"What?" is all I could say.
I felt dizzy, like the world was collapsing in on me.
Janet apologized for just blurting it out like that, but she didn't know how else to say it.
"So, how long have you known, um.., that I was your daughter?" Those words sounded so strange as they came out of my mouth, like someone else was speaking from within me.
How was I asking my best friend this question?
Janet explained that she had always known. It was an open adoption until I turned 3. Then there was no more direct contact between us, but she continued to keep track of my whereabouts & achievements thanks to newspaper articles and the internet.
For the first 3 years of my life, I had monthly visits with Janet. She told me that the 1st Sunday of every month was her favorite day of the month. It was a time for her to see that she had indeed made the right decision. And she cherished the photos of those visits. They were among her most precious possessions, keeping them in a locked safe in her bedroom closet.
Janet was only 17 years old and still in high school when I was born. Her boyfriend got scared and left when he found out she was pregnant. Thank God her parents were incredibly supportive of her choice.
All of that information was getting to be too much for me.
I needed some air. And time to process everything.
I was an huge mess of emotions.
I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I just couldn't understand why Janet chose that evening to reveal the secret.
So when she joined me a few minutes later, I came right out and asked her.
Janet apologized again and said she hadn't planned on doing it that night. She told me that she was so proud of my hard work, that she just couldn't keep it a secret any longer.
Ironically all I could think was: I want my mom!
But Janet was my best friend, and she was the only other person I would honestly confide in.
As I stood there watching Janet I soon smiled & couldn't stop smiling. I became excited; joyful; relieved. This was really happening!
After many hugs & tears, I told her that I would love to see those pictures.
Even though I'd done it hundreds of times before, it felt strange entering Janet's house that night. I looked at things from a completely different perspective now.
But it was good.
I sat on Janet's bed as she found the pictures in her safe. She sat down next to me and shared the stories that went along with every picture.
She told me to take some of them home with me. Then Janet returned the rest of them to her safe. As she started to close the door, she spotted something in the back. She didn't recognize it until she took it out.
She wondered how she forgot it was back there.
When she joined me back on the bed, I saw the tiny little pink sleeper in her hands. I looked up at her & she had tears in her eyes.
It was the sleeper she gave my parents when I was born. It was the outfit I wore home from the hospital.
After a long hug, Janet told me that she wasn't letting me have it! And we shared a big, stress relieving belly laugh.
As strange as it was initially, knowing that Janet was my biological mother ended up being a wonderful thing. I had the best of both worlds in Janet. My biological mother was my best friend. Not many birth mother reunions turn out as perfect as this one.
*This is a completely fictional story.
Write a piece - 600 word limit - about finding a forgotten item of clothing in the back of a drawer or closet. Let us know how the item was found, what it is, and why it's so meaningful to you or your character.
Oops! Word count: 688.
I struggle with switching tenses a lot.
Any tips? Thanks ladies.
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