Joy was too excited. She couldn't stop that little hop in her step when she walked.

Her mother finally got the tickets and they were both entering the huge amusement park she had never seen before.

As soon as she enters, she runs to the first roller coaster she sees dragging her mother along with her. "Woah Joy, slow down. The rides are not running anywhere." Her mother laughs but it seemed like she's so nervous.

Joy remembers the purpose of them being here, she had almost forgotten. Almost.

Is my dad not around anymore? That's why she's so nervous and sad.

A pang of sadness hits her too. Her mother nudges her and points somewhere. As she turns her head and sees the huge queue, she almost cries.

"Come on, it's okay. The ride will be worth it!" Her mother tries to cheer her up. "Okay come let's wait in line and I'll tell you a story about your childhood."

Joy's head perks up at that and she looks at the other excitedly. She nods her head as they get into line and wait for thier turn. "Sooo? What were you telling?"

"Okay yeah, once I came here with you and we sat in that little cup going round and round." Wendy gestures with her hands and speaks animatedly. "You started crying in two seconds of sitting on that ride and we were so embarrassed. I almost jumped out that thing."

Joy realises the we and smiles a little. Even though this might be a sad memory, Joy just feels happy in knowing about this especially since her mother never talks about her childhood.

"Anyways they had to actually stop the ride and let us down early. I was so funny, I wouldn't stop cribbing about it. But no, you weren't gonna stop there." Wendy sighs as if reliving her past and Joy feels so proud that she was a menace even as a kid. "You were a little prankster, you started pointing to the cups and cooing with that beautiful smile on your face and you would not stop jumping out my hold without me walking close to the ride."

Wendy stops almost hastily so as to not speak too much and Joy feels a little sad again. But she doesn't let those thoughts cloud her mind and thinks of how her mommy was when she was younger. "Glad to know how I was born a prankster!" She sees her mother's face fall a little after that but before she can ask anything thier chance has arrived and they are sitting on the ride. Joy is a little bit scared but she won't show it obviously.

"Ready, baby?" Her mother sqeezes her hand and then lets go as she looks ahead.

-- 

They are done with all the scary rides and now they are just going to some shops and eating food. It was evening already and Joy hopes her mother would talk to her now. About her father.

They settle down to eat some food and Wendy goes to order and get food. She comes back in a while and they just sit in silence. Joy wastes no time in bringing up the important topic again. "So mommy, tell me more about my childhood, when I was born was I a fat baby and was I tall and-"

Joy stops when her mother looks like she did that day, when she bought up her father. She stops and her heart thumps hard in her chest, she waits for her mother to say something, but she is scared about the older breaking down again. She cannot handle her mother being so sad and crying over something that doesn't matter now.

Wendy does speak up, scared and quiet, "Joy, honey, there are so many things about your childhood that you do not know and I am to blame for not telling you them. I want to tell you some things today but I am not brave, in fact, I am very scared."

Joy is glad her mother can share what she is feeling so casually, she smiles, "Mommy, you don't have to be scared, I am very strong. I don't even cry that often-"

"Now well-"

"Okay anyways," They both giggle at the little lie Joy just told. "What I wanna say is whatever you are about to say, I will take it like a strong girl and it won't change anything." 

Her mother looks like she is about to cry. No, this is exactly what she didn't want. "Baby promise me you will always be my daughter, my little baby?"

Joy starts to feel scared now too, whatever this is it is surely something not happy with the way her mother is acting. She gulps and nods, ready for whatever was about to come out. Her mother doesn't say anything for good 7 minutes, but Joy keeps waiting and looking at the other. 

"Baby, the....the truth is...I don't know i-if you were a giant baby o-or anything about you when you were born."

Her mommy is almost crying but she is confused, what does that even mean, how would her mother not know surely she gave birth to her. Did her father steal her and left, so her mother couldn't see her when she was born, or did-

Then she hears it. Her mind just goes numb. She doesn't understand, how is it possible? She is so much like her mum, it is not possible, it is not true, she's not-

I am adopted.

I am adopted.

I am adopted.

Her mother apoloziges profusely for not telling her earlier, but she has lost focus already. She does not listen to anything and she feels like she wants to run. It is her mother's hands on her that make her come back to this planet.

"Baby say something, please. If you are angry, I am ready to take the blame, everything, just say it all what do you feel?"

Joy said she is strong but she is not, she can feel her tears coming, now that her mother is crying. She speaks through hiccups, "B-but I don't....believe it..." Then her mother is getting up to come to hug her and she cries her heart out in the older's arms. When she calms down a bit, she mummers, "Mommy, did they think, I-I was that bad, that I deserved to just be dropped off, I-"

"Joy, no. They are nothing to you, I am your mother and I love you and I will never stop loving you. You are my baby and you deserve the world and I will give you the world." She hugs her mother again and her heart swells up at that. Her mother loved her so much even when she is adopted, even when she has no real parents of her own.

No, I have mommy.

"Thank you mommy for- for taking me in, for raising me-"

"No, no thankyou's I am your mother baby nothing changes that, do you get me?"

"Yes, you are my mother." She smiles through her tears. All questions of her father forgotten. She glances at the food that is cold now. They both laugh and eat. Joy feels happy knowing a part about her past.

"There is one more thing I want to tell you, but I am starving so.."

--

As they are exiting, Joy feels all sorts of emotions, she is sad because she was searching for a father when eveyrthing she needs, her mother has been beside her all this time. Even though she was curious about her father, she forgets about him. She is content with her mother and she will forget all about him. "Mommy you wanted to tell something else too right?"

As they enter their car, Wendy looks surprised and shocked, she stammers, "Y-yeah, well yeah." Joy waits patiently for her mother to say whatever she wanted to. 

"Joy, I know you have been curious about your father." Wendy's voice goes down as she speaks quietly like she is embarrased or hiding something big. But Joy doesn't admit to it, because she doesn't want her mother to feel bad, she shakes her head.

"Don't lie, I know you have been. It is only natural to think about someone who was also a part of your childhood and raised you with so much love and kindness." Joy cannot hold back a smile that reaches her eyes. She knows that she wasn't delusional when she thought about that one person who she played with, the one who's face she doesn't remember at all. "I was not alone when we adop