Lisa noticed a puzzling text message on her husband David’s phone one day while he was in the shower. He had asked her to answer his mother’s call. It wasn’t unusual for them to handle each other’s calls when they were busy.
Just as she was putting the phone down, a message popped up.
“Please don’t tell Lisa yet. We’ll do it together.”
Seeing this message, Lisa felt her heart sink. She sat on the bed, listening to the familiar sound of David humming in the shower, her mind racing with thoughts.
They had been together since high school, the only people they had ever dated. She knew she had to confront him, but the words felt stuck in her throat.
Later, they settled in the living room to watch a movie. “Honey, I’m going to bed,” Lisa said abruptly, unable to prolong her worry. “You can finish the movie before coming up.”
Back in the bedroom, she couldn’t resist. She picked up David’s phone once more. Strangely, there were no romantic messages, no secret meetings. Instead, the texts were about her job, her hobbies. Still suspicious, she took a bold step.
She sent a message: “Come over tomorrow, my place, at 2 p.m. Lisa will be at work.”
As the next day wore on, Lisa found it impossible to concentrate on her work. At exactly 2 p.m., the doorbell rang. Her heart pounding, she opened the door to find a woman who seemed familiar yet unplaceable.
“Are you Lisa?” the woman asked. “I’m Gloria.”
Lisa’s panic grew—why would her husband be texting an older woman?
“I’m your mother, Lisa,” Gloria explained.
Lisa knew she was adopted but was stunned. She had only ever seen a photo of her mother as a young woman.
“Tell me everything,” Lisa pleaded, inviting Gloria into the house.
“You were born out of love,” Gloria began softly. “But circumstances forced me to give you up for adoption. Your father and I were only fifteen. We were practically children ourselves. My father insisted you be given away because he worried about his reputation.”
“My mother wanted to keep you, but in the end, my father took you to the hospital in the middle of the night. You were just four days old.”
Lisa’s only link to her past had been a worn photo, with “Gloria Manson, 1987” scrawled on the back.
They talked over hot chocolate and toast when David came home. Seeing them together, he took a breath.
“Oh honey,” David started, “I didn’t know how to tell you. Gloria contacted me months ago, and I was trying to help her reconnect with you.”
“David wanted to tell you about me for a while,” Gloria added. “I kept asking him not to. I needed to get my bearings first. Right up until last night, he was ready to tell you.”
“Why did you both wait so long?” Lisa asked.
“I was afraid,” Gloria admitted. “How do you tell your child that you were just a teenager when you had her and that her grandfather took her away?”
“There was a photo,” Lisa responded. “My adoptive mother showed it to me on my sixteenth birthday. But I didn’t know what to do with it.”
“I’ve watched you from a distance,” Gloria revealed. “My father recently shared some details, and through the hospital, I found out who you were.”
“I understand if you’re angry or confused,” Gloria continued, “but I had to find you. I’m here if you want to get to know me.”
All of Lisa’s anger melted away. She had always wanted to meet her biological mother. Embracing Gloria first, then David, her feelings were clear. This was the answer both David and Gloria were hoping for.
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