Jacob “Jake” Everstine looked at the address that he has written down. “587 Crescent Way Drive,” he mumbled as he reread the note for the umpteenth time. Looking up, he stared at the house across the street. Yep, he was at the right place. It was a typical one-family dwelling: a two-story home with a front porch and a fenced-in backyard. The dark red window shutters were faded due to the sunlight but other than that, the house seemed to be well-kept. Three bicycles and other toys were scattered on the front yard. One thing’s for sure, the home has a welcoming feel to it. It was a good thing too since this was going to be the first time he’ll meet his biological mother in person.
Ever since he was young, he learned about his biological mother from his adoptive parents. According to them, Kristine Powell was a freshman in college when she became pregnant. After contemplating her options, she decided to give her baby up to adoption because she wanted her child to be placed in a loving home. She and her parents went to an adoption agency, where they looked at potential parents before deciding on the Everstine family. She met with Carol and Thomas Everstine a few weeks later and they agreed to have a semi-open adoption; they would keep her up-to-date about her child while she could send him birthday and Christmas cards to him. Kristine also added that she would be willing to meet her child when he or she is ready.
He could still remember his adopted mother reading those cards to him aloud when he was too little to read them himself. Then when he was old enough, he read them himself and wrote back to her, thanking her for her thoughts and telling her about what he did the past year. However, that desire to see her didn’t come; he was just happy the way things were until one day. He was a freshman in college when he realized that his biological mother was around his age when she was pregnant with him. He has a sudden urge to meet her but was afraid on what to do. Luckily, his girlfriend encouraged him so he decided to write a letter to Kristine, telling her his desire to meet her and leaving her his cell phone number.
A few days later, she called him and agreed to meet with him. Before they met though, they kept in touch via the phone and Skype. He told her about college life and that he planned to major in accounting while she told him that she has been married for almost fifteen years to a man named Peter Violand and that he has three half-siblings: twelve years old Angela, eight years old Nicholas, and six years old Andy. They also talked about their hobbies and found out that they have something in common. Both enjoyed playing basketball and loved trivia; likewise they hate the taste of broccoli. One day, he finally has enough courage to ask her why she put him up for adoption and she agreed to tell him her story.
She met a random man at a party. After talking with him for several hours, they hooked up. A few days later, she started to feel sick and didn’t understand why until it dawned on her. Her fear was confirmed when she discovered that she was pregnant. She didn’t know the boy’s number or his last name so she couldn’t find him. Scared, she confided to her best friend, who comforted her and asked her what she was going to do. Due to her religious belief, she decided not to abort the baby and put it up for adoption. She didn’t reveal her pregnancy to her parents until she came home for winter break. At first, they were disappointed with her but agreed to support her decision. The reason she picked the Everstine was because she liked what she read about them in their resume and she was glad that she made the right decision because he turned out to be a fine young man.
Now the fateful day has come. He’d arrived there an hour early to calm himself down and he wistfully wished that he has accepted his girlfriend’s offer to come along. Taking a deep breath, Jake decided that it was time to meet her and went out of his car. As he walked toward her house, he thought he saw a boy peeking his head behind the curtain before shouting something. He stood before the door and practiced his speech one last time. Ringing the doorbell, he waited nervously as a woman in her late thirties opened the door. She looked at him and smiled warmly at him as he said, “Hello, Mrs. Violand. My name is Jacob Everstine and I’m your son.”
Originally Posted by Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes
6 Member(s) thanked this post
"
| 
4 Member(s) likes this post
