and down on the seat, her seatbelt straining against her chest.
“Min!” Dad says. “Stay still.”
“Why don’t I tell you the Collection Day story?” Mum says. “I did promise.”
“OK,” Min says, settling back into her seat. “I’ll start: ‘Nadia and John Sullivan wanted a baby very much.’” We’ve both heard this story so many times we almost know it off by heart.
Mum smiles. “That’s right. But unfortunately they couldn’t have one so they decided to give a home to two beautiful daughters from China instead. Nadia and Smiles had lived in Hong Kong for many years and loved Chinese culture.”
“Especially dim sum and noodles,” Min adds. “And moon cakes, like Sunny does too.”
Mum laughs. “Yes, they especially liked the food. Anyway, it took almost ten years for Nadia and Smiles to find the right daughters. They had moved into a castle on a small island called Little Bird by then. One day they got a phone call to tell them that their daughters were waiting for them in Shenzhen. So they booked flights immediately.”
“You were very excited, weren’t you?” Min says.
Mum nods. “Yes, very. We couldn’t sit still for two minutes, just like you, Min. The night before we were due to meet you for the first time, we couldn’t sleep a wink. We were so worried. Would our new daughters like us? Would we recognize them from their photos? But as soon as we stepped into the offices of the adoption agency, we knew you both instantly. You had a little red ribbon in your hair, Min, and you were holding Sunny’s hand so tightly I was worried you’d stop her blood circulation.”
In fact, it was the other way round – I was the one squeezing Min’s hand – but I’ve never told my parents that and Min was probably too small to remember.
“Then I knelt down and hugged you both,” Mum continues. “And your dad took hundreds of photos.”
“You were crying, weren’t you, Mum?” Min says.
“Not as much as your dad was,” Mum says, blinking quickly. She always cries telling this story.
Dad laughs. “It was an emotional day. And then we had to wait two days until the official Giving and Receiving Day ceremony, when you became our legal daughters.”
“It was hard, wasn’t it, Smiles? Having to wait like that?” Mum says. “We just wanted to swoop you both up and take you home to Ireland.”
“But it was worth the wait,” Dad says. “Then two weeks later, after your Irish passports had arrived, we flew back to London and then on to Cork with our new family. It was a miracle.” Dad sniffs.
“Still an old softie.” Mum leans over and pats his arm. They smile at each other and Mum blows Dad a kiss. The Collection Day story always makes them like this – all soppy and emotional.
“You’re the luckiest parents in the world to have not one but two amazing daughters,” Min says. “The end.”
Min loves that story, and I guess, if I’m honest, I do too. It’s so sweet. And now we’re going back to the place where it all began.
Chapter 18
We pull up outside the gates. Inside, three large grey buildings with lots of windows form a U-shape around an open courtyard. There are bright murals on the walls of the buildings and playground games painted onto the concrete ground.
“This is it, Mr Sullivan,” our driver, Mr Lin, says. “I’ll ask them to open the gates.” He gets out of the car and walks towards the intercom on the wall.
“Do you remember this place, Sunny?” Mum asks. “It looks nice. I like the murals on the walls. All the cartoon characters.”
“Yes,” I say quietly. “The buildings all look the same, but the murals are new.”
Memories flow through my head now, like I’m watching a movie: the reception area through the door in the right-hand building where we waited with Mama Wei to be signed in after Papa died, the courtyard where we played, the tall swaying trees of the garden behind the buildings that I could see from my bedroom
“Min!” Dad says. “Stay still.”
“Why don’t I tell you the Collection Day story?” Mum says. “I did promise.”
“OK,” Min says, settling back into her seat. “I’ll start: ‘Nadia and John Sullivan wanted a baby very much.’” We’ve both heard this story so many times we almost know it off by heart.
Mum smiles. “That’s right. But unfortunately they couldn’t have one so they decided to give a home to two beautiful daughters from China instead. Nadia and Smiles had lived in Hong Kong for many years and loved Chinese culture.”
“Especially dim sum and noodles,” Min adds. “And moon cakes, like Sunny does too.”
Mum laughs. “Yes, they especially liked the food. Anyway, it took almost ten years for Nadia and Smiles to find the right daughters. They had moved into a castle on a small island called Little Bird by then. One day they got a phone call to tell them that their daughters were waiting for them in Shenzhen. So they booked flights immediately.”
“You were very excited, weren’t you?” Min says.
Mum nods. “Yes, very. We couldn’t sit still for two minutes, just like you, Min. The night before we were due to meet you for the first time, we couldn’t sleep a wink. We were so worried. Would our new daughters like us? Would we recognize them from their photos? But as soon as we stepped into the offices of the adoption agency, we knew you both instantly. You had a little red ribbon in your hair, Min, and you were holding Sunny’s hand so tightly I was worried you’d stop her blood circulation.”
In fact, it was the other way round – I was the one squeezing Min’s hand – but I’ve never told my parents that and Min was probably too small to remember.
“Then I knelt down and hugged you both,” Mum continues. “And your dad took hundreds of photos.”
“You were crying, weren’t you, Mum?” Min says.
“Not as much as your dad was,” Mum says, blinking quickly. She always cries telling this story.
Dad laughs. “It was an emotional day. And then we had to wait two days until the official Giving and Receiving Day ceremony, when you became our legal daughters.”
“It was hard, wasn’t it, Smiles? Having to wait like that?” Mum says. “We just wanted to swoop you both up and take you home to Ireland.”
“But it was worth the wait,” Dad says. “Then two weeks later, after your Irish passports had arrived, we flew back to London and then on to Cork with our new family. It was a miracle.” Dad sniffs.
“Still an old softie.” Mum leans over and pats his arm. They smile at each other and Mum blows Dad a kiss. The Collection Day story always makes them like this – all soppy and emotional.
“You’re the luckiest parents in the world to have not one but two amazing daughters,” Min says. “The end.”
Min loves that story, and I guess, if I’m honest, I do too. It’s so sweet. And now we’re going back to the place where it all began.
Chapter 18
We pull up outside the gates. Inside, three large grey buildings with lots of windows form a U-shape around an open courtyard. There are bright murals on the walls of the buildings and playground games painted onto the concrete ground.
“This is it, Mr Sullivan,” our driver, Mr Lin, says. “I’ll ask them to open the gates.” He gets out of the car and walks towards the intercom on the wall.
“Do you remember this place, Sunny?” Mum asks. “It looks nice. I like the murals on the walls. All the cartoon characters.”
“Yes,” I say quietly. “The buildings all look the same, but the murals are new.”
Memories flow through my head now, like I’m watching a movie: the reception area through the door in the right-hand building where we waited with Mama Wei to be signed in after Papa died, the courtyard where we played, the tall swaying trees of the garden behind the buildings that I could see from my bedroom
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