Pray for a Miracle

"He looked at Catherine and saw almost in pain how plain she was without makeup, her chubby face framed by her white bathing cap. Suddenly, she seemed to him like a total stranger. He could not make himself believe that she was his girl, his woman who would be his wife in a few weeks, and who would in about eight months, have a baby of his. Christ, for a lucky miracle!"

All his life Studs Lonigan prayed for a miracle that would rescue him from the poverty, futility and compromises in his life. But the miracle never came, and Studs was forced to face the ugly reality he tried to dodge.