Desperation

It amazes me the things that humans can do out of desperation. It is a sickness, that eats away until we finally act, even if what we do seems completely insane. This week there was a baby stolen from a local hospital, and it just so happens that I know who kidnapped him. It is so surreal to be watching tv and see a familiar face in an arrest picture. I met Leianna when I was little, and have vague memories of swimming with her while our moms took water aerobics classes together. She went to high school with me, but by that time we had very different groups of friends and never really connected. She got pregnant young, had four kids and divorced. Apparently she is with someone new now, who she wanted to have a child with, so she faked a pregnancy and stole a baby. Crazy. And while Santa Barbara is not necessarily a small town by number, it is a small town when something like this happens. Rumors go wild, accusations are hurled, and numerous families are affected. I have heard so many horrible comments written on blogs about Leianna, but I can't help but feel sorry for her. Desperation and a desire to please people we love can drive normal people to do insane things. I am glad the baby is okay, I don't imagine she ever intended to harm him. And I don't want to sound like I am trying to justify at all what she did, I just feel really sad for her.