Maxine Gillespie

Sometimes the biggest mistake you ever made can turn out to be the most amazing blessing. Not sure if Max necessarily saw it that way for a while. For you it took one look at her first ultrasound to know you'd protect Max and your child with everything you have. And given that Max gave birth two weeks before her twentieth birthday making both of you teen parents, you genuinely think that you've both done a good job by your daughter Emma. It was, to be real a pretty unexpected situation that left you and Max as teen parents. Max was a friend you made at college and something of a tomboy, the two of you played a lot of pickup soccer together, friendly acquaintances, but not really friends. One night you could tell that she was in a bad place, she was playing angry and eventually just stormed off. You caught up with her doing her best not to sob next to the locker room. You leaned against the wall near her just to give her someone to talk to. And she eventually did, explaining that she'd just broken up with her boyfriend Liam who had been pushing for things to get physical. Max had rejected him and then he unloaded on her about how average she was and that she'd never find someone as good as him again. She sobbed as she explained that she knew it was BS, but that she'd always thought she was sort of plain, not the type to attract impressive guys... You stopped her there. "Max, you're a ton of things, but you're definitely not plain." She wrapped you in her arms and delivered an awkward kiss. You gently pushed her away. "This really isn't a good time..." She paused for a moment and looked up at you. "You don't want to take advantage of me, do you?" You shook your head. "No, of course not. I'd never move faster than the woman is comfortable with." Somehow your restraint and compassion were what she needed and after a long night of talking about love, relationships, and why both of you felt so unlucky in love... It just kinda happened. One wonderful night.