“I like Ry. He’s nice and he’s funny.”
Holly could not disagree.
“He says I dance like a ballerina,” Lydia declared, twirling so her skirt belled out around her.
They could still hear the music from inside so she grabbed her daughter’s hands and the two of them danced a few steps together while snow fluttered down outside the windows.
A short time later, she saw headlights approach the entrance and recognized her vehicle. The two of them hurried out and she quickly put Lydia in her booster seat, double-checking the safety belts.
After she closed the door, Ryan opened the passenger door for her. “The roads are icy and your seat is set for me now. Why don’t I drive you home?”
She frowned as she hurried around the vehicle to that side. “What about your truck? It’s still at the church.”
“I can catch a ride back to Haven Point tomorrow to pick it up.”
She was a native Idahoan who had learned to drive in snowyconditions but it still wasn’t her favorite thing. She was always grateful when she didn’t have to.
“Thank you, if you’re sure. I can drop you off at Kim’s house and also give you a ride back here tomorrow if you want.”
“We’ll see.”
Her car was already warm and comfortable, the heater blasting, as Ryan headed toward Shelter Springs.
Lydia fell asleep in her booster seat almost before they left the parking lot.
“And... she’s out,” Ryan said with a quick glance in the rearview mirror.
With a smile, she turned to look at her daughter. “She had a wonderful day. She told me, by the way, that she likes you very much. She said you’re nice and you’re funny and you told her she dances like a ballerina.”
His smile flashed in the darkness and there in her passenger seat as they drove around the lake on a snowy night, Holly felt the last of her defenses crumble away like a snow fort in a spring thaw.
“She’s an amazing kid, Holly. It’s impossible not to love her.”
She swallowed a sudden ache in her throat. “I agree. Lydia is a gift to the world.”
He looked in the rearview mirror again, then glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the road.
“When did you know she would have Down syndrome?” he asked.
“About midway through the pregnancy. After an initial ultrasound here, my ob-gyn sent me to a specialist in Boise for more intensive testing. She confirmed that it was likely and suggested we terminate the pregnancy.”
“Seriously?”
“It’s not uncommon. Estimates are that up to three out of four pregnancies with a Down diagnosis in this country are terminated. In Europe, that percentage is even higher, up to ninety percent. Many parents don’t feel up to the challenges ahead of them or don’t want to knowingly bring a child with disabilities into a world that lacks full societal support, a world that can sometimes be hard and cruel to them.”
She had never, for a moment, considered it. Troy had agreed with her, but she had sensed his reservations from the beginning.
“I can’t imagine a world without Lydia in it. Or one where people might be capable of treating her with anything but love.”
She didn’t want to shatter his faith, though she could have given him an earful about school districts that fought inclusive education or governments that didn’t prioritize care and services for the most vulnerable among their populations.
“We’re lucky. Most people we meet are nothing but kind to her.”
“Have you decided what you’re going to do about Christmas Eve?”
She pursed her lips. “I want to say no but I’m afraid I have to say yes.”
“You don’thaveto do anything.”
