The Scrap Book.

My mom and I were clearing tubs in our attic. There were a lot of them, but after a lot of hard work, she and I had cleared the attic. Just one more tub and I was on it. Mom said she couldn't even remember what was in the tub. We'd found blankets, my things from when I was younger, old files, decorations, costumes for Halloween, and many other miscellaneous items.

I was intrigued by this tub though. It was almost as if it were calling me. My mom went to the bathroom, which meant I got to check it alone. Based on the weight, paperwork, or baby gear. There was plenty of that. It was the majority of all the things we've found. I didn't think it would be important at least.

I opened it and found a baby blanket, like one from the hospital. A little hat, paperwork, and a book with my name on it. And another name. I open the book to find pictures of a lady and man looking down at a pregnant stomach. I flipped the page. Two babies in tubs. One boy, and one girl. I had seen my baby photos before. I knew the moment I saw te picture, the girl was me.

I frantically look at the paperwork. I see the only paperwork for me. And they were adoption papers. I search them, confused. There was no way that I was adopted. Or that I had a twin boy male. I put the lid on it and moved it into my bedroom. "What's in that tub, sweetheart?" A voice comes from the bathroom. Fear fills my body, she might get mad if she finds out.

"More fabric. I guess from your sewing stage. I'd like to take sewing up. That's why I'm moving it into my room." My mom looks happy now. I knew this was a bad lie, but it fooled her for now. She tells me ok and if I ever want help just to knock on her door. I move it into my room and sit in my room on the floor. Re-opening the tub carefully and quietly.

Now, I'm looking through each item. My brother's name was Charles. My last name before I was adopted was Smith. He was the original they had planned for, that was clear. They wanted one, not twins. The baby room had blue and superheroes. One crib. The man is holding his head up to look at the camera and I'm not in the picture. Charles looks like me almost. But he looks more like a boy than I did.

Then I find the other scrapbook. Pictures of me. I was adorable, but it was clear I was less loved. Until the rest of the picture turned into me and my current picture. At the bottom of the tub, there is a letter. From my birth parents. First, I look at the picture. She's looking at me. She's smiling at me. I'm asleep. There is a date on the back. Another falls out. One that has my dad holding me. Another date on the back. He's smiling at the camera.

"Hello! This is your birth parents. We left you to the best parents who wanted you we could find. She couldn't give birth, but both wanted children. They wanted to adopt, and we were willing to give you up without the hassle. We loved you, but we only wanted one. You were a surprise. We only had ever wished for one baby. Having you both was hard. We knew we were getting a boy, that's what we prepared. Not the gear for you too. We left you as much as we could, so you could feel like you know us better.

As for Charles, you were twins and looked exactly alike. Your brother was the complete opposite of you. You were quiet and in thought. You were very easy to handle. We both loved you a lot. We were very happy together. We had the money to take care of you, but not the emotions or love we did for Charles. You shouldn't be jealous of him. We did not choose him to you. Our love just wasn't enough for both of you. We found your current guardians after an add. We were originally going to give you to a friend of ours, but your guardians wanted you more. If you ever need or want to get in contact with us, your guardians shall have our number.

Love, your birth parents."

I cry. My mom came in. She looks at my mess. She told me that I wasn't supposed to find this or see this. She holds me as I hug her. I want to call her once I dry my tears. She lets me call her. They were still in touch, luckily. We had a long and interesting conversation about what happened. In the end, we decided to be friends and that I wasn't mad at what she had done. I met them a few weeks later and to the day, we still talk. I have two moms, two dads, and love them both so much.

As for Charles, we act like siblings and look like twins. He was loud, but he would be quieter if I told him he was too loud. We hung out all the time. It was like we knew each other our entire lives. Apparently Charles did know I was his twin. He was always nice to me in school, and he always had found a way to be respectful of me. He told me the only reason he never told me was because he assumed I already knew.

I honestly wish I had known sooner. I think that the way I found out about them was untraditional and definitely shocking. My parents had never told me about when I was a baby, not often. I had few baby pictures, so I should have expected this. I just never expected it. I thought that my life was perfect, my family was perfect. But now, I couldn't picture my life any other way any more.