Over the years, I bought countless pairs of shoes that brightened my mood, picked out dresses that improved my figure, and turned over my credit card for lots of cosmetics (化妆品) that I had hoped would make me look fresher and happier. But all those things failed to bring relief to my pain inside.
But one afternoon in October 2021, I walked out of one store with something more valuable than anything money could buy. I found hope in the unlikeliest place after months of hopelessness, thanks to a woman who decided to start a conversation with me in the store's café.
It had been a painful time for me. Married a little over four years, I had suffered five heartbreaking miscarriages (流产) and, at 42, was slowly accepting the cruel idea that I might never be able to have a child.
On that fateful day, a smartly dressed, slightly older woman seated beside me offered to share the photos and stories of her adopted daughter to break the silence in the half-empty café. Her girl was about seven years old.
"She's pretty," I said. "But what made you decide to adopt her?" I asked, uncertain whether I had stepped into an area which seemed too personal. "I don't want work to be my whole life," she said. I wasn't sure whether she saw the tears welling up in my eyes as I replied, "I don't either, but I'm afraid it's too late!" "I was 51 when I adopted Melanie," she said, "And it's the most rewarding and exciting thing I've ever done."
When our checks came, she handed me her business card, and I finally learned her name — and in that minute, I saw a happier and more satisfied myself, a reborn "mother-to-be".
