Separated @ Birth: A True Love Story of Twin Sisters Reunited (26 page)

BOOK: Separated @ Birth: A True Love Story of Twin Sisters Reunited

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ANAÏS

I grew up as an only child. Now, not only do I have a sibling, I have a twin sister! I was never expecting that to happen in my twenty-fifth year,
when I was finishing my schooling, breaking out on my own, establishing my identity. By purest coincidence, and Kelsang, of course, all that changed. After graduation, I could go anywhere in the world I wanted. In fact, my field was the perfect choice to be able to live in so many great cities. By chance, I had an interview that led to a job that brought me home to Paris. Even though I had not intended to move back, I guess you should sometimes let things happen and be open to where they lead.

In a way, I think it felt comforting to know I would go home, close to my parents, too. After all that had happened this past year, I felt like I needed to be close to them. I understood how much family mattered. Sometimes when you get angry, or you want to grow and go your own way, you also need to feel at home somewhere. I think everything that happened left me in a state of shock for a long time after discovering Sam. When your life changes so profoundly, so suddenly, you need something familiar. You need a bit of order no matter how happy the upheaval might be.

When I found out Sam had brothers, I was not jealous. I was definitely curious about how she felt about them, especially brothers who were biological children of her parents, whereas she was adopted. I was very happy for her that she had them, but I did not feel that I had been deprived. They were part of her life, plus, I now had them as my own. Sam’s parents are my family, too, but
maybe like an aunt and an uncle. They aren’t my parents; they are Sam’s parents. The part that is so wonderful is that everybody is on the same side.

Even after finding Sam, I wouldn’t change anything about my first twenty-five years. You can’t have better parents than mine, just not possible. My parents support me in everything I try, they have taken me around the world several times and have encouraged me to never let a boundary keep me back. Even though they are as French as it gets, they are international people in their souls and spirits. They embrace the world and all its cultures, languages, religions, politics, and people, and they have taught me to do the same. They love me unconditionally, and I love them.

Once in a great, great while, for a fleeting moment, I think about the woman who gave birth to me. I have no idea how to imagine what she looks like or what type of person she is. How old is she? Does she have other children? Was she really a rice plantation worker? Does she still live in Busan? SWS has investigated a little bit, although I was not so keen on discovering her or her story. Everyone has a theory about how the separation might have happened to Sam and me.

I have my own theories how we came to be, like we are robots, or clones sent from outer space, but apart from that, the story could be anything from the simplest to the most complicated and dramatic story ever. I guess I used to need to know why I had been abandoned. Now, Sam is here, and
nothing else matters anymore. Samantha and I lived the same story once, and then we were separated, and now we can just go further ahead and live happy lives together. We don’t really need to look backward. With regard to our birth parents, that is their story, not ours.