Chapter 1: The Affair

Shira Harrison gripped the bus seat in front of her as another wave of nausea came upon her. She hoped the books were right and that this part of the pregnancy wouldn't last much longer. As the nausea passed, she looked out the window as the countryside passed by. She had no idea where she was going or what she was going to do. She just knew she had to get away from him. Him–the father of her unborn child. Even thinking about him upset her. She had been working as a cocktail waitress at a local club when she had met him. He was wealthy, handsome, and very married. Yet somehow she had still been drawn to him. At first, it had started out as a harmless flirtation and then it had turned into much more. They spent as many nights together as they could–he was always telling his wife that he had to go out of town on "business." And his business trips had gradually become more and more frequent. She had fallen hard for him. But in her heart of hearts, she knew that this man could never truly love a woman. He loved money and power. He had no intention of leaving his wife for a worthless cocktail waitress. A week before she had found out she was pregnant, she had walked in on him making out with another one of the waitresses in the backroom of the bar where she worked. Needless to say, that had been the end of their relationship. She had cried herself to sleep that first night–despite her best efforts to not cry. He wasn't worth it—he was a player and the truth was he would never change. She had been naive to think that he would be faithful to her. After all, he wasn't even faithful to his own wife. But the truth was that she had fallen in love with him. Things hadn't gotten any easier after she had found out she was pregnant. At first she had thought about getting an abortion but then she realized she never would be able to go through with it. After she had decided to raise the baby, she decided that she needed to quit her job and find a better life for her child. She didn't want her baby growing up in the life that she was accustomed to living. Her child deserved more.

So here she was on a bus going nowhere—trying to forget Mitchum Huntzberger. She looked out the window as the bus pulled into a town called Stars Hollow. The town seemed small yet full of charm. She could see young children happily running through the park as the bus rolled past–this was the place to raise a family, she thought to herself. As the bus pulled over to let off a passenger, Shira made a split second decision to get off the bus as well. Pulling her small suitcase behind her, she looked around at her surroundings. She saw what looked like a diner straight ahead of her (although she was confused by the William's Hardware sign above the building). She knew eventually she wanted to get a better job but for now she needed to support herself and her unborn child any way possible. She took a deep breath and crossed the street to the store and walked in.

"Excuse me," she said to the young man with the backwards baseball cap behind the counter.

The man looked up at her with a half-annoyed look on his face. "What do you want?"

Shira was slightly taken aback by his gruff tone but took another deep breath, resolved to do what she had set out to do. "I was wondering if maybe you could use a waitress."

"Did you see a help wanted sign in my window?"

"Well, no but..."

"Then no, I don't need a waitress."

Shira nodded hoping that the tears in her eyes weren't too obvious. She began to turn around and walk toward the door.

"Wait." She heard the man say.

"Yes?"

"Are you ok? You just seem upset."

"Upset? No, not at all. I come in here and ask politely about a job and you rudely tell me that you don't have job. A simple no would have done. There was no need for your condescending tone. But to answer your question, I'm perfectly fine. I'm homeless, jobless, have no visible means to support myself or my unborn child. But other than that I'm great."

"Oh, I had no idea. I'm sorry."

"Oh, now you're sorry. Suddenly you've gained some compassion. Excuse me for being a sceptic here."

"Look, I haven't had the best day. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry I don't have any jobs here but you might try the Independence Inn. Ask for Mia and say that Luke sent you."

Shira nodded. "I'll do that. Thank you."

She turned around and walked out the door. That same night she went to the Independence Inn where Mia gave her a job as a maid and also offered to let her stay in the gardener's shed while she saved up money for her own place. Seven months later Shira Harrison gave birth to a healthy baby boy and named him Logan. A year after Logan's birth, she had saved up enough money for her and Logan to move into their own apartment. They vacated the gardener's shed in just enough time for another young woman in need...