I laughed in spite of myself, feeling some of the tension ease from my chest. As I thought about what Andie said, the picture Rosie had painted of my bio-mom’s drug problems and dysfunctional home life came to the surface. How different would my life have been if Teresa hadn’t given me up? My parents had saved me from a potentially dangerous upbringing. I couldn’t deny that they loved me deeply and had given me a wonderful life. I shook my head, trying to make sense of all the conflicting emotions battling in my brain. As I wiped the tears away, Andie gave me a cheeky grin and shook my shoulders gently.

‘You’re gonna be okay, kiddo,’ she said with a wink, returning to her pad thai.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and picked my fork back up. ‘Cris did have impressive eyebrows,’ I said, trying to get Travis’s concerned eyes off me and weave us back into the conversation. ‘If I didn’t have a standing weekly appointment at the threading salon around the corner, that’s probably what mine would look like, too,’ I said before shoveling a huge bite of fried rice into my mouth. ‘Thank God for Mia,’ I said after I swallowed, running my fingers self-consciously across one of my brows. My heart rate was slowly returning to normal and I pushed down the feeling of resentment that was still flowing through me.

Andie laughed, ‘Yeah she’s a wizard with those caterpillars. Maybe I should go see her, too.’ I almost choked on my bite of rice, coughing and reaching for my water.

‘What?’ Andie said defensively.

‘What would Mia even do for you? You basically paint yours on,’ I laughed, dodging the small piece of bok choy that Andie threw at me.

The tension from my meltdown seemed to dissipate into the universe. Having Andie around was good for that, she helped to keep things light.

‘Was it weird seeing someone you’ve never met before who looked so much like you?’ Travis asked, trying to bring the conversation back on topic.