What other choice did I have? Did I really need a DNA test to prove she was my mother? No. Yet, I’d been duped before.
As if reading my mind, Linda spoke. “You had a birthmark . . .” With a trembling finger, she pointed to her forearm. “Right here.”
All eyes turned to me. I rolled up the sleeve on my left arm. I’d always hated that inch-long wine-colored birthmark. But today it was like discovering a vein of gold.
CHAPTER NINE
Linda reached out and gently took my wrist. She ran two fingers across my birthmark with care, as if it was the most precious thing in the world. Then her eyes found mine. “Can you ever forgive me?”
Regret and sadness roiled inside me like an ocean wave against a jagged cliff. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you never did. I haven’t forgiven myself.” Her face blanched. “I wouldn’t blame you for hating me.”
I had no answer for her. I turned to Silas and asked, “What now?”
“We must forgive others as God forgives us. That’s all there is to it.”
“Honestly, I don’t even know if I believe in God.” And yet a wonderful world of possibilities spread out before me.
“Then we will pray for you, Maria.” He turned his gaze to Linda. “And we’ll pray for you, too, that you can accept God’s never-ending mercy.”
As her reality became three-dimensional in my mind—what she’d endured living without her only child—my heart softened. She’d made a promise to a stranger at age seventeen that she had no doubt regretted hundreds of times. Thousands.
Affection for her expanded in my heart. “I wish I had a Christmas present to give you.” I took her small hand and felt fragile fingers.
“You just did. I can never thank God enough for you—my unexpected Christmas gift.” She reached out to embrace me, and I slid over closer to hug her. With my arms around her, I felt as though I was finally whole. Could a one-day-old baby remember her birth mother? A deep sob inside threatened to erupt, but I held it in. Yet a moment later, we were both crying decades-worth of tears.
Naomi brought over a box of tissues. “I’m glad you told us, Linda. And we’re happy to include Maria into the family. She can continue to stay here with us for as long as she likes.”
“Yah.” Silas nodded, his beard moving up and down. “We have plenty of room. I feel certain you’re one of us, Maria. It’s not as if we don’t rent out rooms every once in a while, anyhow.”
I took a tissue, blotted my eyes, and blew my nose. Linda did the same. Her eyes, rimmed with pink, gazed at me as if I were the most cherished person on earth. Mom never saw me that way. Trish was always the center of her universe. Not that I held animosity toward our mother; she’d done the best she could.
“I’ve always loved you, dear daughter.” Linda’s voice quavered. “Never has a day gone by when you’ve not been on my mind and in my heart.” Her words were a balm to my soul. “God’s hand was in this. I know it.” She blew her nose again. “The Lord must have orchestrated this whole reunion.”
“I guess you’re right.” No way could it be random.
“Then you’ll eventually come live with me?” Linda asked.
I was speechless, unable to formulate an answer. Wasn’t this what I wanted—why I’d come here? What was holding me back? Fear of more disappointment?
I looked into Linda’s face and saw myself twenty years from now. I had no doubt she was my biological mother. I experienced her encompassing love. But I felt like a child unsure of herself.
“I don’t know.” A rogue tear slipped down my cheek. “Shouldn’t I get to know you first?”
“Yah, Maria, we should get to know each other first.”
“All things work for good for those who love God,” Naomi said.
Silas harrumphed. “Who’s the minister in this household anyway?”
“Sorry, Silas. It just popped into my mind. But it’s true, isn’t it? I heard you saying that at church last month.”
As they spoke, I turned to Linda. Should I start calling her Mother or Mamm? I’d have to ask her later, after the colossal shock subsided and we were alone. We had much to talk about. Years to make up. I wanted to hear every detail of her life, without judgment. I inched closer to her, and we hugged each other again.
I could have stayed in her arms forever but heard, “Yoo-hoo.” I recognized Charlene’s cheery voice. When she saw Linda and me embracing each other, she stopped short. “Oh dear. Am I interrupting?”
“No,” Naomi and Silas said in unison.
Charlene’s lips turned up into a smile. “How is my patient doing?” Carrying her bag, she moved closer to Linda and felt her forehead. “I’ll take your temperature and listen to your lungs in a few minutes, but you feel cool. And there’s new color in your face—a glow, really.”
Troy stood in the doorway, his tall frame and broad shoulders filling the space.
“Come in, Troy.” Naomi got to her feet. “We have incredible news. Linda is Maria’s biological mother.”
“Really?” Troy sounded skeptical—not that I blamed him. “You had another DNA test already?”
Silas got to his feet. “We have all the evidence we need.”
“Does that mean she’ll be staying?” Troy asked.
“Yah,” Silas said. “Right here for now.”
Troy’s smile stretched from ear to ear and he sat down on the couch next to me. “In that case, I need to talk to Maria before I leave.” He swiveled to face me. “I know you want to spend time with Linda, but I need to speak to you. Okay?”
“Sure.”
Later, as the others chatted in the living room, my mind was still gyrating, as
