MAN MADE MIRACLE –
Aug. 27, 2023 -“It was awesome,” the 29-year-old said, beginning to choke up and then pausing as a tear streamed down her cheek. “We had nothing. We slept on the floor.”
The apartment in the working-class South Worcester neighborhood isn’t much, but it’s filled with love. Willey’s 2-year-old daughter Vera Rey Contreras plays in the kitchen, filling a bag with various items to bring to grandma’s as her mom reminds her that’s not for a couple more days.
Contreras, 30, Willey’s partner and friend of 9 years, then plays patient as their daughter takes out a toy stethoscope and listens to his heart.
A dog taken in from a relative sits on a little bed. There are two rescued cats. There’s a small yard in the back. Willey is pregnant with the couple’s second child — a girl, but they haven’t picked out a name yet.
“I didn’t believe it was possible for us,” Willey said. “I wanted to be a mother, like my whole life. I just took a really shitty detour.”
In November, the couple will have been clean and sober for two years. They work full-time jobs.
