“We spent the rest of that night carrying people out, and sending them to the emergency room. I said to myself, ‘I shouldn’t be here. I have children.’ I called my husband, worried about what he would say. My palms were sweating. ‘Go get your kids,’ he responded.”
‘Inside I was screaming, ‘I am your aunt!’ We waited in the school office. One by one, our kids walked into the room. We didn’t have a plan, but I knew my suspicions were right.’
‘You were the product of a one-night stand,’ my mother said. Something in her voice let me know I couldn’t trust her. She let me go on a wild goose chase when she knew the truth all along.’
“Switched at birth. I lost my family, my identity, and even my last name. I didn’t know who I was anymore. When I was a bit older, both of my parents sat me down to tell me the truth.”
‘The nurse said, ‘She’s going.’ She looked me right in the eyes as I brushed her hair. ‘It’s okay, Grandma. Go see Grandpa and the girls.’
“My dad got the phone call. ‘Get back here….NOW!’ She hugged me and said, ‘I love you, Tootsiebell.’”
‘Holy crap. Am I exposing a family secret? Who even knows I given up for adoption all those years ago? I am looking at my biological family tree. There are pictures. And names.’
“I went from knowing next to nothing, to staring obsessively at these names. At first it was fascinating. Like I uncovered a huge mystery. But then, other thoughts started to creep into my head. What if I’m just a horrible mistake two people made and then forgot about?”
‘Our foster son came home with Family Tree homework. Seems innocent enough—until you have a kid whose tree has gone through a hurricane’
“Who are we? Are we family?”