by Kay Zozma
Send comments to kzozma@yahoo.com
Trowa's back earlier than I expected. I'm caught by surprise as I repot a plant in the kitchen sink--rosemary, for remembrance.
"Cathy?" He hasn't looked this uncertain since the war, since I found him lost on a dark colony street.
"Did you keep the appointment?"
"I did. They found a match." He holds up an envelope. "I haven't been able to look yet. It's silly, but I thought if I read it alone, I might forget who I am now."
"Well, open it!" I hired Genetic Reunions once, but they didn't find my brother. I try not to worry that now I'll lose Trowa, too.
He reads the doubt in my eyes. "Cathy. You'll always be my sister, no matter what other family I have."
I nod. "I know. Go ahead."
We sit at the kitchen table shoulder to shoulder, so we read the highlighted line in the same moment.
Triton Bloom.
And my address right below, listed for "nearest relative." Neither one of us can speak for a long while. I'm crying. He's crying. He's Triton. Why didn't I ever recognize him?
But in a way, I always have.
"Welcome home, little brother."