A Mother's Love

The popping from the quantum tunneling echoed through the underground parking lot where the lost boy who was named Noodler appeared. He appeared in an empty parking space on the lowest level of the parking lot. He was hoping that the echoing of his entrance wouldn’t attract anyone attention but to be safe he headed down the aisle of cars in search of an exit. He had traversed about thirty feet and noticed an elevator to his left and headed for it. Just as he reached the elevator its doors opened and a young couple who were laughing about something funny exited the elevator. They hardly even noticed Noodler as he entered the elevator and press the button for the ground level. The elevator started going up and Noodler thought he would make it to the ground level without interference but such was not the case. The indicator over the elevator doors stop at level one and the doors opened.

A dark haired woman with a small male child in a stroller entered the elevator and smiled at Noodler.

He smiled back and read the ladies mental signature. To his surprise it was the mental signature that Mister Blue had given him. All at once his mind was full of images. Images that seemed vaguely familiar but ones he could not identify with a memory. Then a bright flash of light appeared across his mind’s eye and memories started to rush into his mind. Memories of sharing this woman’s thoughts, needs, hopes and desires as if they were his own. Memories of warmth that touched his very existence down to his soul; warmth that was motherly love for her child. But it was not love for the child in the stroller but a love for him. He then knew that this was his birth mother and tears filled his eyes. As the tears rolled down his face he wiped them away so she would not notice.

The elevator came to a stop on the ground level and the woman exited the elevator with her child.

Noodler followed and found himself in a glass enclosure that covered the elevator from the weather outside.

To the left was a door that led out and the woman pushed it open and exited. The door hit the side of the stroller as she was exiting and caused a small red ball to be dislodged from a basket on the bottom of the stroller. It rolled across the floor and stopped a Noodler’s feet. He bent over and picked up the ball and headed for the exit. He pushed open the door and looked around for the dark haired lady. He was in a large park and about thirty feet away he spotted the dark haired lady heading up a concrete path. Noodler followed after them keeping a safe distance as no to cause attention to him.

The woman and child took a right turn off the concrete path into a fenced in area that held a children’s playground. Noodler watch from outside the fence as the woman took the child out of the stroller. The child ran over to the play area where a plastic slide was and climbed the stairs that led to the top. The woman stayed at the bottom of the slide and waited for the child to come sliding down. The two moved all over the playground going from one activity to another. Noodler heard the joy in their laughter as they played and it filled him with envy. He had never known the bond they shared.

Noodler heard the child say to its mother that he wanted to play with his ball. The child and mother walked over to the stroller to get it but after searching the basket they realized it was missing. They started to look around the play area for it searching everywhere. Noodler felt the ball in his hand and he felt the sadness the child fell in losing his ball. Noodler walked through the opening in the fence and entered the playground.

He walked over to the woman and child and held out the ball and said “Excuse me. I’ve been looking for you.

This ball drop out of the stroller when you exited the elevator and I pick it up.” The child ran over and took the ball and said “Thank you.” Noodler knelt down so he was at eye level to the child and said “Your Welcome.

My name is Noodler. What’s yours?” The child looked at his mother and she nodded her head to say it was okay to tell him. “My name is Bobby and this is my mommy. Her name is Megan.” “Nice to meet you Bobby.

You to Megan.” replied Noodler. “Could you play ball with me?” asked Bobby to Noodler. “Sure I love to if it’s okay with your mom.” replied Noodler. Megan nodded her head and Booby threw the ball to Noodler.

The boys played for about twenty minutes as Megan watched them. She saw something in the boy named Noodler that pleased her but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. It felt as if she had known him before but to her recollection she couldn’t place when or where. When they were through Noodler took Bobby’s hand and led him back to his mother. Megan has spread a blanket out and had a lunch ready for Bobby. She invited Noodler to join them and handed him an apple. Noodler thanked her and took a bite of the apple and smiled at her. She saw something in that smile that reminded her of her of her father.

“Noodler, have we ever met before? You seem so familiar to me.” asked Megan. Noodler’s smile lessened but didn’t disappear from his face and he nodded his head. “For the life of me I can’t remember.

Would you please refresh my memory on it?” Megan asked. Noodler reached out with his mind and made mental contact with Megan. Though it lasted only a few seconds Megan mind recalled all the memories of the nine month she was in the surrogate mother program. She remembered how attached she had become to the child she carried and the pain and sorrow she felt giving him up to the program. She recollected how she would talk to him and the little voice she heard in her head of him responding. She always thought that the voice she heard was her imagination playing tricks on her. She once again felt the warmth of love she had for the child explode within her, bringing her a happiness that seemed overwhelming. When the few seconds were over and reality set back in to her mind set she looked at Noodler and said one word “Pugsley?” Hearing the word she uttered caused Noodler’s mind to be filled with sights and sounds of lost memories. It was such a jolt to his being that it caused him to drop the apple he was holding and slumped down on a park bench that was behind him. Pugsley was the name that she had given him while she was pregnant with him. She took it from a character that use to be on a TV show she watched. She named him that because the tiny voice she heard in her head as she talk to him sounded like the character’s voice.

Megan picked up the apple and asked Noodler if he was alright. The sound of her voice brought him quickly back to awareness of the real world. “I’m okay, and yes I am the one you named Pugsley.” he answered. At first he felt the fear that was filling her mind, but it swiftly changes to one of interest and curiosity. “I gave you up to the agency with the understanding that I would never see you again. You were to be a child for an anonymous well to do couple to adopt. I don’t know how or why you are here or how you found me. This you have to explain” said Megan as she took Bobby by the hand and backed away from Noodler.

Noodler telepathically filled Megan’s mind with his memories. The eleven years of his life took only seconds to transfer to Megan’s mind. When it was over and all his memories transferred she released Bobby hands and ran to Noodler. Megan hugged him tightly and he could feel the sorrow and guilt that filled her heart. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know the truth.” she said. Noodler hugged her back and whispered in her ear “It was not your fault and you have nothing to be sorry about. I am who I am. All I want is your acceptance and love as my mother.” Tears ran down Megan’s face as she reached over and pulled Bobby into the hug and said. “I love you both so much.”

They talked away the rest of the afternoon. Megan told him of her husband Charlie and how they met.

After giving up Noodler/Pugsley for adoption she had gone into a depressed state. Every day she would go to work and come home and lock herself away in her small apartment hiding from the world. Until one day a knock came upon her door that changed her life. The new tenant, who had just moved in across the hall, was having problems with his shower and needed information on who to contact to fix the problem. As soon as she opened the door there was magic in the air and they could both feel it. She gave him the information he was looking for, along with her cell phone number and the acceptance for an invitation to dinner that he had offered. Two years later they became husband and wife.

When it came time to leave Noodler didn’t erase the memories from his mother or his little brother. He left them intact because he knew they were safe with them. He told Megan he would like to meet Charlie some day and get to know him. Megan said that would be fine with her and she would try to prepare Charlie, after all Noodler’s existence was bit on the bizarre side. Noodle told Megan that if she hears that little voice in her mind again not to ignore it. He told her it would be him checking in. He kissed her on the cheek and turned to Bobby and said “Hey little guy. Want to see a magic trick?” Bobby nodded and smiled. Noodler Spun around and with a pop and a rush of air disappeared.