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Della

Her naiven birth to me it had been Glenda James She married when she enty-two I would have been six years old that year She e They had fallen instantly in love They had kids Two of the her And if all ell I would beher family

I was in a surreal moment One I couldn't seem to snap out of The ical ave birth to me was a teacher She was a mom and wife

And my brother He had been adopted, too I didn't re part ofhim and my fatheror her husband He wasn't my birth father and he had barely been my adoptive father before he was killed There was so much my mother had toldotten depressed after iven birth to me None of that was true I didn't knoas true any?" Braden asked as she drove down the busy streets of Atlanta Glenda was driving doith her fa at a coffee shop that Braden knew about I wasn't sure I could eat a meal with this woman yet I also wasn't sure what to ask or say to her There was so much I wanted to know but then soI didn't tell her I found her but I didn't feel like it was my story to share"

I wasn't sure I would be telling her about my life either "What if I don't knohat to say once I see her?"

"Then don't say anything Do what you feel comfortable with If today all you're ready for is 'hello,' then that's ill do When you want ain"

Braden alwayssound so easy This woman had put her family in a car and had driven down to Atlanta to o in with ain Braden had informed me that I had to do this onThat I was brave and that I didn't need so I needed someone to hold my hand I was terrified

"Don't do this toby yourself, but this is for you, Della This is for you"

She was right Braden was always right I nodded "I know Thank you"

I watched as she pulled the car into a parking spot in front of a quaint little coffee shop There were tables outside and inside The croasn't big and I recognized the woiven birth toat the table in the courtyard to the left of the building She had a cup of coffee in her hand and she irling it around nervously This was scary for her, too, I guess But she was brave She was here alone

"There she is," Braden said, pointing toward Glenda

"I see her," I replied, and reached for the door handle

"You can do this"

I glanced back at Braden and smiled for the first time in weeks "I know"

Her eyes locked with mine the moment I stepped out of the car I watched as she stood and looked at me I made my way over to her table, still unsure as to what I would say to this woer

"Della," she said as if needing to check and make sure it was me We had the same hair, nose, and mouth But her eyes were brown