June 12
Ive finally managed to run the DNA test, and the results confirmed what Id been suspecting all along.
Auntie Sue, Ive got nowhere else to go, she sobbed, her face wet with bitter tears. Please, forgive me. Ill never do it again. She never really explained where shed been or what shed been doing, but she looked utterly pitiful.
We took her back in, though Archie wasnt thrilled. She was Sophies mother after alla wandering orphan.
Archie has always seemed a bit out of step with the world. Since childhood hes been a quiet, steady lad, never throwing a tantrum or causing a ruckus, preferring to nestle in a corner with his books.
Archie, why dont you run round the back garden with the other boys? his granny would nag.
Mother, leave him be. Better he stays reading than end up like that neighbour lad, Vinnie, who got a police record at twelve, his own mother, Sarah, would protest.
He kept his head down; hed long learned that silence was the safest route through the endless squabbles of the two women whod raised him from day one. Officially, his father was a ghost.
So he threw himself into biology, barely noticing the world beyond the lab. Women, love, all that seemed distant.
Son, do you ever plan on getting married? Having grandchildren for me? Sarah asked when he turned twentysix.
Mother, theres a time for everything, he brushed off. His project at the Institute of Biomedical Research had everyones focus; there was no room for romance.
Sarah sighed heavily. He was handsome, clever, but painfully introverted. Yet a year later he surprised us all by bringing home Poppy.
Meet her, Mum, this is my fiancée. The wedding is next month, Archie announced, his tone flat as ever.
Alright then Come in, lets get acquainted, Sarah replied, masking her surprise.
He never mentioned dating anyone, let alone filing a notice at the registry office. Poppy, however, didnt win Sarahs favor immediately: she was gaunt, hair a tangled mess of black with a streak of blue, a tiny ring in her nose, a tattoo on her wrist, and she was only twentythree.
She worked as a waitress in the café where Archie celebrated the success of his project. Her parents were dead, a distant cousin had swindled her out of a flat, and shed been drifting from one friends couch to another.
Seeing her plight, Sarahs heart softened. She took the young couple under her roof. Life settled into a quiet, harmonious rhythmno clashing matriarchs in the kitchen, no shouting matches. Poppy didnt bother with household chores, but she helped Sarah when asked, quietly.
Archie never cared much about food or fashion, but Sarah made sure he ate and dressed decently. For six months everything was blissful, until Poppy vanished.
Nothing was stolen; most of her belongings stayed where they were. Only her phone was switched off, and Archie barely knew any of her friends.
For the first time I saw my sons nerves frayhe missed work for two days, scouring the town, calling hospitals and morgues, then filing a police report. It led nowhere; Poppy had simply slipped away.
A month later she walked back through the front door, shyly smiling.
I’m sorry, Archie, she whispered, and Auntie Sue, please forgive me. I needed some time alone.
Archie planted a kiss on her, and I stared at her, searching for any sign of foul playnothing. She seemed genuinely exhausted, not a trace of scandal.
A further month passed and Poppy announced she was pregnant. I was over the moon, even more than Archie, who was again buried in his research.
The months that followed saw us grow close. She obeyed my advice, ate well, went for walks, kept her appointments. Yet at term she developed complications and gave birth a bit early.
The baby girl weighed under three kilograms, had some health issues, and spent two weeks in the neonatal unit. After that, I helped bring her home; by three months Sophie was as spry as any other child her age.
Why didnt I look after her? Because two weeks after the birth Poppy disappeared again. Nothing was taken, her passport was gone, but the birth certificate remained.
This time Sarah and Archie didnt launch a search right away. I thought she might return soon; Archie was busy, and I needed to look after Sophie. We even arranged a formal caregivers leave for me, the extra money a welcome bonus.
Ive never admitted it, but caring for Sophie gives me true happiness.
Mom, you look younger! Archie noted, surprised at my renewed vigor.
Of course! Im a mother again, I laughed.
I never complained about my daughterinlawGod forbid! I told anyone who asked that Poppy had simply gone away. No police report this time; she phoned me once, mumbling about a crisis, but I barely listened.
Four years passed without a word from Poppy, then she reappeared, sobbing exactly as she had before.
Auntie Sue, I have nowhere else to go, she cried, Please, I wont do it again.
We let her back in, despite Archies reluctance. She was Sophies mother, after alla driftaway orphan. Sophie, however, recoiled from her and called me Mum.
Within weeks Poppy declared she was pregnant again.
Good grief! Archie snapped. We dont need another strangers child!
Son, what do you mean stranger?
Mum, we havent been husband and wife for ages! he retorted. Im planning to marry, and this mess needs to end.
I was blissfully unaware of his new plans; my world revolved around Sophie.
Poppy, tearful, begged us to let her stay until the birth. Archie grudgingly agreed, with my reluctant blessingafter all, I feared losing Sophie if Poppy left for good.
How am I supposed to divorce her now? Archie wondered aloud. Why didnt I think of this before?
Ill try to persuade Poppy to split, I promised, praying the situation would resolve without a courtroom.
Then Archie, halfjoking, mused that Sophie might not be his biological daughter. Maybe I should get tested.
I gasped; the thought of another loverperhaps a girl called Marthaflashed through my mind.
He ran the DNA test. When the results arrived, he snarled, brandishing the report.
This is it! he cursed, swearing.
Dont speak like that, son! I snapped. Youre a mother too, you should have known Sophie wasnt yours!
He shouted back, Im the biological father, so what? And you you didnt even realise I wasnt her real dad! Tears streamed down my face as I retorted, I love that child as my own!
The argument ended abruptly. By then, Poppy was six months pregnant again, placed on bed rest. After two weeks I finally spoke with her.
I wasnt sure, she whispered, eyes brimming, but I know Ill never be the father of Sophies child.
I warn you, I growled, I wont stand for it.
She left, and Sophie was legally removed from my sons name. I quickly applied for full guardianship; Poppy didnt object and consented to a divorce. She abandoned the second child at the hospital and vanished, making my job easier.
Archie married Martha and moved out. We talk only occasionally now.
All in all, the years have been a rollercoaster of loss, reunion, and unexpected revelations, but the one constant has been my love for Sophie.
