Excerpt
"“I’ve discovered that you’re not really my daughter. I have another daughter
somewhere in Russia.” Amanda held her breath. What would Gloria’s response be
to this revelation? Every night, Amanda thought about ways to put it into
words, to explain it to her daughter in the most circumspect manner, but she
couldn’t find any better approach than the blunt truth.
“What is it?” A mischievous dimple appeared in Gloria’s right cheek, untouched by the
bruises. “A twist from a new book by some obscure Russian writer? Are you
fishing for my reaction? Want to translate it into English?”
“No,” Amanda whispered. Of all the possible scenarios she had envisioned during her
nightly speculations, she hadn’t thought Gloria would simply discard the news.
“Your blood type is ‘O’ negative. The doctor said. Both Donald and I had ‘O’
positive blood. They probably switched you at birth in that Russian hospital.”
Slowly, Gloria’s hands stilled, and she lifted her eyes to look at Amanda. She opened
her mouth, attempted a smile, closed it, opened it again, and then blinked.
“This is a joke?”
Amanda shook her head.
“This is the truth?”
Amanda nodded. Unable to watch emotions flickering across Gloria’s face, she surged up
and kneeled in front of her daughter’s chair. “I love you Gloria,” she said
hoarsely, caressing her daughter’s leg under the worn denim. “You’ll always be
my daughter. But there is another one somewhere in Russia. She might be
starving, unemployed.” Amanda’s throat closed. No matter how often such
thoughts visited her lately, she had had to fight for air every time.
“She might need my help. Our help. I have to go there and find her. I have to bring
your sister home.” She smiled weakly. “Maybe she can be your new designer.
Maybe she has inherited Donald’s creativity. Say something, please.” Amanda’s
gray eyes bored into her daughter’s green ones. Would she understand?
Forgive?
“So I have another mother somewhere in Russia?” Gloria said, her lips stretching in
a mirthless grin.
“Another mother?” Appalled, Amanda pulled away. "
