Being the other woman for her partner just because Stephanie’s partner claimed to be unloved blinded her. At 23, when she got pregnant with his baby, his true face was unraveled. Despite telling Stephanie how he loved her unconditionally, when she broke the news of being pregnant, he said that she would ruin his life if the baby were delivered. However, wanting to experience motherhood, one of the biggest blessings in a woman’s life, Stephanie decided to do it alone. Being a strong woman, she was able to prove that she could.
No matter how tough things got, she held tight and was unstoppable. When Evie, her daughter, turned two, Stephanie wanted a job to provide her with a good life, so she started driving a school bus. It was the best possible job for her as she had to take care of her baby, and there were no worries about working on vacation or days it snowed heavily.
You cross paths with people that become so important to you when you least expect it to happen, and so was the case of Stephanie when, after so many years of her heartbreak, she met ‘S’ at the age of 39. It seemed like he was a true man, but was too immature to understand things well.
Stephanie had feelings for her and hoped for him to become a good partner, unlike the last time, but this time, it did not work out well either, as when Stephanie got pregnant with his child, he chose marijuana.
It was a red flag, and the best decision was for her to end the relationship in a timely manner. He did support her, but it was minimal, and Stephanie looked after most things. After nine months, she held her second baby girl, Ballamy, born via C-section. This was when the guy accused Stephanie of snatching away his special moment, and without meeting the child, the father flew to another country two months after the baby’s birth.
It was a tough stage in Stephanie’s life as she was still on the journey of healing from postpartum depression, and the physical changes required time to accept herself again. She often switched to formula week, too. However, Stephanie knew she was not too strong financially, and now she was responsible for taking care of two children; thus, due to these circumstances, she decided to drive the bus again only after 3 weeks postpartum.
Her older daughter, Evie, went along daily and cared for her baby sister, Ballamy. Bellamy had been coming to work with her mom since day 1, and thankfully, she was not a fussy baby. All the children on the bus enjoyed her presence, and everything in her routine was perfect. Her job schedule is split into two shifts now, and Stephanie has enough time to be with her babies during the long breaks she has.
Moreover, when Bellamy started school, she did not have to worry about the routine anymore, and she was grateful that she never had to seek help from a day care throughout her journey, despite it being tough. Bellamy is now a 14-month-old baby who often naps peacefully in the morning rides, and when she wakes up, she smiles and enjoys the bus ride.
Seeing her children at peace keeps Stephanie going.
Stephanie is grateful for her job, which gives her the strength and hope to sustain her life. Although some days feel more tiring, the highlight of her life is that she gets to spend maximum time with her babies every day and feels lucky for her ability to balance her professional and personal life.
