My Secret Sister: Jenny Lucas and Helen Edwards' Family Story (45 page)

We both feared we’d never find out the truth. If it wasn’t for Jenny, I think I would have given up. I’m sure she felt the same way, but together we kept going. Every now and then a small ray of hope glinted through and got us back on track.

One of these was the day I decided to contact Mercia’s doctor’s surgery to see if they still had her medical records. It was a long shot, I knew, but worth a try. I specifically asked them, ‘If you do, could you please check for any references to her giving birth between 1948 and 1950.’

Knowing that Mercia had died eight years before, I didn’t hold out much hope, so I was amazed when they rang back later to suggest I make an appointment to come and see her file.

‘It was a discharge letter to Mercia’s GP from the Mona Taylor Maternity Home,’ I told Jenny on the phone that evening.

‘Well, what did it say?’

I read out the exact wording to her. ‘It was a kind of short form. It said at the top “Normal full-term delivery.” Then underneath, where there was a large box headed “Suggestions”, it just said one word.’

‘What was that?’

‘“COMPLICATED” in capital letters.’

‘That’s spooky. What do you think it could mean?’

‘I don’t know. But it made me wonder if this one word might hide a lot.’

‘Mmm. So you think that, with it saying the delivery was normal, maybe the word “complicated” referred to Mercia’s situation?’

‘Exactly.’

We both paused to think that through. ‘So,’ Jenny continued. ‘Perhaps it could have been a twin birth, but the doctor wasn’t able to say? Maybe Mercia pleaded with him through her tears not to tell anyone she’d had twins.’

‘That does seem possible, doesn’t it?’ I agreed. ‘Especially knowing what we now know about some of the other facts she either hid or distorted.’

‘Does it say anything else?’

I read her the rest: ‘It says, “Infant breastfed. Weight satisfactory. Child to be adopted.” And that’s all.’

‘So it was infant, not infants?’

‘Yes. It does sound disappointing, doesn’t it? But there was one other important thing I found out. I checked her medical record from 1948 to 1950, and there were no other births recorded!’

‘Wow! So, that means the doctor had no record of your birth, other than if you were included on that form with me?’

‘Yes, that’s right,’ I agreed. ‘And when I asked them if I could have been born somewhere else without Mercia’s GP knowing, they said. “Only if it was abroad.”’

‘What about the last bit, about the infant breastfed and the child to be adopted? Do you think it might be his way of covertly hinting that there were two babies?’

‘I hadn’t even thought of that!’

Apart from another adoption file that Jenny was still waiting for after more than two months, but which was unlikely to show anything new, we now felt we had exhausted every possibility. Mercia’s GP’s file was maybe the closest we were going to get, but not close enough. I was completely worn out with the search – really in the doldrums. But unknown to me, Jenny had suddenly come up with an idea. She called me to tell me about it.

‘I’m in a bit of a dither now,’ she said on the phone, her voice sounding breathy with excitement. ‘I fished out the DNA results we had from our sibship test, and that 99.97% hit me in the face.’

‘You mean because it’s so high?’

‘Exactly. So I looked up DNA labs near here and phoned two of them to ask what they thought. The man at the first one was flabbergasted by the extremely high sibling result of 99.97%. He said, “Sometimes in a sibship test we would get an average 70 to 80% positive result.” He said we should take the twinship test. The other one said 99.97% is “a very strong result. You could well be fraternal twins.” That’s what he actually said!’

I was completely stunned. ‘Why didn’t we think of this before?’

‘Isn’t it amazing? We have known about this percentage for two years, and done all these months of research . . . Shall we take the test?’

‘Yes, let’s get on and do it straightaway. I’ll call the Canadian lab we used originally and ask them to do it. They might still have our DNA on file, so that should make it quicker.’

‘Great. Can you call them today?’

‘Right now!’

Jenny

Helen phoned the lab and they confirmed they still had our samples and could do the twinship test straightaway and get back to us with the result within five working days. It was Thursday when we asked them to go ahead, so we would hear back by the following Thursday. We couldn’t bear to wait. We were both so excited about this we could hardly think of anything else, knowing that in a week’s time we might at last know for sure, one way or the other.

The next day was my husband Sam’s birthday, and, following tradition, we had a big party late into the night. We all had quite a lot to drink, so it was a shock when the phone rang at seven on Saturday morning. I had just got up to feed the dogs, but I was a bit groggy and bleary-eyed. I shot across to pick up the phone before it woke Sam, who is never at his best till later in the day, especially after a party. As I picked it up I saw it was Helen and my heart immediately began to race.

‘Well, the final result came through overnight,’ she exclaimed, her voice rising. ‘WE ARE TWINS!’ she shrieked down the phone, her elation overflowing.

For an instant I was completely dumb. I couldn’t say anything. The tears welled up and I started shaking with emotion. Then I heard my voice: ‘Oh, I’m so happy! So very happy!’ The tears were pouring down my face and I felt this enormous relief. It was an incredible feeling.

‘I’m crying with excitement,’ said Helen. ‘Are you crying?’

‘Yes, I’m crying too. I have hoped so much that we were twins, but it was almost too distant or ridiculous to hope for. I can hardly believe it!’

‘Well, you can believe it. It’s true. We
are
twins! Fraternal twins.’

I think I must have screamed at that point. Helen told me later that she heard me shrieking with joy as I rushed up the stairs, crying and laughing at the same time, to tell Sam.

He heard my scream and shot out of bed.

‘WE ARE TWINS! WE ARE!’ I shouted as I reached the bedroom.

‘Bloody hell, Jenny,’ he exclaimed. ‘I thought somebody had died!’

I felt elated, deliriously happy and highly relieved, all at the same time. This had been a last dive into the unknown in our quest for the truth. Now our heads were reeling as we spent the next half hour going over all the connotations of how we had been separated.

‘How do you choose, after giving birth to twins, which one to give away?’

‘Or maybe she gave both of us away, but they didn’t want me and gave me back,’ suggested Helen. ‘Or perhaps Tommy refused to keep us both, but I can’t imagine how she could choose between us. It must have driven a wedge between them. That explains a lot.’

‘All the lies and deceit, covering up our existence, concealing the truth.’

We talked and talked about Mercia, about Helen now having three birth dates, about the implications of her being older than she thought she was, about all sorts of things. There was so much more to say, but we would have to leave that till later.

My emotions bubbled up again. ‘It’s so exciting! I feel like dancing down the high street in my pyjamas and shouting it from the rooftops!’

Helen laughed. ‘I’m just as excited and thrilled as you are,’ said Helen. All I know is that I went to bed aged sixty-two and got up this morning aged sixty-three, going on sixty-four! And even worse, I thought I was an Aries all my life, and now I find I’m Sagittarius – I’ve been reading the wrong stars!’

I laughed as I said to her, ‘Well, you’ve had one birthday present this year, so don’t expect a second one in December!’

Helen

We’ve had many more long talks since then, realizing that we probably shared a cot for six weeks before Jenny was taken away from me and adopted, that we could have been breastfed together, that we were so close for all that time in the womb and afterwards. No wonder we always felt there was a void in our lives, a yearning for something we couldn’t discern. We wondered again and again how Mercia could have chosen between us, how she could bring herself to give one of us away and keep the other.

We both feel that we have been in a wind tunnel and come out the other side. We are going to take a little while to recover, I think, but this feels so right. Jenny heard someone say on a TV programme recently, ‘You will never be at peace until you have all the pieces.’ It’s true. It’s been fulfilled for us. We both feel that we have found all the pieces, and that the jigsaw is complete.

What a joy that is.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would both like to thank a number of people who have been instrumental in our finding each other and in the writing and publication of this book.

First we would like to acknowledge the great help and support of our families and friends.

Helen

I would like to thank my very dear husband Dennis Edwards, who has walked every step of this eventful journey with me and given me his unconditional support at every stage. Without him at my side I could not have written this book. I also thank my much loved son and daughter, for whom this has been a painful and unsettling time. They were there for the later part of my personal story, which was about my mother, but also their beloved Grandma. I dedicate the story of my life to them.

For my extended family and all of those who have known me all my life, thank you for your help, patience and understanding. Thank you also to all my family and friends in Texas, who always welcomed me with open arms and have shown great compassion during the unfolding of the story of Jenny and me.

To Wendy and Edd Ferguson, thank you. Without you, Jenny and I would not have found each other. You will always be my honorary cousins!

Finally, an enormous thank you to Jenny, my sister. Were it not for your determination and forbearance, we would not be together today. I bless the day that you found me.

Jenny

I would like to thank my dearest husband and the love of my life, Sam Lucas. Sam has supported me through this tumultuous quest for the truth. I shall be eternally grateful to him for his sincere love, guidance and strength, which has eased the pain and heartbreak along the way.

Thank you to my lovely daughter Katie and my sons Ben and Josh, all of whom have had to live with me through the highs and lows of this endless pursuit. I am sure at times they have found it difficult to understand the importance of my task, but I am positive they share the joy in my heart.

I want to thank my dearest cousin Wendy, her husband Edd, Simon and Louise, for all their continued love and support as they accompanied me on this momentous journey. Wendy, without your understanding and perseverance, I might never have found Helen and this book would not have been possible.

I thank my wonderful parents, Connie and Sid, who gave me their endless love, fantastic opportunities and high expectations in life. It was drummed into me from an early age to do my best and never give up. I will always be grateful to them for their inspiration and direction.

Finally, to my dear sister Helen. Although it took nearly forty-four years to find you from when I first knew I was adopted, I am so very glad I didn’t give up.

Together

We would like also to thank wholeheartedly Jacquie Buttriss, our ghostwriter, who has during the writing of this book become our dear friend, and who has shared our roller-coaster ride of overwhelming sadness and joy. She has guided and helped us to produce our story in this wonderful book for the world to read. We were extremely fortunate to find her.

Also, to Clare Hulton, our agent, and to Ingrid Connell of Macmillan, our publisher, who both believed in our story from the very first day, thank you.

A note from our ghostwriter, Jacquie Buttriss

Helen and Jenny have kindly, and most unusually, invited me to write a few words of my own to include in their book, a gesture which is characteristic of their openness and generosity of spirit.

This has been a harrowing and heart-warming story to tell, and I feel privileged to have been a partner in writing their book. They are both lovely people and deserve the great happiness they now share in each other as twins. They have been a dream to work with, and I shall treasure their friendship over the years to come.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Mercia aged about twenty-one. She was a beautiful young woman.

2. Baby Helen chuckling in her grandma’s arms.

3. Helen, aged about three, with Tommy.

4. And Mercia posing with Helen on her knee – note the restraining hand.

5. Baby Jenny, about eighteen months’ old, with adoptive parents Connie and Sid at Embleton.

6. Jenny goes bumpy down the steps at Embleton.

7. Jenny’s grandpa wearing his favourite beret.

8. School photo of Jenny aged six.

9. School photo of Helen aged six.

10. Helen on the beach at Embleton, with a reluctant Mercia coerced into the picture.

11. Mercia in a silky black georgette dress, posing by the front gate at Murton, ready to go out for a Sunday drive and picnic.

12. George aged about eighteen.

13. Jenny, with her spaniel Janie, practising golf on the grass outside her bungalow at Embleton. The third hole of the golf course is nearby.

14. Jenny being awarded the silver candlesticks and tray as the winner of the inaugural Women’s British Open in 1976.

15. Jenny dominates the Women’s Professional Golf Association tour in 1981.

16. Helen standing on her balcony and Mercia sitting in the living room of their first flat in South Africa.

17. Helen and Simon’s wedding in South Africa, with Tommy and Mercia – note her fixed expression.

18. Jenny and her children – Katie, Ben and Josh in the foreground – with Mercia in her flat.

19. Jenny with Mercia outside her flat – their first and only meeting.