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I nodded, studying Zoe. Her hair was also a light brown, but hers was long and she had bangs. Her nails were long and manicured, where I always wore mine short and sensible. She looked like she had stepped off the cover of a magazine. She looked like the “after” photo where I would be the “before” photo of a glamorous makeover. But I didn’t feel threatened by her. I was aware of how different we were, but the longer I studied her, watched her expressions and mannerisms and the way she talked, the more I realized how similar we were.
We hadn’t grown up side by side the way we should have, but despite our different upbringings, and most likely different beliefs, morals, routines, and all the rest of it, we were almost exactly the same. It was strange.
“What do you do?” I asked after we had made small talk for a while. I didn’t know what to ask her. How did you go about getting to know someone from scratch? How did you make up for twenty-three years?
“I don’t have a career if that’s what you mean. My husband, Chris, is an inventor. He goes to the office every day, but I stay home and take care of local charities. I’m involved with the school, and I like to draw the other mothers into groups where we do activities to socialize.”
Zoe sounded like she belonged on those television shows where they follow the lives of the rich and famous. She explained how Chris had developed a simple household item that they had patented and made a lot of money from. It explained why she wasn’t working or anything.
She told me about her daughters. “They’re twins,” she said. “They’re only eight months now. It’s a handful. It was thanks to my pregnancy that all of this came about,” Zoe said. “We had to test for certain diseases, and my family history was a question. I had a difficult pregnancy, you see. So I did a little digging to find my birth parents, for the sake of my children. And then I found you. It made sense why I had twins, knowing that we were triplets.”
I nodded, understanding it now. It was bizarre that this had happened, but in a way it was exciting. It was like discovering a new world, getting to know my sister and the life she’d led.
“What about you?” Zoe asked. “Husband, kids?”
My stomach turned when she asked.
“No,” I said. “I was involved with someone for a short while, but I don’t see it working out. We’re in a rough patch.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
I shrugged. “What should happen, will. Look at us meeting as an example.”
Zoe nodded. I told her about my job at the office, my degree, where I’d started, and how it had turned out. I left out the part where I had slept with my boss, fallen pregnant, and how I was going to quit my job. No one needed to know that. Especially not Zoe, who was so polished and sophisticated.
“Tell me about your parents,” I said. “What was your life like, growing up?”
Zoe smiled. “My parents were both great to me, growing up. I grew up with two siblings. We’re all adopted. My parents were foster parents, but they decided to legally adopt us and get out of the system. My dad died of cancer a few years ago, but I’m still very close with my mom.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I hesitated. “How did your mom feel about you finding your birth family and meeting me?”
Zoe shrugged. “She wasn’t very happy with the idea, but she understood why I needed to do it. And she’s curious about you. They all are. If we keep in contact, they would love to meet you.”
It was a bit much for me to take in. Zoe seemed to know how I was feeling.
“You don’t have to meet anyone if you don’t feel comfortable with it,” she said. “But I’m so glad you agreed to meet me.”
I nodded. “I’m happy, too.” And I was. I hadn’t known what to expect. I had wanted to turn around and run away. I had been terrified it was all a big mistake. But now that I was here, talking to my sister, getting to know her and sharing my life with her as well, I was glad I had pushed through and taken this step.
And I had done it all alone. Brent had been with me to meet Morgan. I had hoped I could ask him to come with me to meet Zoe, but after how I had kicked him out of my house, I doubted he would want to be there for me. I had treated him wrongly even though nothing that had happened had been his fault. He had only been trying to help.
