Abandoned by her parents at just ten years old, Melody found love and stability with her uncle and aunt, who treated her as their own. Now, at twenty-two and thriving in her career in computer science, Melody’s success catches the attention of her biological parents. But reconnecting is not so simple, and Melody will have to show them that some bonds cannot be repaired…
I was ten years old when my life split in two.
One moment, I was unpacking my schoolbag at home, and the next, my parents were putting me in the car with a suitcase, promising me that we were going to visit grandma for a while.
“You’re going to love staying at grandma’s, right, Melody?” my mother asked, tying my hair into a long ponytail.
It seemed like a fun adventure. I didn’t know that “a little while” would mean forever.
It all started when my little sister, Chloe, was five years old. She did gymnastics at the local recreation center, and her coach swore she had an innate talent.
“She could go all the way,” she said. “Seriously. I’m talking about competitions and everything.”
My parents clung to those words like a lifeline. Chloe was no longer just a little girl doing flips in leotards. Suddenly, she was their golden ticket to life.
Everything revolved around Chloe. Her training, her competitions, her future. They said uprooting the family would be worth it if she could become an Olympic champion in something.
They didn’t want me to join.
At first, they framed it as something noble.
“You’re older now, Melody,” they told me.
I remember the way my mother smiled at me, as if doing this was the most important thing in my life. As if they were saving me or doing something so significant for our family.
“This will give you the chance to bond with grandma, Mel,” my father said. “And we’ll visit all the time, and you’ll see, it’ll be fun!”
But they didn’t visit. They didn’t call much either. By the time I was about to turn eleven, my grandmother sat me down and explained the truth.
“Your parents believe Chloe has a real shot at doing something big, my love. They need to focus on her, so they left you here with me.”
Her voice was kind but firm, and I could see the anger bubbling beneath her words.
My grandmother tried her best, but her age was advanced, and she couldn’t do much. Also, she had stopped driving due to her eyesight, so getting me to and from school was becoming a nightmare.
After a few months with my grandmother, my uncle Rob and aunt Lisa took me in. They couldn’t have children of their own, and they called me their “miracle girl.”
Uncle Rob joked that I was sent to the wrong place.
“The stork definitely sent you to the wrong spot, Mel,” he laughed one night.
“I agree,” said Aunt Lisa. “You’re exactly where you need to be, my sweet girl.”
At first, I didn’t laugh, but over time, I started to believe them.
Aunt Lisa stayed with me before bed, getting me into the routine of brushing my hair, then braiding it for me.
“Braided hair means less damage, my love,” she said. “And it will help your precious hair grow long and strong.”
She bought me matching colorful clothes and went to all my school events. She was the mother I had always needed.
Uncle Rob was just as amazing, always ready to give me advice, take me out on secret ice cream dates, and tell me countless dad jokes.
When I turned twelve, I stopped calling my parents altogether.
I was the only one who had made an effort, and I realized I was holding onto a dream that wasn’t real. My biological parents didn’t care. They rarely sent birthday cards or gifts. They didn’t even send money to Uncle Rob and Aunt Lisa to take care of me.
When I turned sixteen, Rob and Lisa officially adopted me, cutting the last thread that connected me to my supposed parents. Aunt Lisa made it a very special event. She decorated the backyard and planned an intimate birthday dinner for me, which included chocolate cupcakes and a puppy.
An Outdoor Birthday | Source: Midjourney
“Now you’re mine, my Melody,” she told me as she prepared for dinner. “I’ve loved you since you were a baby. You were the reason Rob and I wanted to have children. But when you moved in with us, I realized it wasn’t about being a mother to anyone else… it was about being a mother to you.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst into tears.
“No, no, don’t cry, sweet girl,” she said, rubbing my back. “Let’s have dinner for your birthday.”
A teenager sitting on her bed | Source: Midjourney
My parents didn’t even show up. They didn’t object to Rob and Lisa adopting me formally either. It was as if they had given up their parental rights years ago, to make things easier for them and Chloe’s career.
Now, I’m twenty-two, and I hadn’t seen my parents once in the past nine years. I work in IT and I’m thriving. It was during high school when I realized I was a genius at IT.
A young woman using a laptop | Source: Midjourney
“If it’s your calling, it’s your calling, Mel,” Rob had told me one night during dinner. I was still in school, and it had been parent-teacher meeting day. My computer science teacher had been going on about my “skills.”
“Do you want to study computer science after school?” he asked.
I paused for a moment, unsure. I cut my piece of chicken and thought about it.
“I think so,” I said. “Is that okay? Is university an option?”
“Is university an option?” Rob asked, amused. “Of course, Mel! We’ve always told you that you’re ours. And we’re going to pave the way for your future, songbird.”
A plate of food | Source: Midjourney
Hearing that made my heart soar. Over the years, my Uncle Rob had gotten used to calling me names related to my name or things that reminded him of me. “Songbird” must’ve been my favorite.
They supported me, loved me, and never gave up on me.
I hadn’t thought about my biological parents in years. Then, a few months ago, Chloe’s career ended abruptly. She suffered a serious accident during training, breaking her leg and arm.
A teenager lying in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
It was the kind of injury you don’t come back from, at least not at an elite level. After recovering, Chloe’s best opportunity would probably be to become a coach.
Suddenly, my biological parents wanted me back in their lives.
They first contacted me during the holidays, sending me a generic, cheerful text.
“Hi, Melody! We miss you so much and would love to reconnect. Let’s meet soon! Would you like to have dinner?”
A phone on a table | Source: Midjourney
But on Christmas Eve, they cornered me.
I had gone to the midnight mass with my grandmother, who, despite her age and horrible joint pain, still loved the tradition. When we entered the church, I saw my mother waiting by the door. My mother’s face lit up, and she ran toward us as if we had seen each other yesterday.
Grandma huffed and walked toward a seat.
“Melody!” she exclaimed, offering a hug. “It’s been so long! You look beautiful.”
The outside of a church | Source: Midjourney
Now I knew exactly who she was. I knew exactly who my father was, walking toward us. But I wanted to hurt them.
“Excuse me, do I know you?” I asked.
My mother’s face crinkled like tissue paper, but my father intervened, his face red and indignant.
“What did you say, miss? What tone is that? What kind of question is that? You know we’re your parents.”
I tilted my head, pretending to think.
An upset man | Source: Midjourney
“Oh. My parents? It’s funny, because my parents are at home, rushing to wrap up the last-minute Christmas gifts they bought me. You must be Anthony and Carmen? The ones who gave me away?”
Then I headed to sit with my grandmother, leaving them speechless.
They sat behind us, and I could feel their eyes burning into the back of my neck throughout the mass. When we left, they stopped me again.
A young woman sitting in a church | Source: Midjourney
“Don’t you really recognize us?” my mother asked.
I stared at them for a moment.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said.
As my grandmother and I walked away, she grabbed my arm tighter.
“They deserve it, my love,” she said. “As you can see, I don’t exist to them. I haven’t existed since you were eleven and I yelled at them for how they treated you.”
An elderly woman standing in a church | Source: Midjourney
A few days later, they must have looked into it because they suddenly called me.
“Melody, darling,” my mother began. “Now that you’re doing so well, wouldn’t it make sense to help the family a little? You know, after everything we’ve done for you.”
I almost burst out laughing.
“What you’ve done for me? You mean abandoned me?”
A young woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“Don’t be so dramatic,” she exclaimed. “We gave you the space to grow and become the independent woman you are today. If it weren’t for our sacrifices, you’d be nothing.”
I couldn’t believe her audacity.
“You didn’t do that,” I argued. “You didn’t want me around while you chased Olympic dreams with Chloe.”
“Family is family,” my father said over the phone. “Now we’re all in this together. Don’t you think you owe us a little for raising you?”
“You didn’t raise me. Aunt Lisa and Uncle Rob did. If I owe anyone, it’s them.”
A woman upset talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
I hung up before they could respond.
I suppose I could have asked about Chloe, but she had also left me. Just like our parents. I had nothing left to give them.
New Year’s Day came, and it was magical. Aunt Lisa made her famous honey-glazed ham, and Uncle Rob tried to bake cookies (they came out a little burnt, but we loved them anyway).
As we laughed around the table, I realized something.
Food on a table | Source: Midjourney
This is my family. Not the people who left me behind, but those who stayed.
My biological parents can keep trying to reconnect, but they’ll never undo the damage they caused.
Here, I have everything I need.
