Christina, my best friend, asked me to watch her two kids for an hour seven years ago. That was a big change in my life. It went on for days, weeks, and finally years after that hour. Christina never came back, so Dylan and baby Mike were left up to me to raise.
It was getting worse as the days turned into weeks. I reported Christina missing, but she wasn’t found. When the boys started calling me “Mom,” I knew I had pretty much taken care of them.
It wasn’t easy for me to start the adoption process. But I was set on giving the boys the love and security they needed. The years went by, and our friendship became stronger. They were my whole world, and I would do anything to keep them safe and care for them.
Everything was going well in our lives until we met Christina in a beach town. Dylan, who is now 12 years old, was shocked and mad. He went up to Christina and asked her why she had left them. Christina’s answer broke my heart: she said she didn’t know them.
I was shocked when she denied it, but Dylan’s response was even stranger. He stood up for me and told everyone that I was his real mother. I was so proud of and loved my son at that very moment.
It was hard to forget about the meeting as we left the beach. The boys were quiet, and I could tell they were shocked and upset. We checked into a hotel with the goal of forgetting about what had happened that day. But fate had other ideas.
Christina herself was the maid who came to clean our room. She told them that she had been trying to fix her life by working at the hotel. She said she was sorry for what she had done in the past and said she had been desperate and having a hard time dealing with things.
Because I looked into Christina’s eyes, I could see a bit of the person she used to be. I found out that she had been having a hard time behind my back, not being able to ask for help. She gave up on the boys in a last-ditch effort to save herself and them.
Dylan’s response was cold and hurtful, but I knew what he was going through. He told Christina not to worry about cleaning the bathroom and gave her a dollar. It was a small act of rebellion, but it said a lot about how he felt.
I knew our lives would never be the same after we left the hotel and went home. Even though meeting Christina brought up old hurts, it also helped us move on. We dealt with the past and were better for it.
Our family showed how strong love and strength can be. We had found a way to heal and move on, even though it was hard and unclear. I knew we could handle anything as long as we had each other as I watched my boys play.
