Dear Martin and Joan,
My name is Emma Hudson. I was born April Egan on 1 April, 1966. I was adopted six weeks after my birth. I've known for certain that I was adopted since I was 18. I discovered from the paperwork in my adoption file that you are my birth parents. I believe that following my birth you returned to Ireland and that you married a year later. I'm hoping the intervening years have been kind to you, as they have been to me.
I happen to be coming to Dublin in a couple of weeks, and I thought this visit would be a good opportunity for us to meet. You can reach me at this number, 0171 669141, to arrange a time and a place.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Emma
Joan couldn't steady her hands as she read and reread the letter. She checked the date it had been posted again, and her eyes darted to the calendar pinned on the corkboard next to the fridge. April, who she now knew had lived her life as Emma, would be arriving in a week or so. Sweet Jesus.
She took off her glasses, still keeping a hold of Emma's note in her trembling hand. The she closed her eyes and tried to imagine Emma standing in her kitchen in London, licking the envelope flap before pressing it down, making sure the secret was firmly sealed inside.
Tears sprang from nowhere, filling Joan's eyes. What now? You'd think with 30 years to plan for something you'd have an idea what your next move should be. It wasn't as if there was a decision to weigh up - she hadn't much choice in the matter. Emma knew where they lived. She could turn up out of the blue at any time. Joan couldn't risk that, no matter how much she longed to see her. If only she had more time.
Bu hikaye Australian Women’s Weekly NZ dergisinin June 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Australian Women’s Weekly NZ dergisinin June 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
PRETTY WOMAN
Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
The unseen Rovals
Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.
Great read
In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.
Winter dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.
