Rachel’s New Name

Carole looked at her watch, she’d promised to phone her husband during a one-hour break between surgeries and this was the best time to do that. She turned to Rachel.

“Rachel, can you continue with the gardening while I make a phone call to my husband. He has a break from surgery now. I’ll have to do it inside the house as I have some things written down there to talk with him about.”

The girl glanced up and nodded, she was enjoying this time in the garden immensely and was happy to have it all to herself. Carole went up the stairs and sought out Glennis who was working on assignments on the computer.

“I talked with your brother before you came down for breakfast this morning Glenny. He is clear on seeing if Rachel would be prepared to live with us. Are you still clear on the plan as it originated with you, and I just want to make sure you can handle this seeing her brother is the one who put you in your health condition. If you are still wanting this, I now must convince your father who feels strongly about what has been done to you by her brother. You are his precious gift and anything that hurts you makes him angry.”

“She should not be held back in life because of her family mom. I think this girl has a lot of potential and needs us to give her support. Didn’t she look pretty when I made her up this morning? I really like her.”

“OK, then I’m going to phone your dad now and I want you to talk with him.”

She phoned and inquired how things were going with his work then said Glennis wanted to talk with him handing over the phone.

“Dad, I want to ask you a huge favor and please don’t say no it’s something I really want.”

Malcolm Abbot laughed. “What is it my princess wants so badly?”

“I want Rachel to stay with us dad, she’s not responsible for what her brother did to me.”

There was a long pause on the phone.

“Dad?”

“Princess that’s a hard thing you ask me to agree to. She can stay a little while just to please you but at this point of time I’m not sure if I could accept her because of what her brother did to you. Let’s say I’ll give it a week and then I’ll see.”

Glennis smiled at her mom; she knew she could bring her dad around at the end of that week. He’d do anything to make her happy and eventually would see Rachel’s potential too and accept her. Carole took the phone again. “Looking forward to seeing you after work then Mal.”

Carole turned to Glennis. “It’s now up to you to convince Rachel Glenny as she’d be suspicious of our motive if I asked her. I’m sending her up with some drinks and cookies and you can talk with her.”

Carole returned to the garden. “I need you to take some snacks up to Glennis and you can share them with her then when you’ve finished come back down and help me finish with the gardens. Come and I’ll show you what to do in the kitchen so you can do it yourself from now on.”

Glennis smiled as Rachel appeared in her room with a tray load of drinks and cookies. They chatted for a while as they enjoyed the snacks then Glennis noting her friend was relaxed broached the subject.

“Shell, I want you to do me a big favor.”

Rachel looked at her in surprise, “Sure what is it?”

“Bernard and I want you to stay with us for a while if you can. I know you like your beach hut. but it would make us happy if you could spend some time here.”

“Your parents would not be happy.”

“Bernard and I asked them, and they are quite happy for you to stay.”

“I watched your father at the table last night and I don’t think he likes me.”

“I spoke to him on the phone while you were helping mom in the garden, and he said he was happy for you to stay.”

Rachel sat thinking and studying Glennis face. “Why are you doing this for me, you know I’m a thief so don’t you think I’d do a runner with some of your stuff and sell it?”

“No, I know you won’t steal from us because you are a good person who has bad parents and don’t like that lifestyle.”

“You really want me to stay?

“Yes!”

Rachel burst into tears and Glennis moved her wheelchair over and put her arm around the girl to comfort her. Rachel stood and hugged her.

“I want to stay.”

“I’m so glad, now I need to get on with my college work, so you better go and help my mom for a while.”

A radiant young girl returned to the garden and addressed Carole. “Thank you for letting me stay with Glennis for a while. What should I call you while I’m here?”

“Well, my kids call me mom and I like that so why not call me mom. Now let’s go to the kitchen and prepare for lunch. I’ll teach you how to prepare food and make it look pretty when it’s served.”

For the next week Rachel began to establish herself in the family. She accompanied Bernard and Glennis when they went out to the beach and even showed Bernard where her hidden beach home was finding to her shock someone had found it in her absence and taken over. She shed tears and Bernard comforted her.

“Shell you have a place with us now so let them enjoy your home as they have no safe place to go.” She took Bernard’s hand and went back to sit with Glennis and tell her the sad story.

At the end of the week Carole after talking with her husband called her children for a conference. She felt it was not good for Rachel to continue using Glennis room and needed space of her own. Malcolm had suggested one of the guest rooms on the lower level could be given to her having been persuaded the girl could continue to live with them. But Bernard objected. He wanted the guestroom looking out over the gardens as his upper-level room did not have as good an outlook seeing it was between his parents and Glennis rooms each having balconies. This guest room had a balcony. So, it was agreed, and Bernard quickly moved his belongings down to the guestroom he’d had his heart on for years. Family visits would have to be limited to one at a time now unless they came with their RV and could stay in it during their visit. Carole and Glennis busied themselves fixing Rachel’s new room with all the comforts the Abbots showered on their own children. Rachel was now becoming an accepted member of the family and she responded with loving gratitude. Nothing was too much for her to do for any member of the family and even Malcolm Abbot became enamored with her and began to treat her as a daughter.

Bernard and Glennis took it as a self-appointed task to bring Rachel’s education up to date and the girl drank in this education and applied herself to study. Within two years she was evaluated and found to be able to sit with the grade of her age at school and there continued to excel. Malcolm and Carole Abbot marveled at how this girl had blossomed since being taken into their home and began to think of adopting her looking into the procedures to accomplish that. They approached Rachel and she hugged her new mom and dad and agreed to a name change. Soon she was officially Rachel Abbot and no longer Rachel Jones.

Glennis was no longer walking with crutches and using the wheelchair and taking long walks with Rachel as companion each morning and evening. Glennis would watch in afternoons when they went to the beach as Bernard taught Rachel the techniques of surfboarding and wind surfing. There were times when Glennis felt sad as she watched them and remembered her days of active sports, but she was glad to have recovered to be able to walk now and delighted with her now adopted sister Rachel.

Over the years Bernard departed with his jeep to begin studies in the capital city where the best medical training could be obtained and both Glennis and Rachel mourned his departure along with their parents the Abbots. Glennis decided on a career in banking as any career requiring long hours of standing like teaching or nursing would not be practical for her injured leg. So, she too took a tearful absence to join studies in economics in the capital sharing an apartment with her brother.

Malcolm Abbot who’d been so against having Rachel in their home when she was first introduced now showered his fatherly affections on her and she responded in kind. Carole was happy to still have a daughter in the home missing her other two children in their absence. The occasional times both could get home for family celebrations like Thanksgiving and Christmas were highly valued bonding times and after a few years of study Bernard introduced the love of his life Libby to the family and then in turn Glennis introduced her love, Andy.

Then Rachel finished college work and her new parents the Abbots consulted her as to what kind of career she’d like to choose for herself. Eventually she too opted for a medical career much to the satisfaction of Malcolm who knew from her academic grades she’d have no trouble being accepted in medical school. Now Rachel departed for the capital and Bernard assisted her as she negotiated all the preliminaries and was accepted. The Abbots entered that period of life termed the empty nest syndrome sorely missing joyful children’s noises in the home of past times. They treasured occasional video calls as each of their brood contacted them in their free time.

Bernard eventually returned home to work with his father in their specialty. He and Libby had one child a boy they’d named Malcolm and another on the way so once again Carole had children to love in the home whenever Libby who was a nurse needed help if she was called to work and needed a babysitter. Carole reduced her own work programs to take on this new responsibility. Glennis married Andy with Rachel as her chief bride’s maid, but they remained in the city where each had work, Andy in the stock market and Glennis in a bank.

Rachel completed her work with high honors choosing to work as a general practitioner some day in the city of her birth near her adopted parents. At her graduation she paid tribute to the Abbots who’d unselfishly taken her into their home where she’d been nurtured and educated and to her adopted brother and sister who’d facilitated that acceptance.

Malcolm Abbot hastened to the front to greet and congratulate her after the ceremony concluded and hugged his adopted daughter with Carole, Bernard and Glennis families close behind. Then he turned to his daughter Glennis while others moved forward to congratulate Rachel.

“Glenny you taught me a lot about forgiveness. I marveled at your willingness to take Rachel into our home when her brother had been the cause of your terrible accident and years of rehabilitation. What a contrast to your father who was unforgiving. And look at the result of your forgiveness. Rachel who was a beach drifter is now a talented doctor able to make an enormous contribution to society because of you. You can be proud of yourself Glenny. Thank you for teaching your father how profitable it can be to forgive.”

Conclusion

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