BEAUTIFUL PACKAGE

CHAPTER 4

SEVEN MONTHS LATER

“What do I do now Aunty?” Nancy asked her aunt, Diana, as she looked at her beautiful twin boys, Leonard and Lexington who were now a month old.

Thelma connected Nancy to her first cousin, Diana, when she got to Brandon. Diana was more than happy to take Nancy in after Thelma explained the whole situation to her.

Diana had lost her husband in a car accident some years back and she lived alone with her only daughter Emily, who quickly became close friends with Nancy.

It made the whole pregnancy to birth journey less difficult for Nancy, although she was still very sad about everything that had happened.

“You have to give one of them up. We can’t disobey the government. They will take them both if we refuse to obey the law,” Diana replied calmly, before turning and frowning at her daughter, Emily.

Three months after Nancy got to Brandon, the government announced a new birth policy. Their population was fast rising and the economy couldn’t sustain it, so they declared that every family for a period of twenty years were only allowed to have one child.

If you had twins or triplets as multiple births, you were only allowed to keep the first child. You could either willingly give the other or others up for adoption or hand them over to the government to do so for you.

Violation of the policy meant that the government would take the first child and the extra child or children and replace them in single homes without children.

Fathers of multiple children were advised to get a vasectomy and mothers of multiple children were advised to use strict birth control measures.

When Nancy found out she was having twins, she panicked, knowing that she wasn’t an exception, but her aunt had a plan.

On the day of her delivery, Diana and Emily both helped her deliver her twins at home and they registered only Leo, the first born, into the government system for identification.

However, two days ago, being in too good of a mood, Emily forgot their secret and posted both babies sleeping on her social media. Before she realized her mistake and deleted it, government officials had already sent them a letter, giving them a one week ultimatum to do the right thing or lose both babies.

Nancy was distraught. She heaved a deep sigh as a thought crossed her mind. If she had to give up one of her children, that one might as well have the life they both should have had. It was a risk, but she could only hope for the best to come out of it.

***********

“I heard you mom, I’ll take my meds on time and try not to think too much. Can I go now? I don’t want to miss my flight,” Lloyd said, breaking from his mother, Veronica Bank’s hug.

After Lloyd passed out that day in his apartment, his mother insisted that he moved back to the family mansion. If Kyle had not planned to drag him to the meeting that morning, he never would have found his friend lifeless, on the floor of his living room.

Since moving to the family mansion, Lloyd had had another two episodes of passing out. On one occasion, he was found with a printed picture of Nancy clutched in his hand and the other time he was reading through their old chats of when their love was still Rosy and Sweet.

He had to live off anti-depressants to keep his thoughts from sinking him into deep depression.

“Baby, it took me four miscarriages before I had you. You’re all I have. I know you regret your actions but you have to live for you at some point. That girl may never come back,” Veronica advised, as she walked him to the mansion’s main entrance.

She was exceptionally mad at Lloyd when she first found out what he did. He deprived her of having grandkids even though he knew how much she wanted to have other children after him but her womb couldn’t hold anymore and even him had to live in an incubator for months after she delivered him prematurely.

One of the security guards came in with a basket as they approached the door.

“Sir, there’s a package for you,” the man said, bowing slightly.

“Throw it away,” Lloyd replied almost immediately, frowning at the basket in his hands. He imagined it to be one of his numerous admirers sending him a gift basket or something. His heart only belonged to one woman and no one else.

“Sir it’s a…”

Kyle sneered at his hesitation and cut him off. “Did I stutter?” His eyes were cold and he could snap at any moment. Everyone in that house walked on egg shells around him. His mother was the only exception.

Suddenly, the cry of a baby came from the basket. Veronica rushed and grabbed it from the guard, settling it on the coffee table in the waiting area and opening it to reveal a beautiful baby that had the same light brown eyes and shiny dark hair as her son. Even a blind man could see how the child was a miniature version of Lloyd.

Lloyd froze as he stared at his little photocopy. He was confused as hell but he had a gut feeling the child was his. The resemblance was uncanny.

He picked up the envelope on the beautiful shawl that covered the baby and then he saw his favorite black cap beside the baby. The one Nancy wore to cover her face when she escaped.

‘Does this mean the abortion failed?’

Guilt gripped his heart again and tears rolled down his cheeks.

He opened the envelope and began to read the letter.

[ His name is Lexington. He is not my claim to you. I don’t want anything from you. I promise you will never see or hear from me. Circumstances beyond my control forced me to do this but I can only hope that somewhere within your cold heart, you find enough warmth to care for our son. Please let him know that mommy loves him so much and that she will never forget him.]

The tears were pouring down like a torrent now. His eyes suddenly widened as one thing hit him. She must have brought the child herself.

“The woman who brought this, where is she?” He suddenly asked the guard, rushing outside the door.

The guard and Veronica stared at him in confusion as he didn’t even wait for an answer before storming off.

He ran to the main entrance of the mansion and saw a woman entering a car. He couldn’t be mistaken. That was Nancy.

“Nancy, wait!” He called out.

Nancy froze and brought her head back out. The world seemed to stop as their eyes locked in the distance.

Her eyes were still, full of fear and despair. His eyes were teary, full of need and regret.