I know everyone thinks that their family
is weird but let me tell you about all
the crazy stuff that happened to me last
year then you'll realize that your
family is probably pretty normal
I'm Ellie and I'm just a regular
seventeen year old girl I live with my
mom Carol my dad died when I was young
so it's always just been my mom and I
and we're really close one day about a
year ago I needed to find some old
clothes for a school project I was
studying textiles and needed some old
clothes to upcycle my mom was out so it
couldn't ask her for any but I thought
there might be some in the Attic I
hadn't been up there before and I was
surprised how much stuff there was I
found lots of boxes of her old stuff as
I was looking I found some old photo
albums I opened one and had a look
through it was pictures of mom when she
was young only a bit older than me it
was so cool to see these pictures I'd
never seen them before and mom never
spoke about life before I was born I
wondered why she kept the album in the
Attic instead of the house then I saw
some pictures of when she was pregnant
it was weird
she looked much younger in the pictures
than I thought she would be she was 41
when she had me yet here she only looked
about 20 then I realized she must have
had a baby many years before she had me
I turned the page and saw a picture of
her holding a baby dressed in pink but
it wasn't me there were pictures of this
baby growing up and as a child I had an
older sister by now I had forgotten all
about finding old clothes I took the
photo albums out from the Attic and
carried on looking through them when mom
came home I confronted her with the
albums when she saw them she looked so
shocked she started shouting at me for
snooping through her things I asked her
if she had a baby before me and she said
yes before I was born
she had a girl called Melanie who was
her first child she lived here until she
was 18 then Melanie did something
terrible and ran away from home that was
the last time mom had seen her mom
grounded me for going through her things
and said she would never
about Melanie again but I couldn't
believe I had a big sister and mom had
never told me I was so angry at my mom
that I didn't talk to her for ages I
kept thinking about what Melanie could
have done to make her run away maybe she
was an arsonist or shoplifter but
whatever it was I couldn't believe it
was so bad that mom had never told me
that she existed I had a right to know a
few days later mom was cooking dinner
and I mustered up the courage to ask her
more about my sister but when I
mentioned her mom got so angry she
knocked the pan of spaghetti all over
the floor she shouted at me to go away
and to stop asking questions I ran to my
room and locked myself in I realized
that if I wanted to find Melanie then I
would have to do it myself I went onto
the computer and searched for Melanie
Harding I found loads of Facebook
profiles of people with that name
I scrolled through the pictures looking
for the right one then I saw her she had
blonde hair and the same bluey gray eyes
that both mom and I have it was her it
took me a while but I managed to drum up
the courage to send her a message hey my
name is Ellie I'm looking for a Melanie
that I'm related to I wondered if that
is you I would like to get in touch I
pressed send the next day I kept
checking my phone to see if she had seen
it it said that she had read the message
but she didn't respond
I felt so weird why wouldn't she want to
get in touch with me then late the next
night I got a message back hi yes I'm
that Melanie I'm sorry I've never been
in touch I just thought it would be
easier for everyone that way anyway I
hope you were well and happy M I was so
pleased that she responded over the next
few weeks we sent messages back and
forth talking about each other's lives
she told me that she worked as a
receptionist at a doctor's office in the
next town she lived with her boyfriend
Mike and two cats we had loads in common
we both loved strawberry ice cream and
Disney films and we both hated spiders I
didn't talk to her about our mom or
ask why she left with the conversation
being so good I didn't want to rush into
anything serious even though I was dying
to know then one day mom found out I had
left my phone downstairs in the kitchen
and mom had seen a message from Melanie
pop up on my phone she shouted at me for
going behind her back and threatened to
ground me but I shouted back and told
her that she shouldn't have lied to me
and that she was a terrible mom I
grabbed my bag and stormed out of the
house I knew where I had to go I wanted
to find Melanie so I caught a bus to the
next town to find her I didn't know the
name of the doctor she worked for so I
just went from one office to another
asking about Melanie then I walked into
one and saw a woman on the phone she
looked like an older version of me it
was her I stood in the corner and wave
to her I thought that she would be
pleased to see me but when she realized
who I was she looked scared when she got
off the phone she walked up to me and
asked me what I was doing at her
workplace I told her that I wanted to
surprise her she told her colleagues
that she was taking a break and she took
me to a coffee shop down the road when
she sat down she told me that I
shouldn't have come looking for her I
felt so crushed I couldn't believe that
I had found out I had a sister only for
her not to want anything to do with me I
asked her why she left and she said it
was because she knew that Carol would be
a much better mom than she could have
been I wasn't expecting her to say that
I stood up knocking my chair over people
in the cafe turned and looked at what
was going on but I didn't care
wait I don't understand does this mean
you're actually my mom I shouted out oh
my god what do you mean Melanie said she
tried to get me to sit down so she could
explain I don't think she wanted to make
a scene but I didn't care I shouted at
her to answer my question yes she said
I'm your real mom I don't get it I
shouted back at her
my mom's Carol Melanie shook her head
and told me the truth
Carol
is actually her mom not mine I couldn't
believe it
the woman I thought was my mom all my
life was in fact my grandma I don't
believe you I screamed to say ran out of
the cafe crying I ignored Melanie
running after me I never wanted to see
her again I caught the bus home in tears
why would Melanie say such a horrible
lie when I got home I saw a police car
outside of my house
oh my gosh while I was out something had
happened to my mom the front door was
open and I ran inside to see a policeman
in the lounge and my mom sat on the sofa
crying I ran in and gave her the biggest
hug and asked her what was wrong she
told me that she was so worried about me
running away she had called the police
oh when the police realized everything
was okay they left mom and I had a long
talk that evening I told her what
Melanie told me hoping mom would tell me
it was all a lie but she shook her head
and cried she said I was now old enough
to learn the truth about our family she
told me that when Melanie was a teenager
she had got involved with the wrong
people and had got addicted to drugs she
had even stolen money from her she moved
in with her friends and mom hardly ever
saw her and couldn't help her then one
day
Melanie turned up on her doorstep with
me I was only a few days old Melanie
said she couldn't cope with me so she
left her with mom that was the last time
mom saw Melanie I couldn't believe mom
had lied to me I ran upstairs and locked
myself in my room I didn't know who I
was anymore I refused to speak to mom
and I blocked Melanie on Facebook so she
could never contact me again however I
couldn't go on with my life like that I
had tons of questions that needed to be
answered and the more that passed the
more I felt the need to talk to her
eventually I unblocked Melanie and got
back in contact with her I told her I
really want to know about her past and
why she's never tried to contact me
through all these years
but for a start it's enough that we are
open to get to know each other and see
where it goes that was a few months ago
I was finally able to forgive mom for
lying to me for all these years I
realized that even though my birth mom
couldn't be a good mom to me my grandma
was the best mom anyone could ever wish
for there was no way I would still be
mad at her
my relationship with my birth mom is
still developing
she apologized for how harsh she was to
me in the past and she promised me that
she hasn't taken drugs for a long time
letting her in my life wasn't easy but I
can't say that I'm not happy that I met
her not only that but my mom has let her
into and they're making up for the time
they lost together I could see from the
way she behaves that she regrets the
past and she's trying hard to regain our
trust today I am sharing this story with
both of their support as they're sitting
beside me I love them both and I
understand that circumstances were not
in their favor in the past if anything I
tried to stay positive and think of my
story as the girl who gained two moms in
her life