Grant and I arrived at Gwendolyn's house shortly after lunch.
The front door was locked this time.
I rang the bell.
We waited.
After a minute, she opened it.
Her expression changed when she saw Grant standing beside me.
"I told you not to come."
"We need to talk."
"I have nothing to say."
Grant stepped forward.
"Then just listen."
She looked at him.
For a moment, I thought she might close the door.
Instead, she moved aside.
We entered.
The house looked exactly as I remembered.
The same curtains.
The same furniture.
The same hallway where I had stood listening to her conversation with Grandma Opal.
I looked toward the kitchen.
I could almost hear her laughing again.
Gwendolyn walked into the living room.
"Make it quick."
Grant sat down.
I remained standing.
I took Sarah's photograph from my jacket.
Then I placed it on the coffee table.
Gwendolyn looked at it.
Her face went pale.
She didn't touch the photograph.
"Where did you get that?"
"From Sarah."
Her eyes moved toward me.
"You saw her?"
"Yes."
"After I told you not to?"
I stared at her.
"Why did you think you could decide that for us?"
She looked away.
Grant spoke.
"Why did you tell us she abandoned us?"
Gwendolyn folded her arms.
"Because she wasn't capable of raising you."
"That isn't what we asked."
"Your father and I gave you a home."
I looked at the photograph.
"She gave birth to us."
"And we raised you."
"You didn't answer our question."
Her expression hardened.
"You have no idea what I went through."
I felt something familiar.
That was always how she ended difficult conversations.
She made herself the injured person.
She reminded us of the sacrifices she claimed to have made.
But this time, I didn't apologize.
"We have Sarah's letters."
Gwendolyn looked at me sharply.
"What letters?"
"The birthday cards she wrote. The messages she tried to send."
She shook her head.
"Those were probably written long after she left."
"She kept them for us."
"That doesn't prove anything."
Grant leaned forward.
"Did you stop her from contacting us?"
Gwendolyn looked at him.
"I did what was necessary."
The room went silent.
I stared at her.
"What does that mean?"
She looked uncomfortable.
Then she stood up.
"You boys have no idea what it was like."
Grant remained seated.
"Tell us."
She walked toward the window.
For a moment, I thought she might finally explain.
Instead, she said:
"Your father wanted to help everyone."
I looked at her.
"What's wrong with that?"
"He brought problems into our home."
"Was Sarah a problem?"
Gwendolyn turned.
"You don't understand what happened."
"Then tell us."
She looked toward the photograph again.
Her expression changed.
"Your father was never satisfied."
I waited.
"First, he wanted to adopt you. Then he wanted to keep your biological mother involved. He wanted everyone to be happy."
She gave a bitter laugh.
"That wasn't possible."
Grant looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because Sarah kept coming back."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"She wanted to see her children."
Gwendolyn raised her voice.
"She had agreed to the adoption!"
"That doesn't mean she stopped loving us."
Gwendolyn said nothing.
I remembered the letter.
The birthday cards.
The photograph.
Raymond's handwriting.
I could see the pieces coming together.
"Did you tell Sarah she couldn't contact us?"
Gwendolyn looked away.
I took a step closer.
"Did you?"
Finally, she answered.
"I told her the adoption was final."
Grant shook his head.
"That wasn't your decision alone."
"Your father agreed with me."
I looked at her.
"Did he?"
She didn't answer.
I took Raymond's letter from my pocket.
I unfolded it and placed it beside Sarah's photograph.
"Then explain this."
Gwendolyn glanced at the handwriting.
Her expression tightened.
"Where did you get that?"
"It was in Dad's things."
She reached toward the paper.
I moved it away.
"Don't."
Her hand stopped.
For the first time, I saw something in her face that wasn't anger.
Fear.
She sat down slowly.
"Your father shouldn't have written that."
"Why?"
"Because he didn't understand what I was trying to protect."
I stared at her.
"Protect us from what?"
She looked at the floor.
Then she said something I hadn't expected.
"Your father was going to tell you everything."
Grant leaned forward.
"When?"
"Before he died."
I felt my throat tighten.
"Did you know?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you let him?"
She looked at us.
"I didn't want you boys to grow up confused."
I almost laughed.
We had grown up confused.
We had simply been too young to recognize it.
Grant stood.
"You made us believe our mother didn't want us."
Gwendolyn shook her head.
"I gave you a family."
Grant's voice became quiet.
"We already had one."
He pointed toward Raymond's letter.
"Dad knew that."
Gwendolyn began crying.
I had seen her angry countless times.
I had rarely seen her cry.
But I didn't feel relieved.
I didn't feel victorious.
I felt exhausted.
I picked up the photograph.
"We'll come back when you're ready to tell us the rest."
She looked at me.
"Don't turn against me."
I stopped near the door.
"You did that yourself when you decided we didn't deserve the truth."
Grant followed me outside.
We walked to the car without looking back.
I had gone there hoping for an explanation.
Instead, I had finally heard Gwendolyn admit that she had deliberately kept Sarah away.
It was the first honest thing she had told us about our adoption.
Click here to continue reading: PART 11: Grandma Opal Finally Had to Face the Questions She and Gwendolyn Had Been Avoiding for Twenty Years
I Thought Bringing Her Birthday Flowers Might Finally Make Her See Me as Her Son
Part 10 of 20
