A slice-of-life short story about an adopted child who meets his birth mother for the first time since she gave him up to a family over twenty years prior…
Linnea sat quietly sobbing in her tiny studio apartment as she read over all the details on her baby boy’s birth certificate. It was all she had left to remember him by and she had not so much as looked at the document in the last twenty-some-odd years.
In fact, the creases were tucked so tightly together for so long, the paper would fold on its own if she didn’t hold it with both hands – one at the top and one on the bottom. But, this was a nearly impossible task, given the tears rolling down her face required regular wiping to prevent them from spilling onto the precious paper, which had turned a yellowish brown due to its age – twenty-two years old.
Now, the names listed brought back many memories – some of them too painful to bear. It was a life that had ended long ago and one that she had purposely put aside in order to survive at a time when she had no other choice under the circumstances. More than two decades had not erased much, particularly her guilt and it was that very emotion that hurt her the deepest.
Still, there was hope, though slim and uncertain. A second chance she never imagined had presented itself. However, no matter how improbable, regardless of its difficulty, she was willing to give it an earnest try. Perhaps – just maybe – she could find some solace or even a bit of lasting peace. Although, any potential prospect of those two was dubious in her mind, given the more likely scenarios yet to unfold.
Those included the most unsettling possibilities – outcomes that would only serve to worsen her own sense of identity and almost surely ruin her self-perception – a characteristic she’d worked so hard to cultivate over the past twenty-plus years. What could well happen next was most definitely a threat to her familiar persona.
Linnea put the birth certificate aside, picked up her phone, and looked through her notifications – all of which were merely run-of-the-mill. Swiping them away one by one, she came to the most recent text from a local number, reading simply, “See you soon!”
The words could be interpreted in several ways. Without vocal inflections, body language, and other important telltale clues that would provide necessary context, it could very well mean just about anything. Of course, the message may be a show of enthusiasm. But, it was equally possible it was conveying an ambiguous threat. Then, there was yet another possibility – it was just flippant and had no real emotion behind it whatsoever. Never before had she felt so anxious. Nor was it in any way comforting to be subjected to such a high level of uncertainty.
Linnea tried to think back to the last time she felt this nervous and apprehensive about something. Still, nothing that came close came to mind. The failure to recall only exacerbated her mood and she quickly started to feel overwhelmed. She placed her phone face down, walked into the kitchen, and grabbed a cold glass of water from the refrigerator. The drink helped to calm her nerves a little, but not nearly enough.
However, no matter how she felt at the moment, she had to pull herself together. Wiping her blue eyes one last time, she took a deep breath, then walked into the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and started to clean up, carefully applying makeup to conceal any trace of crying. As she applied her makeup, she looked for gray hairs among the blonde and for any emerging wrinkles.
At thirty-eight years old, Linnea appeared a bit older (at least to her) than her age, and although her light hair was free of any grays, it simply didn’t look as silky as it did only five or so years ago. Plus, despite being on the move all day long, five days a week, her figure wasn’t nearly as fit as it was in her mid-twenties.
Of course, this was only natural and she knew the more time passed, the harder it would be to stay in any sort of reasonable shape. And, as her body went through its inevitable changes, the prospect of finding a man who found her attractive dwindled. She thought to herself, “What kind of man would even approach someone like me? It’s not like one of the young executives is going to walk out of his office at work, take the trash can and broom out of my hands, and then nervously ask me for a date. I mean, what professional actually finds a poor cleaning lady attractive?”
It was a reality Linnea lived for far too many years. And now, she was about to face her past.
Meanwhile, in an office park not far away, a twenty-two-year-old intern, Kevin, was nervously checking his attire, straightening his tie, combing his strawberry blonde hair, and fishing about for a small package of breath mints in his pocket.
Fresh out of college and already a semester into his MBA, the young man aspired to build a distinguished reputation as an executive, which he could then leverage to leap into entrepreneurship. One day, he would own a successful company of his own. But, not before checking off a few big to-do items first.
Standing nearly six feet tall, with a fair complexion to match his light hair and blue eyes, Kevin was the product of a loving, supportive family, who encouraged him in any passionate pursuit – be it sports, acting, or school. A natural rule-follower but curious and skeptical, the twenty-two-year-old had an exemplary academic record.
He finished high school with dual-enrollment credits for college, knocking out his first two years with ease. Lean, handsome, and athletic, he could have continued to play baseball but he realized his shortcomings were probably too big to overcome. A high school infield star, sure; but not enough talent for the big league or even the minors. So, he took a more realistic path and now, he was on track to be one of the youngest executives in the company.
Finding the mints, he picked two out of the package – one for each side of his mouth. It was something he did whenever he felt insecure or uncertain about meeting someone new. The taste gave him a quick jolt of enjoyment, and as he placed the package back in his pocket, and picked up his phone.
Kevin scrolled through his notifications, swiping them away one after another until they were all cleared. He opened his messages again, even though he knew there weren’t any new texts. He looked at the last he sent, reading aloud, “See you soon!” and thinking, “I hope that wasn’t misinterpreted.” But, then thought, “Nah. It’s nothing more than just a confirmation. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be taken any other way. Still, I suppose it could be considered a thinly-veiled threat. Or, maybe, eagerness. Then again, it could also come off as glib. Wait a second, wait a second, don’t you go overthinking this Kev, it’ll just drive you nuts for no good reason.”
Shaking his head and chuckling, Kevin put on his coat and checked his tie once again in the mirror before grabbing his keys and heading out of the office door. At the same time, Linnea checked her face again in the bathroom mirror, only moderately satisfied with the reflection but she couldn’t dawdle any longer, it was a few minutes past time to leave her apartment.
Both Linnea and Kevin were headed to the same destination, a small cafe located between the apartment building and the office space. A place they’d both visited several times but never to meet each other. This time, though, that’s exactly what they had previously arranged – to meet one another for the first time…at least, as adults.
Twenty-two years ago Linnea was sixteen years old and she had just given birth to Kevin. Alone, without parents to help support her and her baby, she decided after careful consideration to give him up for adoption. It was a gut-wrenching decision and one she anguished over, but the only realistic option – even now.
As she walked to the cafe, Linnea was terrified her son, Kevin, would be bitter and angry. That he’d have so much contempt, he would never want to see or hear from her again. At the same time, Kevin was worried that his birth mother wouldn’t even show up for the meeting. And if she did, he had no idea what to expect from her attitude or behavior-wise. But, he really wanted to find out for himself.
By now, the mother and son had been in contact for the past month, starting with a direct message Kevin wrote to Linnea, revealing he’d identified her as his birth mother. Shocked by the news, she let two days go by before replying. They quickly discovered they both lived in the same town – a remarkable coincidence given it was hundreds of miles away from where she gave birth.
Neither of them was particularly active on social media, rarely posting, and that’s what made their chance reunion all the more unbelievable as neither one had any personal information in their bios. Regardless, through careful research, he managed to track her down and they were about to meet face-to-face.
“Excuse me, are you Linnea? Linnea Søsteren? Sorry, if I mispronounced your name.”
“Yes, I am. You must be Kevin…Kevin Thorton?”
The two stared at one another for a few moments before hugging, both with tears in their eyes. They hugged again, laughed, and stood in disbelief before sitting at a nearby table, and ordering coffee.
“I can’t believe you found me, Kevin!”
“I can’t believe it either!”
“You don’t know how much that means to me, Kjell. Uh… I mean… Kevin.”
“Did you just call me Kjell?”
“My mistake. I’ve been saying a prayer for you every day and I always call you by your name.”
“Kjell?”
“Yes. It’s Scandinavian – like the original name of this town.”
“Sisters Crossing is a Scandinavian name?”
“No, it was originally called ‘Søsteren.’ But, over the years, it morphed into ‘Sisters’ and then ‘Sisters Crossing.’”
“Wait a moment, your last name is Søsteren, you’re Linnea Søsteren!”
“I know, it’s from my great-great-grandparents. They were one of the first families to settle in the area.”
“So, does Søsteren mean sister?”
“Yes, yes it does. Unfortunately, that’s the only Scandinavian I know.”
“Scandinavian? Is that why you named me Kjell?”
“Yeah. But apparently, your adoptive family changed your name to Kevin,” Linnea said sheepishly.
“So my last name is actually Sister and not my adoptive parents’ last name? Well, it’s a good thing I grew up a Thorton because having the last name Sister would have been brutal, I would have been teased relentlessly as a kid!”
The quip made them both laugh heartily and they instantly realized they shared the same sense of humor. They continued their conversation, asking each other about their experiences and what each did now.
“There’s not much to say when it comes to my job, I’m on the cleaning and facilities crew at a local office park. It’s just right up the street, to the left, and around the bend.”
“You’re kidding me!” He replied with delight.
“No, no I’m not. Why? What makes that so funny?”
“I work in that building. It’s my first real job!”
“Are you serious?”
“I am… been there for the past couple of months.”
“Well, I’ll be… I can’t believe… what a small world.”
Then, Kevin stroked his chin and tittered, pausing for a moment before asking with all due respect and caution, “I know this is very difficult but, the only thing I really want to know is… is…uh…”
“You want to know why I gave you up for adoption? Is that it?”
With a bit of a wince on his face, Kevin continued, “Yeah. I mean, if it’s too painful, you don’t have to tell me now. You can tell me whenever you’re ready.”
Linnea took a sip of her coffee, then a deep breath, and as calmly as she could muster, explained, “I was very young and seven months pregnant when your father died. He ran away from home when he was sixteen, and tried to join the military, but they wouldn’t take him because he couldn’t pass the physical, due to a birth defect. So, he got into the construction trade and was our sole provider. At the time, my parents were in extremely poor health and lived their last days in a nursing facility. That meant it was just the two of us and I had no way to provide for both of us, let alone myself. In fact, I could barely afford to feed myself.”
“Wow! That’s quite a story! I’m so glad things worked out the way they did!” Kevin enthusiastically replied.
Uncertain about his true disposition, Linnea inquired, “Well, before we go any further, I just have to know something… Are you? Do you resent me?”
“Resent you?” He said with a big grin on his face.
“Yes, I would completely understand if you hold a grudge.” She cautiously continued.
“No, not in the least! Actually, I couldn’t wait to meet you!”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy to hear that. But, why wouldn’t you be resentful?” Linnea said, still unconvinced of his answer.
“I’m just not.” He reassured. “I don’t blame you. I mean, I can’t imagine how I’d handle such a situation!”
“Thank you for that, Kevin, I deeply appreciate it.” She thanked him, moderately relieved, but still a bit puzzled as to why.
“So, tell me, where would you get the idea I’d hate you or something?”
“Well, Kevin, it’s just that I think anyone would agree it was a selfish thing to do.” She explained, clutching her napkin tightly, and nervously wringing it between her hands.
“Selfish, how so?”
“Not having the courage to raise you as my boy. Giving me the freedom not to be burdened with a child at such a young age.”
“Sorry, but I don’t see it that way,” he said with the utmost sincerity. “In fact, I have a totally different take!”
“You do?”
“Sure!”
“How so?” She inquired, interested but anxious, her facial expression clearly simultaneously telegraphing curiosity and apprehension.
Kevin took a small sip of coffee, wiped his face with a napkin, loosened his tie, then put his palms face down on the table, relaxing back in his seat. “I know you were only sixteen. I know you were completely alone.” He said, looking straight at her face.
Then, crossed his fingers and rubbed his thumbs, continuing, “The people who adopted me… the Thortons… gave me a great childhood… raised me like I was their own natural-born child. They didn’t treat me any differently from their biological kids. In fact, I didn’t know I was adopted until I was eighteen.” He revealed, turning out his hands and shaking his head with a smile.”
Linnea smiled back, listening intently, her disposition now more relaxed.
“The Thortons gave me a wonderful home, plenty of love – tough love when it was necessary – and all the encouragement I ever needed!”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes. But…”
“But, what?” She quickly intervened, concerned about the contrasting preposition and his pause, her uneasiness rapidly returning, threatening to wipe away all the goodwill between them.
“Well, here’s what I mean,” he said, taking another sip of his coffee, and wiping his mouth once again. “You see, the Thortons, they provided me with everything I needed, food shelter, and clothing. Plus, I never lacked for many other things like toys, summer camps, sports equipment, and family vacations.” He explained, loosening his shirt collar as she gave him her undivided attention.
“But, they also gave me a whole lot more… like encouragement when I lacked confidence. Reassurance when I wasn’t positive about my decision. And, most of all, unconditional love – even when I didn’t do the right thing and let them down.”
Linnea couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, and as she grabbed her napkin to wipe her eyes and cheeks, the Thorton family walked into the cafe and stood beside their table.
Kevin nodded with a smile on his face and they silently returned the gesture. Linnea sat quiet, unsure of what to expect next. But, her son just looked back at her and continued where he left off.
“You see, I got all of that because you knew what was best for me when I needed it. At a time when you were completely overwhelmed and had no one to give you the slightest bit of guidance. It took a lot of courage to do what you did. A lot of selflessness. As far as I’m concerned, the good life I was given… it all started with you! If it wasn’t for your decision, I would have never known these truly amazing people. I wouldn’t have had the privilege of growing up in such a wonderful family.”
He paused for a moment, stretched his hand across the table, took her’s, then went on to say, “I know this is sudden and it’s a lot to ask, but we’d be very proud to have you as part of this. We’d like you to be part of our family!”
