Woman Meets Daughter’s Fiancé and Recognizes Nephew Who Disappeared 17 Years Ago – Story of the Day

When her daughter Meghan got into an accident with her fiancé, Gordon, May took them in and helped them get better. She recognized Gordon for some reason but dismissed it as a coincidence until she saw Gordon speaking to his parents through video chat, and the shocking truth was revealed.

May Carson rushed to the hospital as soon as she received a call from her daughter, Meghan. She and her fiancé, Gordon, had just gotten into a car accident on their way to her house in Texas, and he was hurt badly in the crash. May needed to support her daughter because Gordon was going into surgery.

Luckily, he pulled through and was going to recover fully despite his head injury, but May insisted on them staying with her so she could help them out. Meghan agreed because they needed two people to help Gordon. This agreement worked for everyone, and they settled into life.

Soon enough, Gordon started regaining his mobility, but he still needed some help changing the dressing on his head, and one day, Meghan was cooking, so May stepped up to assist. That’s when she noticed a familiar birthmark on the back of his neck. “Oh, what’s this?” she asked her future son-in-law.

“What? Is there a scar?” Gordon wondered, touching his neck lightly.

“No, you have a birthmark. Have you always had it?” May questioned.

“Ah yes. I’ve always had it. My mom says it was there since I was born, and she has a similar one,” he explained.

“That’s funny.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know if Meghan has told you much about our family, but my sister, Anne, disappeared almost 20 years ago with my dear nephew, Morgan. They both had similar birthmarks on their necks. It was such a distinctive part of them,” May revealed.

“Wow. What a coincidence,” Gordon commented.

“Is there any chance you’re related to us?” May wondered and laughed. She wasn’t serious. She was only trying to lighten the mood and make Gordon smile.

“I hope not. I’m marrying your daughter, remember? That would be awful,” Gordon remarked, grinning at last. May nodded, finished arranging his dressing, and let him have some rest.

She went into the kitchen to help Meghan finish dinner, and her daughter asked about their conversation. “You heard what I said? Well, it’s such a characteristic birthmark. I thought it was so funny. Do you know much about Gordon’s parents?” May asked her.

“I don’t know much. We’ve talked on Zoom several times over these two years I’ve dated Gordon. His mother, Ruth, is lovely, and his stepdad, Stephen, is the only father he has ever known. That’s about it,” Meghan stated, stirring the Bolognese sauce in the pot.

“Ah, well. At least, they have different names so I can relax about you possibly dating your cousin,” May joked.

“Well, Mom. You know Gordon and I are waiting until marriage, so if we discovered something crazy, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. We would break up amicably, I guess. But I’m glad there’s no chance of that,” Meghan continued, explaining the nature of her intimate relationship with Gordon.

Trust your instincts.

Their entire family was religious, but May didn’t know if her kid followed that part of their faith. She was glad she did because something was nagging her gut about Gordon. He and his mother did not have the same names as her sister and nephew, but the birthmark was telling.

May thought back to the past when Anne ran away with her child, leaving her husband, Edward, behind, and no one ever found them again. They didn’t know what to do, and he was devastated at losing his family. Back then, May was going through a divorce from her husband and raising Meghan independently. She and Edward saw and supported each other as much as they could.

***

A few weeks later, Gordon had recovered fully, and they were planning to go back to their home in New Mexico soon. Therefore, May decided to make her homemade lasagna and pecan pie as a goodbye dinner. She went to the grocery, and when she returned home, Gordon and Meghan were using a laptop on the kitchen counter.

“Mom, come here. Meet Gordon’s mom and stepdad. You guys will have to meet in person before the wedding, but let’s introduce you now,” Meghan called out, helping her mother with her bags and placing them on the counter. She gestured for May to join the video chat.

“Hello, there. I’m May! It’s very nice to meet you,” she awkwardly greeted the pair of strangers and looked at the people on the screen.

“Hello, May! I’m Stephen. We have to arrange when to meet in person soon!” Stephen chirped happily, waving his hand.

But the woman next to him saw nothing. Her mouth was slightly ajar, and May’s mouth soon dropped too.

“Mom? Mom? What’s going on?” Meghan asked, concerned.

“Mrs. Carson? Are you alright?” Gordon asked too and looked at the screen. “Mom? Why aren’t you greeting Meghan’s mom?”

“Oh, son… no… what have you done?” the woman on the screen breathed, and May closed her eyes because her original fears became true. She was right about everything. She was right about the birthmark on Gordon’s neck. She knew it.

“Anne, how could you?” May finally spoke up.

“May, I can explain,” Anne replied.

Gordon looked between May and the laptop. “Anne? My mother’s name is Ruth.”

“Oh, so you never told your son the truth, and look what has happened, Anne. They’re in the middle of a huge nightmare now. You should’ve at least told him the truth!” May reprehended her long-lost sister through the video chat.

“Can someone please tell us what is going on?” Meghan demanded, exasperated at the older adults.

“Ruth, this is the sister you talked about?” Stephen could be heard talking to his wife from their home in Hawaii.

“Yes, that’s May. I’m so sorry, May. But I can explain, although it’s a long and painful story. But I had to. I had to do it. I didn’t want to hurt anyone but I couldn’t continue like that,” Anne began, stopping to catch her breath.

“This is all confusing,” Gordon muttered.

“Meghan, Gordon, that’s my sister Anne. The one that disappeared with my nephew 17 years ago. Remember weeks ago when I talked about your birthmark? Well, my intuition came true. This means that you two are cousins. You’re related,” May revealed, breaking her daughter’s heart with just a few words.

“No, that’s impossible,” she said, not believing her mother for a second and looking at the screen. “Mrs. Darling, tell her your name is really Ruth, not Anne. Tell my mother the truth.”

“Meghan, I’m so sorry. I never expected this to happen. I didn’t recognize you because you were even younger than Gordon when I left Texas. But May is telling the truth. I changed my name when I escaped, and Gordon used to be named Morgan. I had to do it,” Anne explained.

“Mother… Jesus,” Gordon muttered, placing his elbow on the kitchen table and leaning his head on his hand.

“No… please, no,” Meghan mumbled and started crying.

But May looked directly at the screen. “I think you need to explain what happened so many years ago, but I don’t understand what exactly you were ‘escaping’ that you didn’t tell your family. Our mother died thinking something terrible happened, Anne. It was heartbreaking. You have no idea what we went through without you.”

“I’m sorry, May. But I promise there was a reason. You remember Edward?” Anne began.

“Of course, she remembers. He’s —” Meghan tried to reply, but May cut her off.

“Let her continue.”

“Edward was doing some shady stuff in his business. Some dangerous men came to the house and threatened all of us. When they left, he blamed the entire thing on me. Edward was never the most patient person. He had a temper, but that day was awful. He did some things, and he even hit Gordon back then. That’s when I knew what I had to do,” Anne continued.

“Oh my God!” Meghan exclaimed, looking at her mother in shock. May returned her daughter’s stare, but she was stoic.

“Continue.”

“Well, I was on a bus going from Texas to New Mexico when I met Stephen. He has known about this since the beginning, and he told me that if I came to Hawaii with him, his family would help hide me. I got to the island, changed our names, and moved on with our lives,” Anne finished.

“Why didn’t you call in almost two decades to explain all that, Anne?” May demanded to know, crossing her arms as her temper rose.

“I couldn’t! I was so afraid. And then, well so much had passed, I thought it would be better this way. I never imagined that Gordon would go off and meet his own cousin, much less start dating her. This is a disaster!” Anne wailed as her emotions got a hold of her, and Stephen held her in her arms.

“You’re right about it. It’s a huge disaster,” May whispered loudly.

“Mother,” Meghan voiced with wide eyes. “Uncle Edward did this.”

“I know,” May quipped, so mad she didn’t want to speak anymore. Edward had lied to them from the beginning. He told them that Anne had just disappeared out of the blue from their perfect marriage. Everyone believed him, even May. And he was still a rather important part of their lives for a particular reason.

“Hello, everybody! I’m home!” a man’s voice exclaimed from the doorway, and everyone turned around to stare daggers at Edward, who had just arrived. That’s right.

“WHY IS HE IN YOUR HOME? GORDON GET OUT OF THERE NOW!” Anne yelled through the screen.

Gordon raised his eyebrows but didn’t move and saw his aunt May moving toward the man who had just arrived. The older woman slapped Edward squarely in the face and started screaming at him.

“YOU LIED TO ME! YOU HURT MY SISTER AND THAT’S WHY SHE LEFT!”

“May, what?” Edward asked with a hand on his cheek where May had just hit him. Then he focused on the screen. “Anne?”

“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE I CALL THE COPS!” May shouted, pointing at the door.

Edward had been gone from the house for several weeks because of a long work trip. It was not uncommon, but May now suspected he was involved in something nefarious after what her sister said. That’s why he had never been around Gordon before.

Years after her sister disappeared, Edward got an annulment for their marriage. He and May had bonded after supporting each other for such a long time. Meghan liked having her uncle around, and they started dating. It was as natural as breathing. But if May had any idea that Edward made her sister run away, she would’ve never come close to him.

Luckily, Edward obeyed May’s orders and grabbed his travel bag, exiting through the front door. May arranged herself after closing the door and announced something. “Ok, we’re going to Hawaii in a few days. Meghan, can you get the tickets, please? I have to see my sister in person.”

“Ok, Mom,” Meghan said, following orders because she was too numb to register anything else. In the span of less than an hour, she had lost her fiancé and her stepfather, although she still called him uncle. The best thing to do now was follow her mom’s orders and pack for Hawaii.

That night, she and Gordon talked at length, and although they were deeply in love, they couldn’t keep going. They were cousins. It was illegal and morally wrong in their society. They were both just glad for their deep religious roots that made them avoid any kind of sensual encounter.

Soon, May and Meghan were in Hawaii, where Anne and May hugged tightly for many minutes. It didn’t seem long enough. Anne requested they all refer to her as Ruth, her chosen name for almost two decades now. So, they all followed suit. Although heartbreak was involved in their story, they celebrated finding their family members at last.

Edward tried to return to May’s life at some point, but she didn’t take his nonsense and shooed him away quickly. The divorce went through without issues, and she moved on with her life, visiting Hawaii every December to see her sister, whom she forgave because life was too short.

What can we learn from this story?

• Trust your instincts. May knew that Gordon’s birthmark had to mean something, but she ignored her gut feeling until they discovered she was right all along.
• Some people disappear for valid reasons. Despite her anger, May forgave her sister for her disappearance because she had been afraid of her husband and his wrongdoings. It was the best choice for her.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who ran away from his wedding when he saw his late girlfriend’s mother.

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