was the only one at home and I had a lot to do. Papa wasn’t back from work and we had to prepare for the upcoming church event where we had to donate a couple of stuff. I decided that I wanted to give out my old clothes and shoes too. The issue was that these things were in the attic and I had always avoided going to the attic. The attic brought back memories of Mama. It was my Father’s idea to turn the attic into some sort of a memorial room. He used to clean it all by himself, he knew that it would be too painful for me to see all her belongings arranged in the room. However, I could not wait for Papa. I had to get this done quickly.

The door creaked as I opened it. I let out a sigh as I looked around in awe. It was indeed a shrine just for my wonderful Mother…Her pictures were everywhere, it was a rather beautiful room. I smiled sadly at a portrait of her holding me with such a beautiful smile on her face…Mama was such a beautiful woman. I missed her…too much

I looked around a bit more and I saw a stack of books on the floor. They were obviously my mother’s books. As I was rummaging through her books,I found a worn leather Bible with the numbers "1611" embossed in gold. As I opened it, expecting to see her name written on the bible, instead an envelope fell out. Confused, I picked it up from the dusty floor containing a letter from... my mother? Tears clouded my vision and my body began to tremble as I read. She wrote about how she wasn't my biological mother, but had loved me like her own. I had so many questions; Why did she keep this secret? Why in the world did my father lie to me? Was he actually my father?

I felt like my whole life had been a lie. The memories I cherished, the stories my father told me – all fabricated. All of a sudden, I didn't know what to believe or who to trust. My head began to ache, the tears continued to pour non- stop. I tried to stop the tears with my handkerchief but I let out a loud sneeze instead. The handkerchief was dusty! Frustrated, I wiped my runny nose with my hand and stood up from the dusty floor and started thinking about what I’d say to Papa. I had so many questions, and I knew I just had to confront my father. The truth was out, and nothing would ever be the same aga

in.