Margaret and Thomas had dreamed of having a child all their lives, but they couldn’t have their own. One day, they found out about five—year-old Lily from an orphanage, a girl with a noticeable birthmark on her face who was constantly shunned. The couple came just to get to know each other, but quickly realized that they wanted to give her a home. At first, Lily timidly asked for permission for everything and was afraid that she would be returned, and at school she endured ridicule, but with the warmth of her foster parents, she gradually became more confident.
We told ourselves we’d made peace with it.
Over time, Lily grew up, studied to be a doctor, and often thought about her biological mother. One day, a letter without a return address was put in their mailbox.: It was signed by Emily, who wrote that she was a teenager when she gave birth to Lily, and under pressure from strict parents, she gave the child to the reception. Emily confessed that she had loved her daughter in secret for a long time and was now suffering from cancer; she did not ask for Lily’s return, she just wanted her to know that she was really wanted.
The meeting turned out to be difficult: a lot of sadness, a little anger and a lot of tears, but also a confession — Lily did not lose the right to be called the daughter of Margaret and Thomas. Conversations with Emily went unevenly, but the main thing changed forever: Lily stopped considering herself “uninvited” — now she knew that she was wanted twice.
“She’s been waiting her whole life.”
