A man visits his mother’s house after her death and discovers an old photograph of her with a boy who looks just like him. He sets out to find the boy and uncovers a shocking secret about his mother’s past.
While most people hold fond memories of their childhood home and hesitate to sell it, Nate Sullivan was eager to let go of his old property in Texas after his mother passed away. Just a week after her funeral, he contacted a real estate agent to find buyers, and to his surprise, a couple quickly showed interest in the house.
Nate and his wife Clara traveled from New York that week to meet the potential buyers. They were touring the house with the agent, Mr. Thompson, when Clara stumbled upon an old photo album from Nate’s childhood.
“Hey, Nate,” she called out, flipping through the pages. “Look at this. You were so cute as a kid! I wonder if there are more albums around. I still think you should reconsider selling this place, honey. It’s full of your memories.”
Nate shrugged. “Not many of those memories are happy, Clara. Mom and I stopped talking after I left home. You know, I could never figure her out. She never told me about my dad, no matter how much I asked. I’d watch other kids at baseball games with their fathers, but I was always alone in a corner, wondering about mine.”
“Oh, Nate,” Clara said, giving him a warm hug. “I’m sure she had her reasons. She loved you, you know. She gave you a good education, helped you become a lawyer, and raised you all on her own. That couldn’t have been easy as a single mom.”
“Yeah, sure…” Nate muttered.
“Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan,” Mr. Thompson cut in. “The buyers are here. Shall we?”
“Of course, we’re coming,” Clara replied with a smile. She turned to Nate. “No need to rush, Nate. You can still decide not to sell. It’s your call.”
“I’m selling, Clara. I don’t want to stay here any longer than I have to. And that album? I wish she’d cared more about her son than these silly keepsakes. Just put it back. We don’t need it.”
“No way, Nate. I’m keeping this!” Clara said. “Our kids should see how handsome their dad was as a kid.”
“Fine, do what you want,” Nate sighed, walking off.
Clara tucked the album into her purse and freshened up before meeting the buyers. The meeting lasted about an hour, with a full tour of the house and a discussion about the price. Afterward, Nate and Clara decided to grab dinner at a nearby diner.
As they pulled up, Nate told Clara to head inside while he parked the car. She stepped out, not realizing she’d left her purse behind. Nate spotted it, grabbed it from the seat, and as he did, the album slipped out, catching his eye.
“You really took it, Clara? Come on, you’re such a kid sometimes,” he said with a sigh, picking it up. But curiosity got the better of him, and he started flipping through the photos. Looking at pictures of himself and his mother, he felt a pang of emotion, his eyes misting over for a moment.
He brushed the tears away and was about to put the album back when something fell out. It was a photo, so he bent down to pick it up. When he looked at it closely, he froze. It showed him and his mother with a boy who looked exactly like him! “What in the world? Who is this?” Nate muttered. He turned the photo over and saw neat handwriting: “Nate and Owen, 1986.”
“Who’s Owen? How did Mom know him? No way… he can’t be my brother!” Nate’s mind raced. He hurried into the diner and showed the photo to Clara. She was stunned.
“Goodness, Nate! He looks like he could be your twin! No one would doubt he’s your brother!”
“I know, but if he is… why didn’t Mom ever tell me about him?” Nate asked, his voice shaky.
“Calm down, Nate. We can try to find him. It might be tough, but it’s not impossible,” Clara said gently.
“I have to know who this boy is, Clara. I need to find him,” Nate said, determined.
That evening, back at the house, Nate searched for Owen on social media, but none of the profiles matched the boy in the photo. Frustrated, he went through his mother’s belongings, digging through her closet for hospital records from his birth.
After some effort, he found them, but the papers were faded and yellowed, making the hospital’s name hard to read. He pieced together enough to find the hospital online and called them. The staff said too much time had passed, and most records were outdated, but they’d look into it. Nate couldn’t wait, so he decided to visit the hospital in person.
At the hospital, he pleaded with a nurse to let him check the old records, explaining it was urgent. Touched by his persistence, she allowed him an hour in the storeroom.
Nate searched frantically until he found his mother’s file. As he read it, tears streamed down his face. The records showed his mother had given birth to twin boys but left one at the hospital, who was later moved to a neurological care facility. Nate’s heart sank—Owen was his brother!
He got the facility’s address from the file and went to see Owen. When he arrived, he broke down. Lying in a bed, surrounded by medical equipment, was a man who looked just like him. A nurse explained that Owen had been born with brain abnormalities, causing memory problems and childlike behavior.
“Do you know anything about the woman who left him here?” Nate asked. “He came from a hospital, right?”
“Well,” the nurse said, “our oldest nurse might know more.”
She called Nurse Vera, who shared a heartbreaking story. “I was here when Owen arrived. His mother came looking for him one evening. She’d tracked down the facility somehow and was watching him from a distance, but I saw her. She had you with her, Nate. You were both so young. She took you two to a nearby lake, and I took that photo for her. She first said she was a relative, but later admitted she was his mother.”
Vera explained that Mrs. Sullivan, a single mother, had been abandoned by her boyfriend and couldn’t afford to raise two children, especially with Owen’s special needs requiring extra care.
Nate was heartbroken but resolute. He wouldn’t leave Owen behind. He brought him home, shared the story with Clara, and she immediately agreed to care for Owen for life.
Nate was upset with his mother for abandoning Owen, but Nurse Vera’s words echoed: “She did it because her boyfriend left her.”
“Maybe that’s why Mom never talked about our dad, Owen,” Nate said softly to his brother, who clapped his hands like a child. “But don’t worry—you’re not alone anymore. Your brother’s here, and I’ll take care of you forever.”
