Linda made her way through the gate at the airport the next morning, she
had informed her secretary she would not be in. Linda had decided not to
tell Vince or the children that she was to meet with her long lost
daughter. Infact she hadn't even informed them that she would not be at the
office today. Linda wanted to keep it to herself, not because she was
ashamed, she simply wanted it to be for her and no one else. She needed to
get to know Rachel for herself before she involved Vince and their
children. Linda wasn't sure if they would see it like that but she would
deal with it when she crossed that bridge. This was something Linda needed
to do for herself.
She took a deep breath as she looked around New York airport, hoping to see Rachel, she was not disappointed. Rachel was standing there, looking nervous but with a smile on her face. Linda walked over to her quite quickly.
"Hi Rachel," Linda said as she stopped, not knowing what to do.
"Hello, can I call you Linda?" Rachel asked nervously.
Linda smiled, "Call me whatever you like. Linda's fine."
"You haven't had anyone notice you yet?" Asked Rachel politely, looking around.
Linda shook her head. "I'm not on TV as much as Vince and the kids, so I don't get recognised as much, thank goodness!"
Rachel smiled at her awkwardly, "I guess we have a lot to talk about, where do you want to go?"
"I don't mind, it's your call."
"Ok, well I thought going to my place would put too much pressure on you as it's not neutral, how about a quiet café that I know of?"
"That sounds great." Linda smiled, the butterflies flying around her stomach. They walked together, out of the airport and towards Rachel's car in silence, neither knew what to say.
"There it is." Rachel said as she unlocked the car with her automatic system lock.
"Wow, I like the car." Linda said, it was a Porsche.
"Thanks, I got it last year when they gave me a raise, it's not exactly practical for the kids, but this is for me."
Linda smiled easily, for the first time since she got off the plane, suddenly wanting to know all about her. "You have kids? How many? What do you do?" She blurted it out all at once.
Rachel looked at her, Linda looked back and they both laughed, looking more like sisters than mother and daughter.
"I'm sorry, I just want to know about you, I want to get to know you and hopefully become part of your life." Linda treaded carefully. "I know I probably shouldn't say things like that so soon but I just want you to know that for me, this isn't just a one time meeting, I let you go once and I don't want to let that happen again."
They were both silent for a few seconds until Linda spoke again. "I didn't mean what I said, that day at my house you know. I was just shocked that you had found me after all these years. I loved you then and I love you now, but I was fifteen and my parents wouldn't let me keep you, it wasn't like it is now, either you had to marry the father or you had to give the baby away. I cried myself to sleep for months after. I thought about you every day, wondering where you were, hoping you were ok that you were with good people. I told myself you'd been adopted by wonderful people who loved you; it was the only way to cope."
Rachel looked over at her and spoke carefully, "My adoptive parents died when I was two, I was then raised in a state-orphanage in California until I was five."
Linda's face contorted in absolute horror.
Rachel continued, "I grew up in foster homes after that, the majority were ok, they were nice and kind to me. A couple were awful though but fortunately I never stayed anywhere more than six months, always moving around the state."
"And no one ever adopted you again?" Asked Linda, horrified at what she was hearing.
Rachel shook her head. "A couple of times it was talked about but all fell through at the last minute; they decided that they couldn't afford it and things like that."
Rachel pulled up outside the café she talked about earlier.
"Rachel, I'm so sorry I thought you were being raised by the best parents in the world, I never once imagined that you'd be raised in foster homes." It broke Linda's heart to hear Rachel's tale.
"It's ok; I don't think I've turned out too bad." She said laughing.
Linda shook her head. "I think you've turned out amazingly well, considering what you've been through."
They walked inside; both ordered coffees and sat in a small corner of the café where they took off their jackets. Both looked impeccable, Rachel had obviously inherited her mother's sense of style.
"I think because of my upbringing, that's why I was so intent on finding you and my father."
Linda nodded. "Umm Rachel, I read recently that your father had killed himself, he had gone bankrupt, I don't really know the full story." She had decided she wouldn't tell her about Vince's involvement, besides she had promised Vince she wouldn't tell anyone. As long as Linda kept what she knew to herself, no one would ever know of Vince's involvement.
"I know, I read about it too. I can't say it affected me that much, after what you said about him, he doesn't sound like someone I'd like to know."
Linda looked into Rachel's eye's that mirrored her own. "Perhaps you should have met him at least once; he was your biological father after all."
Rachel shrugged. "Well it's too late now, besides, the only one I really want to get to know is my mom." Rachel took one of Linda's hands across the table, Linda looked surprised and Rachel quickly withdrew it. "I'm sorry. I just."
"It's ok," This time Linda took Rachel's hand and smiled. "I really want to get to know my daughter too."
They spent the day together, talking and swapping life stories, by the time they were done it felt, to Linda, that they had known each other forever. They talked about their families, their jobs, and lots more besides. There were no barriers between the two whatsoever and their puzzle was finally complete, they had found each other again and this time, they were not going to let go.
For Linda this reunion was like a healing of an old wound, a wound she had come to accept over the years, but it had always been there.
For Rachel, it was like she had finally found out who she was, where she came from, she had no issues about her mother giving her away. Rachel had no expectations of Linda whatsoever though she was glad when her mother told her she wanted a relationship with her.
The end of the day came and Linda had to catch her flight back to Connecticut. Both were sad to say goodbye, they swapped addresses, all telephone numbers, fax numbers, and email addresses.
Linda kissed Rachel good bye when she left; "Thank you for finding me Rachel, I don't deserve to have such a wonderful daughter like you."
"Thank you mom." Rachel whispered and they both wiped away tears as Rachel watched her mother walk through the gates.
She took a deep breath as she looked around New York airport, hoping to see Rachel, she was not disappointed. Rachel was standing there, looking nervous but with a smile on her face. Linda walked over to her quite quickly.
"Hi Rachel," Linda said as she stopped, not knowing what to do.
"Hello, can I call you Linda?" Rachel asked nervously.
Linda smiled, "Call me whatever you like. Linda's fine."
"You haven't had anyone notice you yet?" Asked Rachel politely, looking around.
Linda shook her head. "I'm not on TV as much as Vince and the kids, so I don't get recognised as much, thank goodness!"
Rachel smiled at her awkwardly, "I guess we have a lot to talk about, where do you want to go?"
"I don't mind, it's your call."
"Ok, well I thought going to my place would put too much pressure on you as it's not neutral, how about a quiet café that I know of?"
"That sounds great." Linda smiled, the butterflies flying around her stomach. They walked together, out of the airport and towards Rachel's car in silence, neither knew what to say.
"There it is." Rachel said as she unlocked the car with her automatic system lock.
"Wow, I like the car." Linda said, it was a Porsche.
"Thanks, I got it last year when they gave me a raise, it's not exactly practical for the kids, but this is for me."
Linda smiled easily, for the first time since she got off the plane, suddenly wanting to know all about her. "You have kids? How many? What do you do?" She blurted it out all at once.
Rachel looked at her, Linda looked back and they both laughed, looking more like sisters than mother and daughter.
"I'm sorry, I just want to know about you, I want to get to know you and hopefully become part of your life." Linda treaded carefully. "I know I probably shouldn't say things like that so soon but I just want you to know that for me, this isn't just a one time meeting, I let you go once and I don't want to let that happen again."
They were both silent for a few seconds until Linda spoke again. "I didn't mean what I said, that day at my house you know. I was just shocked that you had found me after all these years. I loved you then and I love you now, but I was fifteen and my parents wouldn't let me keep you, it wasn't like it is now, either you had to marry the father or you had to give the baby away. I cried myself to sleep for months after. I thought about you every day, wondering where you were, hoping you were ok that you were with good people. I told myself you'd been adopted by wonderful people who loved you; it was the only way to cope."
Rachel looked over at her and spoke carefully, "My adoptive parents died when I was two, I was then raised in a state-orphanage in California until I was five."
Linda's face contorted in absolute horror.
Rachel continued, "I grew up in foster homes after that, the majority were ok, they were nice and kind to me. A couple were awful though but fortunately I never stayed anywhere more than six months, always moving around the state."
"And no one ever adopted you again?" Asked Linda, horrified at what she was hearing.
Rachel shook her head. "A couple of times it was talked about but all fell through at the last minute; they decided that they couldn't afford it and things like that."
Rachel pulled up outside the café she talked about earlier.
"Rachel, I'm so sorry I thought you were being raised by the best parents in the world, I never once imagined that you'd be raised in foster homes." It broke Linda's heart to hear Rachel's tale.
"It's ok; I don't think I've turned out too bad." She said laughing.
Linda shook her head. "I think you've turned out amazingly well, considering what you've been through."
They walked inside; both ordered coffees and sat in a small corner of the café where they took off their jackets. Both looked impeccable, Rachel had obviously inherited her mother's sense of style.
"I think because of my upbringing, that's why I was so intent on finding you and my father."
Linda nodded. "Umm Rachel, I read recently that your father had killed himself, he had gone bankrupt, I don't really know the full story." She had decided she wouldn't tell her about Vince's involvement, besides she had promised Vince she wouldn't tell anyone. As long as Linda kept what she knew to herself, no one would ever know of Vince's involvement.
"I know, I read about it too. I can't say it affected me that much, after what you said about him, he doesn't sound like someone I'd like to know."
Linda looked into Rachel's eye's that mirrored her own. "Perhaps you should have met him at least once; he was your biological father after all."
Rachel shrugged. "Well it's too late now, besides, the only one I really want to get to know is my mom." Rachel took one of Linda's hands across the table, Linda looked surprised and Rachel quickly withdrew it. "I'm sorry. I just."
"It's ok," This time Linda took Rachel's hand and smiled. "I really want to get to know my daughter too."
They spent the day together, talking and swapping life stories, by the time they were done it felt, to Linda, that they had known each other forever. They talked about their families, their jobs, and lots more besides. There were no barriers between the two whatsoever and their puzzle was finally complete, they had found each other again and this time, they were not going to let go.
For Linda this reunion was like a healing of an old wound, a wound she had come to accept over the years, but it had always been there.
For Rachel, it was like she had finally found out who she was, where she came from, she had no issues about her mother giving her away. Rachel had no expectations of Linda whatsoever though she was glad when her mother told her she wanted a relationship with her.
The end of the day came and Linda had to catch her flight back to Connecticut. Both were sad to say goodbye, they swapped addresses, all telephone numbers, fax numbers, and email addresses.
Linda kissed Rachel good bye when she left; "Thank you for finding me Rachel, I don't deserve to have such a wonderful daughter like you."
"Thank you mom." Rachel whispered and they both wiped away tears as Rachel watched her mother walk through the gates.