Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Eight: The Reunion
Maria could not stop thinking about Sarah.
Her birth mother. The woman who had given her away nineteen years ago. The woman who had been thinking about her every day, wondering where she was, wondering if she was happy.
She sat in the garden, her hands wrapped around a cup of tea, her eyes fixed on the horizon. The sun was rising over the city, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink and gold. The birds were singing. The flowers were blooming. The world was waking up.
Lily sat beside her.
"How are you feeling?" Lily asked.
Maria was quiet for a moment. "Confused. Happy. Sad. All of it."
Lily put her arm around her. "That's normal. That's what reunion feels like."
Maria leaned into her. "I don't know what to do next."
Lily smiled. "You take it one day at a time. That's what my mother did. That's what you'll do too."
---
Maria called Sarah the next day.
"Hi," she said, her voice shaking.
"Hi," Sarah said.
They were both quiet for a moment.
"I'd like to see you again," Maria said. "If you want."
Sarah's voice cracked. "I'd like that."
They made plans to meet the following weekend.
---
Maria arrived early. She sat at a table by the window, her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee, her heart pounding.
Lily sat beside her, her hand on Maria's knee.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked.
"No."
"Do you want to leave?"
"No."
"Then we stay."
Maria nodded.
She watched the door.
---
Sarah walked in at noon.
She was wearing a simple dress, her hair pulled back, her face bare of makeup. She looked nervous. She looked hopeful.
She saw Maria.
She walked to the table.
"Maria," she said.
Maria stood up. "Sarah."
They looked at each other for a long moment.
"Thank you for coming," Maria said.
Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you for inviting me."
They sat down.
---
They talked for hours.
Sarah told Maria about her life after the adoption. She had gone to college. She had become a teacher. She had married and divorced. She had no other children.
"I couldn't have more," she said. "I had complications. You were my only one."
Maria's heart ached. "I'm sorry."
Sarah shook her head. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault."
Maria was quiet for a moment. "Why didn't you keep me?"
Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "I was sixteen. I was scared. My family disowned me. I had nowhere to go. I wanted you to have a better life than I could give you."
Maria reached across the table and took her hand. "I had a good life. My adoptive parents loved me. They took care of me."
Sarah squeezed her hand. "I'm glad."
---
They met every weekend after that.
They went to coffee. They went to lunch. They went for walks in the park.
They talked about everything and nothing. Their lives. Their dreams. Their fears.
Maria learned that Sarah loved to paint. That she had a dog named Max. That she volunteered at a local animal shelter.
Sarah learned that Maria loved to read. That she was studying to be a teacher. That she had a boyfriend named David.
"I want you to meet him," Maria said.
Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "I'd like that."
---
Maria brought David to meet Sarah.
They met at a small café, the same one where they had met for the first time. David was tall and kind, with brown eyes and a warm smile. He shook Sarah's hand.
"It's nice to meet you," he said.
Sarah smiled. "It's nice to meet you too."
They talked for hours. David asked questions. Sarah answered them. Maria watched them and felt her heart swell.
"She likes him," Maria said to Lily afterward.
Lily smiled. "Of course she does. He's a good man."
---
Maria started to call Sarah "Mom."
It happened naturally, without planning. They were sitting in the garden, watching the sunset, when Maria said, "Mom?"
Sarah turned to look at her. "Yes?"
Maria's eyes filled with tears. "I just wanted to say it."
Sarah pulled her into her arms. "I've waited nineteen years to hear that."
---
Maria brought Sarah to the penthouse for Sunday dinner.
The family gathered, every generation represented. The rooms were crowded with laughter and conversation, the air thick with the smell of fresh flowers and baking bread.
Sarah looked around at all the people, her eyes wide with wonder.
"This is incredible," she said to Maria.
Maria smiled. "This is my family."
Sarah shook her head. "I can't believe you found them."
Maria took her hand. "They found me."
---
After dinner, Lily sat with Sarah in the garden.
The stars were out, scattered across the sky like tiny diamonds. The air was cool and quiet. The city hummed in the distance.
"Thank you," Sarah said. "For helping Maria. For taking care of her."
Lily took her hand. "She's family now. We take care of each other."
Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "I never had that. A family that takes care of each other."
Lily squeezed her hand. "You have it now."
---
That night, Maria sat in the garden with Sarah.
"Thank you," Maria said. "For giving me up. For giving me a better life."
Sarah shook her head. "You don't have to thank me."
"I want to. I wouldn't be who I am without you."
Sarah pulled her into her arms. "I'm proud of you. I've always been proud of you."
---
End of Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Eight