**Two Orphans and One Happy Home – How Fate Set Things Right**
Nina and Tanya rode the bus to a quiet village. A short walk from the stop, and they arrived at the right address. The yard was lively, tables being set—clearly, someone was preparing for a birthday celebration. The girls paused by the gate, and almost at once, a man stepped out.
“Lasses, you here for us?” he asked with a warm smile. “Who’ve you come to see, then?”
“We’re looking for Michael Evans,” Tanya answered.
“That’d be me,” he said, brows lifting in surprise. “You from the council, or…?”
“No,” Tanya said, glancing at Nina. “This is my friend Nina. Nins, show him the photo.”
Nina carefully unfolded an old picture and handed it over. Michael studied it for a long moment before looking back at her. His expression shifted right before their eyes.
“This is your daughter,” Tanya said softly.
Michael went still.
“My… daughter?”
This story had begun long before today. Two girls, Nina and Tanya, had met in a children’s home. They arrived on the same day and stuck together from the start. Both were orphans—not by tragedy, but by the choices of the adults around them.
Tanya had lost her mother, a woman who, though well-off, had preferred parties and fleeting romances over parenthood. Her father—who she’d never met—had sent money but nothing else. After her mother’s death, the relatives wanted no part of her. All that remained was a crumbling flat and a one-way ticket to the care system.
Nina had lived with her grandmother. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father… well, Gran knew who he was, but never bothered to track him down. He’d started a new family, none the wiser about the daughter he’d left behind. When Gran passed, Nina too ended up in care.
In the home, they were placed side by side. They clicked instantly, though they never quite fit in with the others. Often defending each other, just as often scrapping with the rest—it only made them closer.
After leaving, they rented a flat together and enrolled in college. That’s when the idea took root: to find their fathers.
Tanya’s was easy enough—his details were on file with social services. Nina’s was trickier. But with old photos and handwritten notes on the back, she pieced together a name. A bit of digging online, a few calls, an address… and now, here they were, stepping into fate’s hands.
Tanya’s father came first. A big house behind tall gates. They knocked. The reply was cold:
“He’s not here. Go away.”
At his office, no luck either. Hours later, he finally appeared. The conversation was sharp and brutal.
“I don’t want you. I paid my dues. I’ve got a family—you were a mistake. Stay out of my life.”
Tanya told him where to stick it, then cried all the way back.
“Right, your turn,” she said, wiping her face. “Let’s go find your dad.”
The address wasn’t hard to track down. The yard was decked out for a celebration. Michael Evans was in high spirits—until he saw the photo and heard the words, “This is your daughter.” His face darkened, then crumpled.
“You don’t… look much like your mum. But… there’s something. Evans! Fetch Gran!”
“Who’s this?” A teenager poked his head out.
“Just go!”
An elderly woman appeared—spry, bright-eyed.
“What’s all this, Michael?”
“Mum, don’t faint, but… this is my daughter. Your granddaughter.”
“Good heavens! Is it really? Oh, what a blessing! Girls, come inside—why stand out here? It’s my birthday today, you know—70!”
Nina and Tanya were pulled into tight hugs. Gran dug out old photos, and there was no doubt left—the same eyes, the same smile, even the same mole.
“We should do a test,” Nina murmured.
“If you like. But I don’t need one—you’re ours. And Tanya too. One granddaughter’s lovely, but two’s better! You’re both staying.”
Tanya burst into tears again.
“None of that,” Gran said. “Today’s a celebration. Michael’s wife passed five years back—just me and the lads in this house. Now we’ve got you two. Let’s eat, then you’ll tell us everything. Meet your uncles—Michael’s got four brothers. Youngest is John.”
The party was unforgettable. Laughter, stories, memories shared. Michael kept shaking his head.
“How could I not have known?”
“Things happen as they should,” Gran said. Then, with a wink: “And look how Nicholas is eyeing Tanya. Reckon we’ll have another wedding soon.”
She wasn’t wrong. A year later, Nicholas and Tanya married. Nina stayed close, a sister in all but blood. Michael became a father to them both. And Gran? She’d say, “Found two granddaughters in one go. That’s fate for you.”
Sometimes, life does set things right. Even if it takes a bit of heartache first.
