Chapter 9: A meeting long overdue

After a few days of putting it off, I decided to go meet her. Mrs Judith dropped me off as promised.I stood outside the address listed in the letter, it was a small cafe with a beautiful transparent glass door. My heart raced with anticipation and nerves. I had been thinking about this moment for days, wondering what my mother would be like, what she would say to me or how to react when I see her.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward,Mrs Judith waved at me and told me to call her once I'm done. I nodded pushing open the door to the small café. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, and the soft hum of conversations provided a gentle background noise.

My eyes scanned the room, searching for a familiar face. And then, I saw her. She was sitting in the corner, her eyes fixed on me with a mix of sadness and longing.

I felt a lump form in my throat as I approached her. She looked more beautiful than I expected. But there was something familiar about her, something that made me feel like I was looking at a part of myself.

She waved at me, with a small smile on her face.

I sat down across from her, feeling a sense of awkwardness wash over me. We both knew that there was a lot to say, but neither of us knew where to start.

Her expression faltered, and she looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was wrong to leave you, and I'm wrong to wait so long to reach out. There's no excuse to back up my actions, but believe me when I say I did for you.” She looked so sad as she continued.

“Giving birth to you was never a mistake. To me, you were the best gift life gave me and I still think so.

I just wanted you to know you're never alone. I'll try my best to make up for the times I failed to be a mother to you.” She couldn't hold her tears as she talked. She couldn't even look at me directly.

I also joined her to cry, and we had a very memorable time together.

I assured her that I'm doing well, and that I won't be a reason why she'll have to regret her actions of trying to keep me safe for the past 20 years.

She smiled with tears still dropping down her cheeks.” Thank you for being safe, I'm so proud of you. Please leave your life to the fullest and don't forget to let me know if you ever need anything.”

“Thank you for keeping me safe mom.” Calling someone mom for the first time in my life at 20 years felt for weird

Hearing me call her mother made her so happy that she stood up and embraced me.

She gave me an envelope containing a key, house documents and so many other documents.” Here, I've been keeping this for a day like this, please accept it.”

The look in her eyes made me so vulnerable and I couldn't help but accept them.

She promised to come see me once in a while and to support me if I ever chose to further my studies.