The Vale Of Tears

Chapter 9: Distress

"Beauty in distress is much the most affecting beauty."

---

On Monday, after coming home from school, Flynn walked up to his parents who were sitting on the couch watching TV. He was determined to talk to them about his adoption; he had put it off long enough. "Mom, dad, I  uh.. Can we talk?" he said nervously.

"Sure, what's up, son?" His dad asked. There was no anger or dissatisfaction on his face even though Flynn had tried to avoid them as much as possible the past few weeks.

Feeling a bit guilty about the way he treated them, Flynn scratched the back of his head. "I would like to know about my real p-parents and why they gave me up," he said, stuttering a bit.

His parents shared a look and his mom moved to make room for him on the couch next to her. He walked over and gingerly sat down at the edge, his palms suddenly sweaty.

"Honey, it's completely fine to ask us that. Don't be afraid to tell us what's going on in your mind. You should know by now we would always listen to you. We'd never judge you for wanting to know more about yourself." His mom took his hands in her smaller ones and looked at him with affection.

"We don't know much about your real parents, to be honest," his dad started speaking. "We just know they were teenagers and the pregnancy was an accident. So they gave you up for adoption as soon as you were born."

"It was at that time that we decided to get a kid, since we had been trying for a long time without any success. So we decided we would adopt one and give him or her a family. It would be a win-win," his mom continued. "We were so lucky to get you, you were so tiny and beautiful. It was just a few weeks after you were born that we got the call from the adoption agency. The moment we laid our eyes on you, we knew we had found our baby. When we walked out of the agency that day, our family was whole."

Flynn had tears in his eyes as he watched his parents trying to hold their tears at bay. His mom was looking at him with such love he could feel his heart swelling with happiness.

"You might think that your real parents abandoned you because they didn't love you, and I can't say whether it's the truth or not. They're the only ones who'd be able to answer that question. All we know is that we're thankful for them. For bringing our beautiful boy into this world. You have all the love in the world here, with us. But just know that if you decide you want to find your real parents, we're willing to help you in any way you need. You know, parenting is the one job we could never give up. Every day is a new day for us to see you grow, experience different things. We try our best to guide you the best we can and help you be your best self. We help you find what you love, what your talents are where they lead you, and then we let go. We watch in anxiety as you try them out on your own and we get so proud of you. You will grow up and start you own life, honey, but to us, you'll always be our baby. You will always have us by your side." His mom sobbed into his chest unceasingly, hands clutching as his jacket. He held her in silence, rocking her slowly as her tears soaked his chest.

Flynn couldn't hold the tears back either. He felt the love and affection from his parents in a way that he never had before. He felt pure bliss and he understood the truth of Skye's words. He was extremely lucky to have such amazing parents. The fact that they didn't share the same blood suddenly felt completely irrelevant. He realized that blood doesn't define what a family is; it's care, and bonds with people who treasure each other.

"Let me join in the hug too," his father said after his mother's sobs had stopped and pouted to lighten the mood. They all chuckled and settled down to watch TV together, Flynn feeling as if he has rediscovered his family.