Two

Tiffany was sitting alone in the bleacher of her campus track field. Her eyes wander around, looking at every student in her school and silently asking herself if any of them might be related to her. When her parents continued telling her about her past, Tiffany just felt even more conflicted with the revealed truth about her birth.

‘What if one of these students is my long lost sister or brother?’

She lets out another sigh for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Tiffany’s thoughts wandered back to her parents. Tiffany sure love them with all her heart and she perfectly knows that no can ever doubts how much her parents love her too. She doesn’t want to worry them or give them a chance to be worried about her.

Tiffany will just try to slowly accept everything on her own but still, she can’t help herself from still asking and wondering about her real parents.

‘What’s their name? Does Mom and Dad knows their name? Why did they give me away? Do I have a sibling?’

One day, when Tiffany can no longer bare the repetitive questions looping inside her mind, she finally went to her mother and carefully asked the older woman one of the many questions she wanted to ask out loud.

“Mommy… how did you and dad had me?”

Her mother stopped what she’s doing and turned her head towards Tiffany and looked at her eyes.

“It doesn’t matter, Tiffany. We already talked about it. You’re our daughter,”

Her mother seriously told her but her the hurt in her was easily seen by Tiffany, that made her instantly regret her action but she has already said it, there’s no more going back.

“Please, Mommy… I want to know,”

“What for?”

“I’m… I’m just curious…”

Her mother took a deep breath as Tiffany held hers in anticipation.

“Okay, I understand.”

Her mother pulled her towards their garden and gestured her to sit beside her on their favorite bench.

“Your Daddy and I… we did everything we can just for us have a child. We asked for help from numerous doctors. We tried faith healers. We even went to visit all types’ churches and temples that worship fertility statues or god and goddesses. But we still failed to conceive. We’re that unlucky. Then a friend of ours advised adoption to us. After years and years of waiting, we finally decided to that. We applied for adoption, but we never thought it was a hard and long process to do. You’re father got impatient in waiting.

For a brief moment, Tiffany saw sadness in her mother’s eyes before it changes into a wrinkled crescent smiling eyes. Her mother reached out and gently caressed her cheeks.

“Then when we were about to lose our hope… you came along. When you looked at us with your bright dazzling eyes… we knew right then that you’re the daughter we were praying for. We loved you at once.”

Tiffany smiled and get teary eyed as she looked at her mother’s loving eyes. She sweetly leaned her head on her mother’s shoulders and wrapped her arms on the older woman’s waist and arm.

“And then? Who brought me to you and Dad?”

“We have a missionary friend, one day he called us and told us to visit them in their sheltering home because he has a very precious gift for us… and that was you… Sir Hector knew how Robb and I had been wanting to have our own child for so long. And then there you were. When your chubby little hand reached out and hold on tight to my shaking little finger, everything feels wonderful and when I carried you in my arms, I felt whole. And when we brought you back with us, our house has finally become a home. You completed me and your father. And that was the happiest moment in our life.”

Tiffany titled her head and gave her mother a tender kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you, Mommy, I love you.”

Her mother kissed her forehead in return.

“I love you too my daughter.”

“One last question, please?”

Her mother nods at her and Tiffany could only gratefully smile back.

“How old was I back then?”

“You’re three months old.”

‘Oh! I was that young…’ Tiffany mentally gasped.

“Do you met my real p— them?”

Her mother shakes her head.

“No, we never even bothered to know their names in fear that if we contact them, they might have a change of mind and take you back. All we know is that some volunteer from one of the villages came back to the head quarter and was already carrying you and just told Sir Hector to find you a good family that would take of you.”

“Where is this Sir Hector now?”

“He was based in Busan before but we met him in Jeju-do by that time, we’re also volunteer teachers at his foundation around that time when we you arrive that’s why everything was in perfect timing. You know, you are our lucky charm. When you arrived, you brought not only happiness to us but you also brought so many good things to our fa