Keith was behind the wheel, ferrying passengers across the city, when a young lady with a baby boarded the bus. Keith’s lips curled into a sly smirk.

Babies were too unpredictable and could start bawling at any moment. So nothing was worse to Keith than putting up with the baby’s loud cries during rush hour.

As the lady occupied a vacant seat with her toddler, Keith grumbled. “That should stop the child from whining,” he frowned…

When a stop light arrived, and Keith turned around to check how many people were aboard, he saw the lady breastfeeding her baby. His anger flared, and his cheeks turned crimson red. “Hey, Lady! You can’t do that here!” he yelled.

“Why, of course, I can! I’m nursing my baby,” the mother responded.

Keith looked around at the others and was unsettled. The traffic light turned green, and he started driving, expressing his disapproval of the woman feeding her child.

“Disgusting! Kids think they’re entitled to everything and just display their breasts in front of complete strangers,” Keith mumbled loudly.

Keith’s murmurs intensified as the woman adjusted to cover up her chest. “Youngsters lack respect for others. Since when did breastfeeding in public become the norm?”

The lady overheard everything, and Keith’s discomfort persisted, echoing through the bus.

A few men near Keith joined in taking a dig at the woman. Keith chuckled, and the mocking continued. “Like I said, no decency! Where’s her husband? Why didn’t anyone in her life teach her some self-respect?” he added.

The woman finished feeding her child and prepared to leave. As the bus doors opened, Keith’s gaze shifted to a man in a wheelchair waiting for her, and his jaw dropped.

“DANIEL?” he gasped, recognizing his son, who was now in a wheelchair. It was only the second time he’d ever seen him. Daniel was perfectly alright seven years ago, and Keith couldn’t understand what had happened to him.

His anxiety surged even more when he realized the woman he had insulted for the last half hour was his daughter-in-law. And the baby…his grandson. Keith’s heart cracked again.

“Are you going to drive, old man?” a youngster in the back yelled, snapping Keith out of his reverie.

Keith turned around, trying his best to get his job done. But it wasn’t easy, especially when the vision of his life 22 years ago came flashing back into his mind…

“Honey, I’m home,” Keith gleefully cried out to his girlfriend, Sarah. “Ummm! That tastes delicious!” he exclaimed, gobbling a spoonful of pasta.

“I can’t do it, Keith,” she rose. “I want to have this baby.”

“I thought we agreed. You know we’re not ready for a baby yet,” he sighed.

“I’m already 15 weeks along,” Sarah brushed her belly. “I want this baby. I love him. I…I’m sorry…I can’t.”

Keith was worried now. He tried to explain to Sarah that their one-bedroom flat in the secluded part of town and their minimum wage salaries wouldn’t be enough to raise a baby. But she stood her ground.

“Fine!” Keith eventually agreed. “We’ll figure out something.”

Deep inside, he was haunted by what to do all evening. And that’s when he remembered his best friend, Victor, and left for the pub to meet him.

“Keith! Where the hell have you been, man?” Victor exclaimed as soon as Keith walked through the door of their favorite bar. They often hung out there, but Keith had refrained from nights out after moving in with Sarah.

“And how’s your girl?” Victor said, downing a drink.

“She’s good, man,” Keith nodded, licking his dry lips. “Is there any job for me…with you? Look, man, I’m ready to do anything. Please…talk to your boss Mr. Abraham. I’m good with cars…”

Keith knew the stakes were high but took up a job pretty soon. Hotwiring a car in less than a minute and stealing parts was a cakewalk for Keith, and soon, money started rolling in.

Keith and Sarah eventually moved to a new area only a month after he started his new job. They were doing exceptionally well, and one night, when he arrived home, he found Sarah crying on the couch.

“The cops were here, Keith. They asked terrifying questions about you and Victor…and some Mr. Abraham… Why are the cops after you?” she asked.

A lump rose in Keith’s throat. “It’s better if you don’t know,” he said as Sarah’s worst fears were confirmed.

“Jesus! Are you in a gang, Keith? Wha—what if you get arrested? What’s gonna happen to me and our baby if you go down?” She cried.

“Nothing’s gonna happen,” Keith pressed Sarah’s shoulders. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Really, Keith? You think the cops will spare you?”

Keith’s anger boiled over. “For God’s sake, Sarah! Can’t you see why I’m doing this? I had to bring more money…I’m doing all this for us!”

“Please, stop it,” Sarah cried her heart out, begging Keith to quit his illegal gig and return to the normal, simple life they once lived.

“We need MONEY to live!” he yelled.

“You can make that MONEY by doing something else…NOT THIS!” Sarah shot back as she cried, squinting her eyes. “The baby kicked…Ow!”

Keith calmed down as he cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “Look, babe, I have this huge gig coming up. It could set us up for life. I can’t give up in the middle. I want to give our son everything,” he said.

Sarah’s face contorted. “If you don’t quit this job, you’ll never be able to get out of it. The cops are after you…do you even realize that?”

“Sarah, this is my chance. I don’t want to return to some stupid low-wage job, okay? This is beyond my control. I used to feel low. But now, I have everything they said I could never have.”

Sarah’s gaze lowered as she clutched her belly tight. “I don’t think this is gonna work out, Keith. You’re not the man I loved,” she sobbed.

“Oh, c’mon! How convenient, Sarah,” Keith lashed out at her expletively. “You enjoyed the money I made…What’s wrong now? Like it or not, I’m not quitting,” he declared, storming out of the room.

It was early morning when Keith returned home from another successful score. “Honey, look…I’m sorry. Things got a bit intense last night…Sarah?” He called out to her over and over.

But still no answer. So Keith hurried to their bedroom, wondering if she was sick or still sleeping, only to find it empty.

Keith grew anxious as he rang Sarah’s number. But all his calls landed in voicemail. He rummaged through the closet and noticed some of her clothes were gone. All the onesies were missing from the nursery. “Sarah?” Keith panicked and ran around the house, but she was nowhere to be found.

They didn’t have many friends, so Keith thought Victor or the rest of his gang could help find her. Just as Keith frantically pressed the call button on Victor’s number, a loud knock on the front door jolted him.

“Police! Open the door, Mr. Griffith. We know you’re in there,” a cop yelled and banged on the door. “We have an arrest warrant.”

“Argh!” Keith held his head, knowing there was no escape now.

Keith was arrested and sentenced to 20 years. However, he was released on parole after 15 years owing to good conduct. He didn’t go back to Victor or Mr. Abraham, and all he wanted was to find Sarah and their baby.

Keith tracked down their address and eagerly raced to a suburban area several miles west of their old neighborhood. The beautiful houses and picturesque landscapes pleased his eyes. This was the kind of place he wanted to live with Sarah and their son.

Finally, Keith made it closer to Sarah’s house, and just as he was about to enter the gate, an SUV drove past him. A well-dressed man got down as Keith stood puzzled. “Did I get the address wrong? But the mailbox shows the same number…”

“DAD!” a boy’s voice startled him. Keith looked up, his heart pounding in his chest, and a smile formed on his face.

Keith’s heart shattered to a million pieces when he saw a teen boy bolting from the front door toward the stranger who had just gotten down from the SUV. And Sarah emerged from the doorway. “Guys, dinner is ready! Hurry!” she chuckled.

“Dad, let’s go,” the boy chirped. “Mom made spaghetti!”

“You’re right, Daniel! Let’s hurry!” Keith watched as the man wrapped his hand around the boy’s shoulder, and they walked inside the house. It could mean only one thing—he was the boy’s stepfather who had taken Keith’s rightful place in Sarah’s and their son’s lives.

Heartbroken, Keith decided to turn around and leave. But he wanted to see how happy they were together. He secretly peeked through the window and saw the teen and his stepdad cheering for a baseball game on TV. Sarah was sitting beside them and looked as beautiful as ever.

As the street lights turned on, Keith gathered his bits and pieces and walked away.

A blaring horn in the distance snapped Keith to reality as tears rolled down his cheeks. He finished his last route for the night, and the thought of seeing Daniel in a wheelchair broke his heart again. “What happened to my boy? He was fine when I saw him seven years ago…” Keith wondered.

A few days later, he drove to the same address he last saw Sarah and Daniel to find out. He pulled over outside a neighboring house and waited nervously until a knock on his side window startled him.

“Hey, who are you? Why’s your car parked outside my compound? If you don’t leave, I’ll call the cops,” an older lady barked at him.

Keith stepped down from his car with a start. “No, please, ma’am. I just wanted to go there…”

“Go where?” she raised her hands and growled.

“Over there…to that house. I want to meet Sarah and Daniel. I haven’t seen her in years,” Keith clarified.

“Oh, dear,” the older lady’s voice softened. “Don’t you know what happened?”

“Yeah?” Keith’s forehead wrinkled with unease.

“Sarah and her husband died last year,” the older woman revealed. “Their son Daniel lives with his wife and baby there.”

“WHAT? NO!” Keith’s eyes bulged with shock.

“Car accident. Daniel luckily survived because he was in the backseat. But he can’t walk,” the lady added. “It’s so sad. I saw that boy grow up. They were such a lovely family. And his baby…he won’t ever see his grandparents.”

Keith thanked the woman and regretfully walked past her, heading straight to the front door. He knew it was time to step up and face his son, no matter what. Keith adjusted his voice and sighed deeply before knocking on the door. It creaked open moments later, and Daniel rolled his wheelchair closer.

“Yes?” He looked up at Keith.