Do you know what it feels like to find out that your whole life has been a lie? I found it out when I was in my thirties, about to get married.
I had never been interested in my past, my ancestors. I knew the names of my grandparents, aunts and cousins but that was it. I didn't spent hours drawing family trees, I didn't do online searches and I didn't question my parents about their past. Not because I was afraid to find out anything, not because I didn't care, I simply wasn't interested. That might explain why the first time I saw my birth certificate was two and a half weeks before my planned marriage.
In order to obtain our marriage license, my fiance and I had started to collect all the necessary documents. We were only missing my birth certificate.
Because of her dementia, my mother hadn't been a big help and William and I soon found ourselves on the floor, looking through stashes of old documents.
He was the one who found it. „Sally dear, I think I have it!", he told me and handed me the sheet of paper. I took it and glanced over it.
It was only when I wanted to put it into a folder that I noticed it. Birthplace London. I read again. London. That wasn't possible. I had been born in Long Eaton, miles away from London. We had only moved away when I was 13 years old, after the racist comments had become unbearable.
„You alright, darling?" Will asked. I nodded absent-mindedly as I put the certificate into the folder. Thoughts were swirling in my head. Was this just a simple mistake? Everything else was right, after all, my name (Sally Donovan), my birthday (12th February), everything. Except my birthplace.
„Sally?" I needed time. I needed to think about this. I needed to talk to my mother.
„Will, how about we send those documents in tomorrow? We've still got time after all." I said, trying to smile.
„Are you not feeling well?" William asked, sincere concern in his voice.
„I am okay, just got a headache..." I said, still twisting my face in order to convince him that nothing was wrong at all.
„Okay... Hopefully it will get better." He kissed me. „See you tomorrow then!" William got up and walked out, leaving a confused me behind. Seconds after he left, I scrambled up. It was time to pay my mother a visit.