For May, it was like she was seeing her resemblance in the mirror. She couldn’t believe her eyes and thought they were deceiving her. As soon Ray followed his wife’s gaze to the door, he soon saw the resemblance too. This could not be a simple coincidence, it was only the two of them who knew the truth behind it, or so they thought.

Though May sat and listened to her husband asking the girl about her life and parents, her mind had gone far away. Could this be my daughter? She asked herself and her question was soon answered.

The girl mentioned her parents’ names and that her father was once a security guard at a hotel. May’s mind darted back to the past and it took all her might not to cry and announce that the girl was her daughter. How could she say it, why had fate reversed their life? She excused herself and left Ray to entertain the guests and she rushed to their bedroom to ponder on her thoughts and cry.

She hadn’t anticipated that her daughter would come into her life this way, but she had, and that was the reality. She needed to find a way to deal with everything and luckily Ray was there for her and to hold her hand through it. Ray had expressed his gratitude for Joy’s visit and she had left with a sigh of relief. As she left she couldn’t help but wonder why Sam’s mother had excused herself and never returned to see them off.

She knew that it wasn’t because she didn’t like her but she had seen something in her eyes. Joy was good at reading people and she had managed to see the pain and hurt in Sam’s mother. There was something else that she had seen but she refused to put her finger on it. She felt like Sam’s mother had recognized her from somewhere or better still like their hearts knew each other. She had felt their hearts beating strongly and she wondered why such a strong bond had  been formed between two strangers. She was sure she had never met his mother before but it still felt like they had met.

She soon dismissed the thought as her eager mother sat joyfully listening to how she had been treated. She had skipped the part of Sam’s mother.

Being the doctor that he was, Ray sent a sample of the glass that Joy had used to the DNA lab for some tests. He wanted to be sure of his suspicions before raising his wife’s hope. The results proved that Joy was indeed May’s daughter and from there they worked on a solution to break the news.

Joy couldn’t sleep a wink and after some thinking she soon realized that she had this woman’s face in her dreams. She was the tearful woman who always appeared in her dreams crying and holding out her hand towards Joy. But why?

Joy wanted to know what their connection was and how it was possible. She was relieved when she received a call from Sam’s mother apologising for her lack of hospitality and inviting her for tea. Reluctantly she went but her mind wasn’t at rest, as if the questions were written on her face, May asked what was bothering her. She was hesitant at first and at last she told May all about the weird dreams she had encountered as a child up until now.

May couldn’t help but cry at hearing all this.

She thought the past had a way of catching up with the present and connecting it together. She wanted to tell Joy the reason was because she was her mother but she was afraid of scaring her away. She however told her to call and invite her parents to join her. By sunset the two families had gathered and Jim was shocked to see May.

He hadn’t been around to hear her daughter telling her mother about her visits to this family. He couldn’t react as his wife was around and so he just sat down and listened. Gift and Sam sat also wondering why their parents had called a family meeting at such short notice. It was Ray who began to speak to break the silence.

His first question was directed at Jim asking him if he knew his wife. To his wife and daughter’s disbelief he said a silent yes which sounded more like a whisper. He was given a chance to explain how and where they had met and Tracy had been so shocked that she didn’t know how to react. She had heard the rumours about her husband having a mistress but the rumours had soon died so she hadn’t truly believed them.

She had regarded it as a women’s jealousy towards her and her family. But now the present had proved her wrong and she could hardly speak at all when Jim finished explaining about the pregnancy.

After Jim was done, it was May’s turn to continue and finish the story. She knew that was no easy way to tell it except the truth. She told every single bit of the truth and how she had exchanged the children. Everyone was in disbelief especially the children; she could barely look them in the eye.

Suddenly Gift began to understand why her so-called mother had only been an active mother and not warm and affectionate towards her. Hurt couldn’t possibly begin to explain the mixed emotions that filled the room. The room felt small and crowded for everyone. Jim wondered how such a sweet, innocent girl like May had turned to be so evil and do such a despicable thing like that.

Tracy couldn’t take any of it; she felt paralyzed and caught up in a web. How had she become the victim of all this? How could Joy, a child she loved so much, not be hers? If they expected her to accept and give up on her daughter then they were making of fool of themselves.

May found herself crying and speechless, she didn’t know what to say or do to make things right. The truth was in the open and it hurt so badly. She would never forgive herself and none of them would. Both May and Jim blamed themselves. Jim knew that if only he hadn’t left her she wouldn’t have done something like that and had he told his wife then all this could have been avoided.

Forgiveness was a long shot away from their situation, and who had to forgive who?

Gift and Joy were too traumatized to say anything and so they sat there looking at their mothers in disbelief. Sam had decided that he would stay out of all this and even when the talks were done he had packed his bag and headed for the airport. Not even his father had had the energy to stop him as he stormed out of the room without a word.

What could he possibly say to anyone? He had just discovered that the girl he loved so much was his half-sister? Ray excused himself as he thought that he had played his part in this family reunion. It was now left to the people involved to take a step forward and set the record straight. They all sat with red swollen eyes staring at each other waiting to see who would take the first step towards their reconciliation.

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Tell us what you think: Do you the family is going to reconcile? Who would you hold accountable for this mess, who would you blame?