Debbie Gallagher didn't want a baby.
She wanted certainty.
Luke understood that the moment he saw her watching other people's lives like they were anchors she could steal.
The Fear Under the Plan
Debbie's plan—getting pregnant on purpose, locking someone into staying—wasn't malicious.
It was survival logic learned too early.
People leave.
Money disappears.
Love is conditional.
A baby felt permanent.
Luke didn't shame her for that.
He respected it enough to dismantle it properly.
Scholarly Wisdom — Engaged
Cognitive Development Insight: ACTIVE
Subject Age: Adolescence
Primary Driver: Fear of Abandonment
Effective Strategy: Future Projection + Agency Reinforcement
Luke took Debbie to the bubble tea shop after hours.
They sat at a table that still smelled faintly of sugar and tapioca.
"You ever notice," Luke said, "how everyone in this family tries to make something permanent too early?"
Debbie scowled. "You saying I'm stupid?"
Luke shook his head. "I'm saying you're scared."
She looked away.
The Long View
Luke pulled out a notebook—not his phone.
He drew two lines.
"This is you at eighteen," he said. "This is you at thirty."
On one line:
Diapers. Dropped school. Exhaustion. Dependence.
On the other:
Skill. Independence. Choice.
"I'm not saying don't ever have kids," Luke said. "I'm saying don't use a child as a seatbelt."
Debbie's eyes welled up.
"What if nobody stays otherwise?"
Luke met her gaze.
"Then they were never yours to trap."
Values, Not Orders
Luke didn't tell Debbie what to do.
He told her what mattered.
Your body is not leverage.
Love isn't proven by sacrifice alone.
Power is having options.
He introduced her to skills—welding, mechanics, design.
"Build something first," he said. "Then decide who you want to build it with."
The Shift
Debbie didn't change overnight.
But she stopped talking about babies.
She started talking about plans.
That was enough.
System Update
High-Risk Life Choice Redirected
Subject Autonomy: INCREASED
Intergenerational Trauma Mitigation: ACTIVE
Karma Gain: HIGH
Luke's Thought
Debbie didn't need saving.
She needed permission—to want more without guilt.
And Luke gave her that.
Sometimes, the best mentorship wasn't teaching someone how to live.
It was convincing them they were allowed to choose.