Student Essay - The Discovery – by Chung Ji You, Year 11, Sayfol International School

The Discovery – by Chung Ji You, Year 11, Sayfol International School

When I was looking idly through my family’s old box of documents, I suddenly came across an official letter. It looked quite old and was sealed inside an envelope. I tore it open and took out a yellow piece of paper. It was a long letter. I wasn’t sure if I should read it without my parents’ permission. The letter was from a person called Mary, my biological mother.

Reading through the letter, I was beyond shock and bewilderment. All I could think was – I wasn’t my parents’ daughter! Feeling extremely apprehensive, I dialled my mother’s number, barely able to control my trembling hands. She picked up after a few rings and spoke in her usual cheerful voice. I didn’t know how to ask her. Neither was I sure I could ask such a question. Indeed, I didn’t have enough courage to ask her. Since I didn’t want to break our family’s peace, I thought it was better to keep things the way they had always been. So, when my parents came home that night, I acted as though nothing had happened. After dinner, my dad called me in an unusually serious voice. I was very nervous.

I slowly opened the door of the master bedroom and entered. Both my parents were sitting on their bed, wearing solemn expressions. In my mother’s hand, she held the old piece of letter I’d read a few hours ago. Instantly, I was scared and nervous. Would they kick me out? Would they abandon me? As my mother opened her mouth, the first question she asked me was if I had opened the letter and read it. Although I didn’t feel like answering her question, I didn’t think it was wise to avoid the truth. I thought it would be better for me to know and understand the circumstances. I was ready to listen to the truth. 

My mother and father told me the whole story about how I was first brought into this house and how my biological mother left me outside their front door. It seemed that my biological mother wasn’t in the right state to raise me. As a result, she left me outside my parents’ house. She had no choice but to abandon me. At the same time, my parents were desperately trying to have a child but couldn’t conceive one. After a long agonising wait, they decided to adopt me. All the tension between my parents and I dissolved.

Opening the lid of the champagne bottle, we sat together at our dining table. We talked about a lot of things honestly and openly. I thanked my parents for bringing me up and my parents told me how grateful they were to God for giving them such a beautiful child like me. We finished our dinner hungrily, watched some DVDs together and then went to sleep happily. It was a truly wonderful day.