July 2012
Lucy Palmer went to bed on the eve of her sixteenth birthday. She was so looking forward to it as her parents had promised her a surprise. She had no idea what it could be, but had thought when her mother told her about the surprise she had seemed a bit strained and there was no gleam in her eyes as there usually was. Lucy loved her parents and as she looked around her bedroom thought how lucky she was, her four poster bed on a raised dais her father had made was so comfortable and snug, her dressing table covered in knick knacks with a matching wardrobe full of lovely clothes and a huge mirror with a bar so she could practice her ballet steps and stretches.
For the last five years she had time off school to appear in shows and pantomimes in the west end, much to the jealousy of her classmates, but she had worked hard and was devastated when the Principal of the ballet school said she was too old to appear any more as a child and she was too short to join the adult ballet chorus. Never mind, she had done what no-one else in school had done. So what if she did feel special – she deserved it. Lucy knew she could not have done any of this without the support of her parents especially her mother; all her dad did was drive her here there and everywhere. They both had lavished love and praise on her and she knew they had spoilt her – their little princess.
As she settled to sleep she heard raised voices downstairs. It was not often her parents had a row but when they did it was usually very heated and loud. Lucy snuggled further under the covers deciding not to go downstairs. Her father had a fiery temper, perhaps being Polish had something to do with it. He had come to England before the start of the war leaving his mother and siblings behind. After travelling around England he settled in Wales where he met and married her mother after only three months of courting. They decided to leave the confines of small village life to make a fresh start in Essex.
So the next day dawned and Lucy, wrapped in her dressing gown, ventured downstairs. There was a lovely smell of bacon cooking on the stove, her mother all smiles as she hugged her, wishing her Happy Birthday, her father reading the paper trying to conceal a smile as he made room for her at the kitchen table. There were a few brightly wrapped presents and numerous cards to open but not before she had her breakfast. They had planned her day, a shopping trip to town, lunch at a restaurant of her choice, then into London where they had booked tickets to see a show she had appeared in four years ago. Lucy wasn't entirely happy with that, she would have preferred a party at home with a few friends but this was what her parents wanted for her so she conceded to their wishes.
Breakfast over she opened the cards and presents, a silver chain with a locket, a lovely pair of dainty diamond earrings, a velvet jacket she had seen on one of their shopping trips and a silver framed photo of her in a favourite ballet pose. She was thrilled and hugged and thanked her parents. Her father then handed her an envelope saying it was time. Lucy had no idea what he meant and looked to her mother but she was busy clearing the table. She tentatively opened the envelope and drew out a piece of paper; what she saw written on the document stunned her to the core. All the words swam before her eyes and in disbelief read the only word that stood out and that was ADOPTION. She was being informed on her sixteenth birthday that her parents were not her flesh and blood . They had picked her out and brought her up as their own. They had loved and cherished her and, although it was hard to take in, she knew they had given her a sense of identity.