. In a little while, we would have decided to have a baby. And Abby would have been mine. As it is, she could be mine. If I were to take her and carry her around Wal-Mart, everyone would assume she was mine. She’ll grow up to look like me too, only prettier and with blue eyes.
I should resent Abby as much as her mother. I should hate her. If he hadn’t got her pregnant, maybe he wouldn’t have left. I should hate Abby for what she did to me and my marriage. But I can’t.
I had no idea when I applied for the job that this was Abby’s daycare. But as I walked in that first day, and saw her in the crib, instantly I knew she was my baby. I cooed over her all day and Tamah laughed.
“Her momma’s not gonna like it if you spoil that child,” she told me.
But I didn’t care; this was my baby. And then, at 5:55, her mother walked in. And suddenly, I realized. But it was too late. I had already claimed her and there was no going back. In a way, once I knew, it made me love her even more.
At first, I assumed her mother would be uncomfortable with the idea of me being with her baby all day. But after days of not saying anything, I realized: she didn’t know. She honestly had no idea who I was. And why should she? She didn’t find pictures of me in his brief case and memorize my face. She didn’t see me at the bookstore and casually follow me around, seeing if I would meet anyone. Even my name was different. After years of being called Jacki, I suddenly couldn’t handle it; it reminded me of him, so I switched back to Jacqueline. So how could she know? She couldn’t. And he never picked Abby up from the daycare. So I was just another anonymous worker as far as they were concerned. Which is the way I preferred it to be.
No one knows. Not even Tamah. It’s my secret. And I intend to keep it for as long as I can. This way, I can silently watch over my baby. Until that day. That day I’ve planned for so long. The day when everything is ready. The day when I’ve finally saved up enough money to support us. When I have enough money for a plane ticket to take us away from here. The day, after Tamah’s gone home and Abby’s the only baby left, when I scoop her out of that crib for the last time, and settle her into the back of my Honda, into her carseat that’s been waiting in my garage for months. The day when I quickly drive out of the parking lot and turn left, taking the long way home so I don’t pass her on the road. The day I drive away and never return, taking with me what should have been mine and indeed is mine. The day I no longer have to share what’s mine with her. That day. My heart beats a little faster thinking about that day. It cannot come soon enough. On that day, Abby will be mine forever, just like it should be.


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This article has 29 comments.


on Feb. 19 2022 at 9:05 pm
Emma_Owens GOLD, Rowan, Nebraska
10 articles 1 photo 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”
-C.S. Lewis

Wow this is... wow. I love it

on May. 26 2012 at 3:42 pm
unsimplysara BRONZE, Burbank, California
1 article 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." --Psalm 37:4

Wow! Amazing! I love how you purposefully mad it seem like Abby was her baby! Oh the irony! Beautifully written!

KatsK DIAMOND said...
on Feb. 6 2012 at 7:59 pm
KatsK DIAMOND, Saint Paul, Minnesota
57 articles 0 photos 301 comments

Favorite Quote:
Being inexhaustible, life and nature are a constant stimulus for a creative mind.
~Hans Hofmann
You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.
~Ray Bradbury

this reminds me of the Memory Keeper, a novel about this couple who has a baby. they actually have 2, but one has Down syndrome, so the nurse, who loves the husband in the couple, takes the baby away to live somewhere else.

on Jan. 13 2012 at 11:57 pm
__horizon133 PLATINUM, Portage, Michigan
26 articles 0 photos 231 comments

Favorite Quote:
"laugh, and the world laughs with you. laugh hysterically, and for no apparent reason, and they will leave you alone." anonymous

you capture emotion beautifully--i felt Jacqueline's bitterness, envy, and love as though it were mine.

byebye said...
on Dec. 29 2011 at 9:58 am
byebye, Nevermore, Other
0 articles 0 photos 250 comments
HOW did this not get an Editor's Choice badge? It is beautifully written and full of emotion...and it isn't boring or cliche although it easily could have been. It was amazing.

AgentMandark said...
on Sep. 24 2011 at 9:36 am
AgentMandark, Wantagh, New York
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
"People are always blaming circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get ahead in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them."

Wow...just...wow.

If you want me to be honest, the first sentence I thought was, "Ugh, another teenager pregnancy story."

Somewhat interested, I kept reading, just to see how it would end.

By the time I finished it, I sat in my chair, eyes wide, saying out loud, "That was not a teen pregnancy story."

There were a couple of spelling/punctuation errors here and there, plus the paragraphs looked a bit too meshed together (I think we have the format of the Teen Ink website to blame for that) but the story and plot itself is...Wow. Intense, depressing, hopeful, unpredictable. In a way, I wish this was a book, so I could continue reading and see what happenes next; however, I know it's perfect just the way it is on its own.

Such an inspiring, well-written story. Excellent job! I hope you continue writing for this category :).


on Sep. 5 2011 at 4:48 pm
singinginthegardn GOLD, Cowell, Massachusetts
16 articles 2 photos 158 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." ~Anaïs Nin

I really do like this !! <33 :)

on Aug. 12 2011 at 9:37 pm
xOutOfTheShadowsX SILVER, Lindenhurst, New York
6 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The best love is the kind that weakens the soul, that makes us reach for more, that plants fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that's what you've given me. Thats what I hope to give to you forever."
~The Notebook

niceee Where did you get teh inspiration from?

on Jun. 29 2011 at 1:30 pm
JoPepper PLATINUM, Annandale, Virginia
35 articles 0 photos 782 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Freedom is the ability to not care what the other person thinks."

"Not all those who wander are lost" --JRR Tolkien

"When you are listening to music it is better to cover your eyes than your ears." --Jose' Bergamin

You are an amazing author I love this story!!!! :D

cheerfreak25 said...
on May. 13 2011 at 8:32 am
cheerfreak25, Adel, Iowa
0 articles 0 photos 10 comments
AMAZING STORY!!! i loved it. u made it just right.(:

M_IML DIAMOND said...
on Apr. 2 2011 at 11:13 am
M_IML DIAMOND, Ganei Tikva, Other
78 articles 0 photos 61 comments
I just read "Perfect" today and loved it, so I checked out your other things. This is great! I love how you get into the would-be-kidnapper (or is it babynapper?)'s mind and made me feel as if she were right, and the way you captured her personality so simply. Great writing. Keep it up! 

on Apr. 2 2011 at 6:41 am
HorseLover SILVER, Dallas, Texas
7 articles 0 photos 55 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A boat is safe in the harbor. But this is not the purpose of a boat."~Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist

Kidnapping the baby is morally wrong, but you really have this story make you question it (even though I still came up with the conclusion that it is wrong pretty quickly). Awesome job!!

BTW-I had read Perfect and just had to read more!!


on Feb. 17 2011 at 9:31 pm
I love that you managed to not only make kidnapping sound totally reasonable, but make us completely root for the kidnapper. I loved this story -- you managed to make us feel sympathetic towards your heroine, without having her be whiney. I love your writing!

on Feb. 17 2011 at 10:54 am
just-another-url GOLD, Cannes, Other
16 articles 6 photos 151 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's a good thing to be strange. Normalness leads to sadness." -Philip Lester

This was great & you kept me guessing the whole time :) I don't know if i like perfect or abby better, they're both so well written ! Keep it up :)

-Nina


on Dec. 13 2010 at 1:57 pm
superchic08 BRONZE, Marion, Iowa
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
This story was really good! At first I was thinking it was a boyfriend and girlfriend, then i thought it was mother and daughter, but come to find out she just works at a daycare and that's her ex-husband's baby! it's so cool because it's twisted and you want Jacqueline to have Abby instead.. Great job! Please keep the stories coming, Perfect was PERFECTLY amazing too! :)

on Oct. 30 2010 at 10:37 am
J.Octavian.R SILVER, Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin
5 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.
C. S. Lewis

Extremely interesting. It unfolds very well, each paragraph holding a different piece of the whole story and all only falling together at the very end. It keeps the reader from understanding exactly what is happening until it is revealed, while at the same time drawing the reader into the story and exciting interest. There were a couple points where poor verb use detracted from the overall incredibly flowing and well structured sentences, but those mistakes only stood out because of how excellent the rest of the writing was.

on Sep. 16 2010 at 4:54 pm
inksplatters21 SILVER, Mason, Ohio
6 articles 0 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Character is how you live when no one is watching."

Wow!  Your story kept me guessing...at first I thought it was a boy looking into the eyes of his gf then you added the layer of the old relationship, then you added the layer about them escaping.  great story.

on Aug. 25 2010 at 11:42 am
abby0road SILVER, Gales Ferry, Connecticut
5 articles 14 photos 5 comments
Oops I'm sorry!  I really meant to rate your story much higher than "okay"!  I think it was amazing, you have to put the pieces together at the start, and then realize that Jacki isn't the caring person you thought she was at the beginning.  Really, she's very jelous.  Very full of emotion and interesting!

Ridersblock said...
on Aug. 3 2010 at 9:41 am
Ridersblock, Morehead, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
'Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?' -Richard Bach

wow at first i thought Jacki was an attached mother, now i see that she is kind of evil.  This is great work, as all of your work is. keep it up!

bobun16 SILVER said...
on Jul. 26 2010 at 2:49 pm
bobun16 SILVER, Mesa, Arizona
7 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
is this a trick question or what?-Calvin and Hobbes

This is ecellent work. Apsolutely amazing. I love it.