That evening, we gathered at my mother’s for Clara’s birthday dinner. Clara couldn’t stop talking about her new doll.
“Grandma, can you say ‘You promised to stay?’” Clara asked innocently.
My mother’s expression shifted, her smile fading. “Why do you want me to say that?”
“Because that’s what Rosie says. She sounds just like you!”
The room fell silent. My mother’s face went pale, her hands trembling slightly.
“That’s… strange,” she murmured.
A few days later, my mother came over. We hadn’t spoken about the doll since, but I could sense something was bothering her. The moment she stepped into the living room, her eyes locked onto Rosie.
Her face drained of color as she picked up the doll, her hands trembling. Then, with a shaking breath, she pressed the button.
“You promised to stay.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “I can’t believe it.”
“Mom, what’s going on?” I asked, heart pounding. “Why does the doll sound like you?”
Her voice broke. “Because it is me. This doll… it belonged to your sister.”
My world tilted. “Sister? What are you talking about? I don’t have a sister.”
My mother collapsed onto the couch. “You did, before you were born. Her name was Jennifer, but we lost her when she was five. I recorded this message for her after she passed, trying to keep her memory alive. Your father couldn’t handle it, and he left soon after. I was pregnant with you then. I thought if I buried the pain, it would disappear.”
I stood there, stunned. The doll wasn’t just a toy—it was a piece of a sister I never knew and a past my mother had hidden from me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whispered, feeling a mix of sorrow and betrayal.
“I didn’t want you to grow up with that weight,” she sobbed. “I thought I could protect you from it.”
I looked at Rosie, the doll that had unknowingly carried this secret into our lives. Clara’s laughter echoed from the other room, but all I could think about was the grief my mother had kept to herself for all these years.
I reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly. We sat in silence, realizing that some truths, no matter how buried, always find a way back.