What are the chances that she even looked her mother up yet? And even if she did, that doesn’t mean that she would be at her house at this time. Still, I want to stay longer but my eyelids start to feel heavier.

The one thing I can’t do is fall asleep here. Still, I wait.

A few hours later, I drive away.

26

Olive

When I meet them…

I change my outfit about five times before I settle on the right one. For some reason I am more nervous to meet them than I was to meet her.

Well, no, that’s not true. I was dying inside the first time I went to see Josephine. Still, meeting her husband and kids is a big deal. I wasn’t expecting us to get to that level so fast.

I finally show up at their house in a collared dress with a belt around the front. It’s dressy but not very fancy. After going back and forth between flip-flops and heels, I finally settle on wedge sandals.

Josephine meets me at the door and gives me a warm hug. Two little kids are playing in the living room. One is four and the other is two. I kneel down next to them.

Ellen, the older one, shows me her cars and Byron, the younger boy, shows me his sticker collection.

I love how informal their presence is making this whole interaction. We don’t shake hands, we just dive right in. Josephine stands a little bit away from me, watching us lovingly.

“Where’s your daddy?” I ask Byron. He just points to the kitchen and grunts. Ellen laughs, so does Josephine.

“He’ll be out in a minute,” Josephine says.

“Of course, no rush,” I say, sitting back in the bean bag chair and admiring my siblings.

I don’t know if Josephine would want me thinking of them as that yet but I already do and I’m falling in love with them.

“Olive! I’m so sorry, I was on a call.” A man about Josephine’s age comes out to greet me.

He has kind eyes, a strong fit body, and a smile that lights up the whole room. He gives me a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Come on, let’s sit. Can I get you a drink?” he asks.

“Wallace makes the best Old-fashioneds.”

“I’ll have to try that.”

“Jo caught me up on everything that has happened but I’d love to hear more about you,” Wallace says when we take our seats in the living room. “And by the way, I am so, so sorry that this happened. Ever since I’ve known Jo, she has been looking for you. And I’m sorry that you two didn’t have each other all of these years.”