Could this cruel, wild-eyed woman really be his mother? Her wordsYou were my youthful mistakeechoed in his ears.
The only thing Alex knew about himself was that he had been found screaming from hunger and fear on the doorstep of a nursery as a baby. His mother must have had some shred of conscience left, because she had wrapped him in a warm blanket, tied a cashmere shawl around him, and placed the wailing bundle in a cardboard box. She hadnt wanted him to freeze, at least.
There was no noteno name, no birthdate, no clue to his origins. But clutched in his tiny fist was a large silver pendant in the shape of the letter Ahis only inheritance from his mother.
The pendant was unique, not some mass-produced trinket but a custom piece with a jewellers hallmark. The authorities used this lead to track down the reckless mother and hold her accountable, but the trail went cold. The jeweller who had crafted it had passed away from old age, and his records held no mention of the piece.
So, the boy was registered at the orphanage as Alex Unknown. Another ward of the state.
His entire childhood was spent in the care of the orphanage, utterly deprived of parental love. All he dreamed of was finding his mother and father one day.
“Something terrible must have happened for her to abandon me like that. Shell come back for me,” he thoughtjust like every other child there.
When he aged out of the system, his caretaker hung the pendant around his neck and told him its story.
“So, she wanted me to find her?” he asked.
“Maybe. Or perhaps you just tugged it off her neck by accident. Babies grab things, you know. The pendant was in your fist without a chain!” she suggested.
The state gave Alex a small flattiny but his own. He enrolled in a technical college, graduated, and found work at a garage.
***
He met Elspeth by pure chancethey collided on the street. More accurately, they bumped into each other first, sending her fashion magazines tumbling from her arms. Then, when Alex scrambled to pick them up, their heads clashed.
The impact was so hard that sparks flew from their eyes, tears streaming as they sat laughing on the pavement while passers-by stepped around them. That was the moment Alex knew he had fallen in love for good.
“I have to make this right. Let me take you for coffee,” he offered.
Elspeth surprised herself by how quickly she agreed. There was something endearing about his clumsy bear-like manner, almost familiar.
“You know, Lex, it feels like Ive known you forever,” she said within minutes.
“FunnyI was thinking the same.”
They began dating, their affection deepening with every call and text, attuned to each other in ways neither could explain. If Alex cut his finger at work, Elspeth would ring instantly, asking if he was hurt.
“Youre me, and Im you. I think youre my fate,” he told her once. “Wish I could introduce you to my parents as my fiancée. But I have no one.”
“You have me. And I know my parents will love you.”
***
“‘My boyfriends from an orphanage?’ Have you lost your mind? Those children are all troubled, unsocialised!” Margaret, Elspeths mother, clutched her chest and sank into her leather armchair.
“Mum, Alex is kind and funny! You cant judge everyone the same!” Elspeth protested.
“Shes right, love. You cant form an opinion without meeting him. Bring him round, lets talk, see what sort of man your Lex is. Then well decide if panic is warranted,” said her father, James, a retired officer.
“James, you dont understand! We didnt raise her with such care just for her to marry a man with no family, no roots! What if his parents were criminals?” Margaret cried hysterically.
“Well find out when we meet him,” James said firmly.
Margaret gave in, storming off to her room and slamming the door.
James winked at Elspeth. “Dont worry, love. Well manage.”
“Thanks, Dad!” She kissed his cheek. “So, Ill invite Lex over Saturday?”
“Of course. I need to meet the man whos stolen my daughters heart.”
***
On the appointed day, Alex stood at the door, smartly dressed, holding two bouquetsone for Elspeth, one for her motherand a cake.
Beaming, Elspeth led him to the kitchen. “Mum, Dadthis is my Lex!”
James shook his hand warmly. Margaret accepted the flowers, then suddenly paled, speechless.
After a long pause, she murmured, “Forgive meIm just a bit flustered,” and invited everyone to the table.
Over dinner, she asked, “Alex, that pendantits unusual. Not something youd find in a shop.”
“Its all I have from my mother. I was found clutching it as a baby.”
Margaret fell silent, pushing peas around her plate. James, however, took to Alex immediately, bonding over football, skiing, and fishing.
“Fine young man,” he declared after Alex left.
“Fine? Hes crude, ill-mannered” Margaret burst out.
“Margaret, have you lost your senses? Whats he done to you?” James asked, baffled.
But she was relentless. Turning to Elspeth, she snapped, “Break it off. Now.”
She refused to explain, retreating to her room as usual.
***
“What do I do?” Panic hammered in her skull. “Of all the people in the world, how did they find each other?” She lifted tear-filled eyes to an old photograph tucked in the bookcase.
In the black-and-white image, a younger version of herself smirked proudly, the same pendant around her neck.
“So, I didnt lose it that day. That little wretch must have torn it off!”
She snatched the photo, hiding it in her pocket. “James and Elspeth mustnt see this. I need a plan.”
Margaret didnt sleep that night. The only solution she could think of was to confront Alex and demand he leave town forever.
“Darling, forgive meI behaved awfully. Id like to apologise to Alex. Could you give me his number?”
Elspeth, unsuspecting, gladly handed it over and left in high spirits.
Alone, Margaret dialled at once. “Alex, could you come over? In an hour?”
“Of course.”
An hour later, he stood on the doorstep. Margaret, red-eyed and drawn, ushered him inside.
“We need to talk,” she said stiffly.
“Alex, you must leave Elspeth. Swear to meneither she nor James will ever know why.”
“I swear,” Alex whispered, sinking onto the sofa, dread pooling in his stomach.
“Alex, Elspeth is your sister.” She placed the photo before him.
“Mum?” His voice cracked. Tears welled. “And my father?”
Margaret shook her head. “No, James isnt your father. We were dating, but he left for military academy. I was young, foolish. Then your father came along When I found out I was pregnant, he abandoned me. I told James nothing. When I began showing, I went to my grandmothers, claimed the baby was stillborn, and left you at the nursery. Then I returned. James and I married months later.”
“And me?” Alexs tears spilled over.
“You? You were a mistake. You werent supposed to come back and ruin everything Ive built. Leave. Disappear. Let my family be.”
Alex stared, mute.
“Could this cruel, wild-eyed woman really be his mother?”
Her words”You were my youthful mistake”echoed in his ears.
He stood, exhaling shakily. “Goodbye, Margaret. Your secrets safe.”
“But I wont keep it!”
They turned, startled. Elspeth stood in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes blazing.
“I thought you were a good person. But youre vile. Absolutely vile.”
***
“Forgive me, sis. I have to go,” Alex muttered, hiding his tears.
He ran blindly, wishing he could dissolve into nothingness. Days later, he enlisted in the military, bound for a conflict zone.
James and Elspeth came to see him off. James clasped his shoulder.
“Stay strong, son. Youve got family waiting for youcome back safe.”
Elspeth hugged him tightly. “Come home, brother. We love you.”
Warmth flickered in Alexs chest. He might not have a mother, but he wasnt alone in the world. He had a father and sister now. The only regret? Hed loved Elspeth as more than family.
As for Margaret, she was left alone. James divorced her, disgusted by her cruelty.
Yet she still blamed Alexforever showing up at the wrong time.
Lifes cruelest irony? Love and loss are often two sides
