I was taking a shower when I heard the front doorbell ringing over and over. Whoever was at the door was persistent, to say the least. And there was no way I was going to throw a towel on and run down to answer the door. More than likely it was the Jehovah’s witnesses again. This would make their third visit in the last month. And I had already informed them that I was just not interested. 

I finally gave in and throw on my robe and slippers and run down the steps to see who was at the door. It sure as hell better be important or I was going to give them a piece of my mind.

I arrive dripping wet with a towel wrapped around my still soapy hair and wearing my ratty chenille robe that I’ve had since I was twenty. As I got to the door I see a delivery person with his back to the door and heading towards his vehicle that was illegally parked on my front curb. I yell at the top of my voice, “Hey buddy, hey buddy I’ll take the package I was in the middle of taking a shower.”

He turns around and sprints up to me. “Sorry for ringing the bell so much but this is the third time I came out here to deliver this package and it requires a signature. So, it must be something important.”

“Well, I’m sorry but I’m rarely home during the week. I’m a sales rep and I spend most of my time on the road visiting customers. So, I feel your pain. Sometimes I drive several hours just to find my customer isn’t in the office. Even though I had scheduled an appointment to see them at a specific day and time.”

He sighs, and says, “if you could please just sign this and I’ll be on my way. I’m going to be getting finished late again and my wife is going to be really pissed at me for being late again.”

“Sure, I hope the rest of your day goes well.” I sign the form and grab the package and he double-timed it to his truck. I think what a boring job. But then I think about it and realize that my job isn’t all that thrilling or interesting. And we all gotta do what we gotta do.

As I’m stepping back inside my front door and my robe flies open and my neighbor, Jeffrey gets flashed. He waves at me with a big smile on his face. He probably thinks I did it on purpose. I will never be able to look him in the face again. I think dear god, I can see this is going to be the day from hell.

When I get into the living room I put the package on the coffee table and decide I better get myself in gear or I‘m really going to be in hot water for being late. And we’re having our semi-annual sales rep meeting. People have been fired for much less. I fly up the stairs and into the bathroom and rinse the shampoo out of my hair and towel off. I blow-dry my hair and threw my clothes on. I grab my shoes and jacket and briefcase and out the door to my car and I‘m on my way.

The rest of the day goes by in a blink of an eye with one meeting after another. And by the time I arrive home I‘m exhausted and decide the package can wait until Saturday when I‘m off from work.

It was a rough week, but somehow I made it through. I got home late on Friday and fall into bed at 9:30 PM. The following morning I woke up with the nagging feeling that I had forgotten something important. I can’t put my finger on it. And then while taking my shower it comes to me. The package, the package I forgot all about it. After I towel off I throw my clothes on that I wear when I’m going to work in my garden. I double-timed it down the steps.

I grab the package and shake it. It sounds like something small is in there and fabric or clothes are muffling the sound of whatever else is in there. I try guessing what it is. I look at the return address. It’s from my parent’s lawyers. My parents passed away suddenly last year when they were involved in a multiple-vehicle accident on the New Jersey turnpike.

As soon as I realize it must have belonged to my parents I start to cry and choke up. The sudden loss of my parents was devastating. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. My parents were only in their early sixties and had just retired and were looking forward to many more years together. And now I had no living relatives left in the world. I never married and didn’t have any children. Every morning since I found out about my parent’s deaths I wake up and think how I’m an orphan and I don’t have single-loved ones in the world.

I sit there for ten minutes until I gather the courage to open up the box and look at the contents. I can’t imagine what it could be since their lawyer had said their estate was settled. I wondered why he didn’t call me and let me know there was some kind of outstanding business. And then I remember he had called me at home and on my cell and left me several messages asking me to return his call. I ignored the calls because I didn’t want to reopen that wound again. I couldn’t bear any further bad news.

I stare at the box and shake it again. And then I gather my courage and tear off the brown paper and open the box. I hold my breath and take out a letter which surprisingly bares my name in my mother’s handwriting. It says, Dear Angela if you are reading this letter it means that I am no longer living. I want you to know how much I love you and always have.

I should have told you about this a long, long time ago. When I was quite young about nineteen years old I fell pregnant. This was before I met your father. My parents were extremely strict and I was afraid to tell them I was going to have a baby. The father of the child was someone I met after I graduated from high school. He was drafted into the military. This was during the Viet Nam War. He was only twenty-two years old. I didn’t find out I was pregnant until after he left. I was devastated by his death. I didn’t know what to do. My parents figured out I was pregnant but it was too late to get an abortion. So, my parents took me to a place where young pregnant girls stayed until their babies were born and then they were put up for adoption.

I was told I would not be allowed to see my baby again. I had a difficult delivery and was heavily sedated during the birth by cesarean. I tried to move on after that since I really wasn’t given the choice of keeping the baby. About five years later I met your father and a year later we had you. I never told your father that I had a baby and gave him up for adoption. I was ashamed of getting pregnant and of giving the baby away.

After we had you I tried not to think of my first child. But he was in the back of my mind my whole life. I never really got over it. About five years ago I hired someone to find out where my son was living. It took about six months but I finally found that he was living in Philadelphia only about forty-five minutes from where we lived. I still didn’t tell your father. I know I should have told you both. But, what can I say I was a coward. I didn’t want you to think badly of me.

I left this letter with our lawyer and told him to give it to you if anything ever happened to me and I passed away. I have enclosed the address of your brother, who was named Joseph. His parents’ names are Helen and Robert McElliot. Your brother is six years older than you. I hope you will contact your brother and have the opportunity to get to know him. Since you have no other family. I know you will probably be angry with me, but I hope someday you will forgive me. All my love, Mom.

I read the letter over and over. I was having a difficult time comprehending the fact that my mother had this secret all of her adult life and never told anyone except her parents. Who also kept the secret. It was incomprehensible. I didn’t know if I was angry at my mother or not. I wish she had told me long ago. But she didn’t and the past can not be undone. But I knew one thing for sure. I was going to find my brother and contact him. I hoped with all my heart that he will want to meet me.

The rest of the day I kept picking up the phone and then putting it down. I couldn’t decide whether I should contact him by phone or just show up in person. But then I realized that I could probably find him on the internet. And then maybe I could get a better idea of what was the best way to get in touch with him. And sure enough, I found him and he only lived about forty-five minutes from my house. He was married and had a young child. I couldn’t believe it I had a brother, a niece or nephew, and a sister-in-law. I have a family. I wasn’t alone in the world anymore. This turned out to be the best day of my life.

And then I started wondering if he knew he was adopted. If he did, would he even want to meet me? I decided there was only one way to find out, and that was to get in touch with him. I found out he worked at a business that just so happened to be one of my company’s buyers. I decided that I was going to call his company and set up an appointment with Joseph McElliot as soon as possible.

I made an appointment for this coming Friday morning at 11:00 AM. I could hardly sleep the whole week. I couldn’t think about anything else. I wake up in the middle of the night and never get back to sleep. I took the whole day off. I waited outside his office until his office manager called me in. “Come right in, won’t you? Mr. McElliot this is Ms. Angela Brown.

“Hello, Ms. Brown what can I do for you?’

“Well, first I have to tell you that I came here under false pretenses. I do work for the company but I came here for personal reasons. I would like to show you some documents first and then I’ll explain why I’m here.“ I hand him the letter and documents my mother had given me.

Mr. McElliot looks over the documents. And then he sits back in his seat and takes a deep breath. “Well, this is certainly somewhat of a shock. I thought about searching for my birth parents for years. But I never did it. My parents, that is my adoptive parents were wonderful people. I’m sorry I didn’t pursue it now. I should have. Now I’ll never meet my birth mother. On the other hand, I was an only child since my adoptive parents weren’t able to have children of their own. And now I find out the wonderful news that I have a sister.”

Angela sighs in relief, she had been holding her breath the whole time he looked over her mother’s letter and the documents she had left Angela. “Really, oh I’m so happy to hear that. I don’t have any family left now since my parents passed away. Our mother was such a caring and loving person. I wish you had gotten to know her. You know you bear a striking resemblance to her. Would you mind if I gave you a hug? This is one of the most amazing days of my life. I’d love to take you out for lunch or dinner sometime soon. “

“I think that I’ll give my wife a call and tell her all about this. And you should come to dinner at my house and meet my wife and child. Because now you’re a member of my family and you’ll always be welcome there. What do you say?”

“I say unequivocally, yes, yes, yes.” And then the siblings give each other a warm embrace. And Robert says,”why are you crying, Angela? Surely this is a happy event?”

“Yes, one of the happiest. I will never forget it.”

“I hope that we‘ll create many happy memories in the future. Life has a way of coming up and surprising us when we least expect it, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it surely does, Robert. It really does.”

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