The Gift

by Danielle Steel

It's the 1950s, Liz and John Whittaker along with their children, Tommy and Annie, are living in a dream world, they couldn't be happier. Then tragedy strikes taking four-year-old Annie. The family is devastated. Liz and John's marriage is falling apart and Tommy is struggling.

Meanwhile miles away, Maribeth Robertson is getting ready for her first Prom. She loves her beautiful peacock blue taffeta strapless dress with it's little bolero, but her dad is throwing a fit, telling her that she and all the other girls who are going to prom are dressing like sluts. She finally returns to her room where her mother helps her pick out a navy blue dress with a white collar and long sleeves. She feels mortified, but desperately wants to go to the prom - even if it is with David O'Connor, a boy she barely knows, but the only one who invited her. Maribeth knows he probably couldn't get a date with anyone else.

Once at the prom, David goes in search of drinks for both of them, and when he returns after almost a half hour, Maribeth realizes David had had a few "drinks" before returning to her. She wasn't interested in alcohol and is realizing that coming to the prom wasn't such a good idea after all.

After sending David back for a "proper" drink for a teenager, she decides to walk home, but rests on a bench outside for a while. There she is approached by Paul Browne, the coolest and most handsome high school senior who offers her a ride home. It takes some coaxing, but she finally accepts the ride, and is secretly thrilled that he has noticed her. He suggests going for a hamburger before going home and she readily accepts. After they've eaten, they get back into the car and he suggests driving around for a little while as there is still time before her curfew.

I think she's never been on a date as she is giddy with the attention he is showering on her. They find a place to park and a kiss leads to other things and finally the inevitable. She is confused, happy and scared.

A couple of months later her biggest fear is realized and she knows she has to tell her parents she is pregnant. Of course, her father hits the roof while her mother cries. Her father sends her away with money to cover staying at a local convent until the baby is born. One month there and she knows she cannot stay any longer. She still has a few hundred dollars and decides to head for Chicago. At a bus stop, she eats in the diner. She decides she loves the atmosphere of the town and when she notices a help wanted sign in the window, she decides to stay. She gets the job and meets a young man.

Maribeth doesn't realize it, but she has a "gift" for everyone in that town, especially the Whittakers.

I'm not particularly a Danielle Steel fan, but I found this to be a lovely story of someone who's fallen from grace, finds love and redemption and then the strength to give to others.