When Michelle Broderick was 14 months old, she was kidnapped from her home in Montpelier, Vermont, by a former high school rival of her mom, Susan Cane. Nobody suspected Susan because the last time Michelle's mom, Carol, ever heard from Susan was six years earlier and Susan now lived in Virginia. Susan took little Michelle and fled to Jamestown, New York, where she opened up a coffee shop.
Michelle never remembered her real parents, and the first time she ever said, "Mommy," it was to Carol, who raised her up as her own. Michelle was a smart little girl, and in fact was already walking when she was stolen. She spent her days gnawing on a teething ring and grinning at Carol at the coffee shop. All the customers would coo at little Chelle and comment on her looks.
One day in late October, a weary woman w/stringy blond hair was awkwardly dragging along three young children, a girl, a boy, and an infant. She swung the older two up onto chairs. After checking to make sure that they were relatively safe, the tired mother plopped on a stool herself, holding the infant beside her.
"Is there anything you would like?" Carol said, drying a glass w/a cloth. She had her eye on the family since they entered a few moments earlier. The mother swept her eyes over the menu above Carol's head.
"Two glasses of milk, small, and a small decaf coffee for me," she said, smiling briefly. Carol returned the smile. "I've got a girl, too," she confided as she filled the cups w/the appropriate drinks. "Her name's Michelle." She nodded toward little Michelle, who at 20 months was a chubby little brunette, where she was sitting on the lap of an elderly man. The mom turned her head to look.
Meanwhile, Michelle was staring in awe as the senior citizen waved his hand around. He reached behind her ear and pulled out a coin. "Well, lookee here!" he said. Michelle clapped her hands in delight. "There's the quarter!" He handed it to her. "Wow," Michelle breathed in wonder. She grasped the coin and hugged the old man, then skipped over to Carol. "Mommy, look!" She held up the quarter. "Mr. Grant pulled this out of my ear!" she said excitedly. Carol exclaimed in parental wonder and patted her on the head.
"Wow," the blond mother said, impressed. "She sure can speak." She bent toward Michelle. "How old are you, sweetie?" "I'm almost two," Michelle said sweetly. Her eyes flew over to the lady's young children. She surveyed them seriously. "Hi," she said to the young girl on the stool. "Hi," the girl replied politely. "How old are you?" Michelle asked. "Five," the girl replied. "I'm six," the boy cut in quickly. His mom laughed. "He'll be seven in January," she said to Carol.
Michelle shrugged her shoulders and ran to the back of the room. The moms chatted casually as the children sipped their drinks. After about ten minutes, the blond mother regretfully got off of her stool to leave. "Come on, children," she called, and the boy and girl slipped off of their stools as well. They were just about ready to go when Michelle ran up, teary eyed.
"What's wrong?" Carol asked, immediately concerned. "I can't find my quarter," Michelle said tearfully. Relief washed over Carol's face. "Well, here you go," she said, and pulled out a quarter from the cash machine. "Here's a nice quarter to make up for it." Michelle rejected it w/scorn.
"I want the quarter Mr. Grant gave me," she said darkly. The blond mother laughed. "C'mon, children," she said again, and they left for the door. A few moments later the boy ran back in and scurried to the back of the room. Michelle and Carol watched him curiously. Soon he ran to the counter, grinning. "Look, Chelle," he said gleefully. He opened his palm. There was a quarter in it. "Here's your quarter." He handed to the happy Michelle. "I found it back there." He waved vaguely. Michelle squealed and hugged him, causing him to blush. "You're an angel," she said. He blushed again, brushed his hair out of his eyes and tripped out of the shop. Carol was smiling, and afterward, as she was sweeping the floor, she went over to the part of the room where Michelle had played earlier. She carefully swept and brushed over a quarter hidden underneath a table leg. "Well," she said to herself, holding up the coin, "that boy's an angel."