stated—Mary had died during childbirth.
At the hospital, he met Mrs. Meredith Sticks, an 82-year-old widow, who comforted him as he grieved. She handed him his newborn daughter and offered her help. Grateful but determined, Bob headed to the airport, only to be stopped at the gate.
“Your baby is too young to fly,” the airline staff said. “She must be at least seven days old.”
Stranded, Bob had nowhere to go. Then he remembered Mrs. Sticks. When he called, she welcomed him into her home, helping him care for the baby and grieve Mary’s loss.
A week later, with his daughter’s birth certificate in hand, Bob returned home. But he never forgot Mrs. Sticks, keeping in touch with the kind woman who had become like family.
