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“Jake, do you think your mother wants to meet me?”
“I know she does. She told the investigator that when he found you to let her know. But he never got back to her. We don’t have a lot of money, so it’s not like we could have come to Boston, but I know she wants to meet you…she’s just afraid of what you’ll think of her, I think. That you’ll judge her for giving you up and separating the twins and stuff.”
“Do you know if she chose to separate us, the twins?”
“She told me that the adoption people pressured her to do it…something about no family wanting to take on two…she didn’t really want to…but they told her the babies were going to two good homes, so she gave in.”
I tried to process what he was saying. “I see.”
“She begged the investigator let her know where Amanda was buried and he did, so we come out here once a week. We take turns…sometimes she comes, sometimes I do and sometimes we come together. It makes her feel better to come here.”
“That’s nice, Jake.”
Jake put his hands in his pockets and gave me a crooked smile. “You seem really cool,” he said.
“You too. Hey…give me your phone,” I said.
I grabbed his flip phone and added my name into his contacts. “I leave to go back to Boston tomorrow. You tell your mom when she’s ready, I’d be willing to meet her if she wanted to...no pressure, though, okay? I don’t want to make her uncomfortable or anything. I’ll be back here in a couple of months for Thanksgiving. If she wants to meet me, then I can come to you. If not, that’s okay too. But…you…you can call me anytime, okay?”
“That’s cool, Allison. Really cool,” Jake said.
“It was really nice to meet you Jake.”
“You too, Allison.”
We stood in silence for a bit before we both opened our respective car doors.
Before getting in, I waved goodbye to him again as he faced me looking hesitant to get into his car.
Something came over me as he stood there and it really hit me that this awkward tattooed tobacco smelling teenager was my kid brother.
I had a living sibling.
I impulsively ran over to him and pulled him into a hug. When we separated, his eyes were watering and I knew at that moment that he was thinking the same thing.
***
On the plane ride back to Boston, I thought about how different my life is now, compared to last time I was on a plane headed to Chicago. I had felt so alone then and so confused.
The two months spent with the Thompsons in Naperville had given me a new perspective on my past, on life, on what truly matters and most of all, forgiveness.
I looked down at my phone to the series of texts that I had received last night from Jake.
Jake: Just checking to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
Allison: Hey there!! Nope…it was surreal, though, wasn’t it?
Jake: I told Mom. She really wants to meet you when you come back.
Allison: Really?
Jake: Yeah…she was disappointed that you left so soon, but she was happy the two of us got to meet.
Allison: I am happy we got to meet too.
Jake: Talk to you later…Sis. Sounds weird to say it.
Allison: Please keep in touch, Jake. xo
