My adopted son, Joey, sat at the table, staring at his birthday cake. The candles flickered, waiting for his wish. But instead of smiling, he blinked rapidly, his eyes filling with tears.
“My birthday was yesterday,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
My heart dropped. That couldn’t be right. The adoption documents clearly said today. What else had been hidden from me?
Months before, when I first decided to adopt, they asked me a simple question.
“Do you want a boy or a girl?”
I didn’t hesitate. “I just want to be a mom.”
I wasn’t the kind of woman who had always dreamed of matching family pajamas or making homemade baby food. But I knew I could be the kind of mother who changed someone’s life.
And finally, that someone was Joey.
He didn’t know that day was special. He had no idea his life was about to change forever. But during every visit leading up to it, he would inch closer to me, his tiny hands curling into the hem of my sweater, his dark eyes filled with silent questions.
“When? When will I get to go home?”
That day, I walked into the foster home carrying a plush dinosaur—big, soft, with funny little arms. The moment Joey saw it, his fingers twitched, but he didn’t move.
I knelt beside him, holding out my free hand. “Well, Joey, are you ready to go home?”
His eyes darted to the dinosaur, then back to me. “We’re never coming back here?”
“Never. I promise.”
A pause. Then, slowly, he reached for my hand, gripping it tight. “Alright. But just so you know, I don’t eat green beans.”
I bit back a smile. “Noted.”
And just like that, I became a mother. I knew the adjustment period wouldn’t be easy, but I had no idea how many secrets Joey carried with him.
Joey’s birthday was only a week after he moved in. His first real birthday in his new home. Our first celebration as a family. I wanted to make it perfect.
I planned everything: balloons, streamers, a small pile of presents—just enough to make him feel loved.
The day started with pancakes. Or, rather, an attempt at pancakes.
“Are we making breakfast or redecorating the kitchen?” I teased, watching him fling flour into the air.
“Both!” Joey grinned, his nose dusted white.
After breakfast, we moved on to presents. I had picked each one carefully—action figures, dinosaur books, a giant T-Rex toy. But as Joey unwrapped them, his excitement seemed to dim instead of grow.
“Do you like them?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light.
“Yeah. They’re cool.” He forced a small smile.
Something felt… off.
Then came the cake. I lit the candle, my heart full of love for this little boy who had already changed my life so much.
“Alright, birthday boy, make a wish!”
Joey didn’t move. He just stared at the candle, his hands curling into fists.
“Sweetheart?” I nudged the plate toward him. “This is your day. Come on, make a wish.”
His lower lip trembled. And then, in a tiny voice, he said, “This isn’t my birthday.”
I froze. “What?”
“My birthday was yesterday.”
I felt the color drain from my face. That couldn’t be right. “But… the documents say today is your birthday.”
“They made a mistake.” He swallowed hard. “My brother and I always celebrated together. But I was born before midnight, so we had two birthdays. That’s what Grandma Vivi said.”
His brother. This was the first time he had mentioned a brother.
“Your brother?” I asked gently.
Joey nodded, his small finger tracing circles on the table. “His name is Tommy. We had a birthday together when I was four, and then he was four. Grandma Vivi made us two separate cakes. Then… they took me away.”
Tears burned in my eyes. His memories weren’t distant. They were fresh. Open wounds.
“I wish I could be with him right now,” Joey whispered.
I reached for his hand, squeezing gently. “Joey…”
He didn’t look at me. Instead, he wiped his eyes quickly and stood up. “I’m kinda tired.”
“Okay. Let’s get some sleep.”
I tucked him in, sensing the exhaustion in his little body. Just as I turned to leave, he reached under his pillow and pulled out a small wooden box.
“My treasure box.”
He opened it and handed me a folded piece of paper. “This is the place. Grandma Vivi always took us here.”
I unfolded it. A simple drawing. A lighthouse.
My breath caught.
I had spent weeks planning Joey’s future, but now I realized—I had to help him heal his past first.
Finding that lighthouse wasn’t easy.
The next day, I sat at my laptop, scrolling through endless search results. Tourist attractions, abandoned buildings… none of them seemed right.
Then I saw it. A lighthouse, with a single tree standing beside it—just like Joey’s drawing.
“Joey, look!” I turned the laptop toward him.
He leaned in, eyes wide. “That’s it! That’s the place!”
“Alright, buddy. Let’s go on an adventure.”
The drive to the small coastal town felt long. Joey clutched his drawing the whole way, his fingers tracing the lines over and over.
When we arrived, I slowed the car. “Let’s ask someone.”
Before I could pull over, Joey leaned out the window, waving frantically at a woman walking past.
“Hi! Do you know where my Grandma Vivi lives?”
The woman stopped, her brow furrowing. Then, to my surprise, she pointed down the road.
“Oh, you mean old Vivi? She lives in the yellow house near the cliffs. You can’t miss it.”
Joey turned to me, eyes shining. “That’s it!”
The house sat on the edge of a rocky cliff, the lighthouse standing tall in the distance. I knocked on the door.
A moment later, it creaked open, revealing an older woman with sharp eyes and silver hair.
“What do you want?” she asked gruffly.
I swallowed. “Are you Vivi? My son, Joey, is looking for his brother. Tommy.”
Her face hardened. “There are no brothers here.”
“But—”
“You should leave.” She started closing the door.
Then Joey stepped forward. “Grandma Vivi! I brought Tommy a present!”
Vivi’s grip on the doorknob tightened. Her face wavered. Then, suddenly—
“Joey! Joey!”
A blur of movement. A boy, identical to Joey, running toward us.
“Tommy?” Joey gasped.
They collided in a fierce hug, clinging to each other, never letting go.
Behind them, Vivi stood frozen, tears streaming down her face.
That day, we found more than a lighthouse. We found a lost family. And from that moment on, we were never apart again.
