When Bella was seventy years old, she was sitting in the café when a lady joined her at the table. The lady, who was very well dressed and well-spoken, started to converse with Bella and asked if she knew anyone who would be willing to take over the care of a newborn baby. Her daughter was a nurse and unmarried and did not want anyone to know that she had given birth. The baby was born while she was on duty and no one had even suspected that she had been pregnant until the birth, as she had kept herself well corseted to hide the bump. None of her family knew and her mother was the only one in the family who knew afterwards.
To keep it all secret, she said that she was willing to pay well, so Bella said, "I foster children and would be willing to care for your baby." The baby boy, called Derek was brought to Bella the following week and arrangements were made for payment. The lady agreed to pay Bella forty-five pounds a month (a huge amount of money at the time.)
Derek had an umbilical hernia and had an operation soon after his arrival. Bella was always concerned the something was not "quite right" with Derek and despite him being a bright and happy baby he just didn't appear to be progressing as he should in some aspects. With her vast experience with children, Bella was well qualified to spot any defects.
Bella travels to several hospitals in Northern Ireland carrying Derek on her back, trying to get answers as to what it was that may be wrong with him. Eventually, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Bella was always convinced it had been caused by the tight corsets his mother had worn during her pregnancy to disguise the bump. Derek was bright and responsive but one side of his body did not function properly. Bella as usual, however, was determined to keep him and care for him to the best of their capability. He had great difficulty learning to walk and would regularly fall over but he was a delightful little boy.
When he started school he went to Comber Primary school and had to be taken and collected after school as he was too unsteady on his feet to get to and from school without help. His sister June (also fostered) who was at the technical college would take him to school in the morning before college and leave early to collect him from school. And she would carry Derek on her back wherever she goes, people even thought that he is her son.
Sadly, when Derek was eight and June was eighteen, Bella died. Derek's mother arranged for him to be collected and taken to a "cripples home" (as they called them in those days). He was just collected from school and taken to Newtownards by a care worker and left in the home. June was married and pregnant and said that she would happily have taken him in but the authorities said she was too young.
He was eventually taken to a foster home in Lisburn and then sent to a boarding school (Friends School in Lisburn). His foster mother rang June when she found out how distressed Derek was at not seeing her as she had visited him every week when he was in the "cripples home". Derek was extremely clever at school and obtain a place at Manchester University which led to a very successful career in Computer Technology. He married a lovely lady and has a family of his own. He is now retired.
Derek recently found her birth mother. But until the very end, she doesn't want to acknowledge him neither for the world to know that she is her son. Until this time his mother's family aside from his grandmother that he exists. They are well-known and very rich that they think their reputation will be tainted by him. She died two weeks after he saw her. Derek was heartbroken but accepted long ago the fact that he was despised since he was born. Unwanted child. That breaks my heart.
But thank God, he was loved and taken care of by Granny Bella, Mum and Auntie Rona. They are blessed to have each other.
A true story.
Thank you for reading.
A touching story, but why would she hide her baby from the world, at least there is someone who impregnated her, and if she couldn't take care of the baby, her mother should have. But thanks to Granny Bella, your mum and Auntie Rona