A set of triplets promise to meet at a resort 50 years later, but when they arrive, they find one of the sisters missing and receive a letter from her a few days later.
Maria, Donna, and Ruth Wilkinson lost their parents in a house fire when they were children, and after that, the sisters were placed in an orphanage. They were just eight years old when it all happened, and life only became harder for them as time passed.
One day, a couple came to the orphanage and expressed interest in adopting Donna. Maria was distraught that night. She slept beside Donna, hugging her, and promised the orphanage director that she would not let her sister leave. “Mommy and Daddy always told me to look after my sister. You can’t send her away!”
At that, Mrs. Matthews, the orphanage director, gently explained the situation to Maria, saying, “Honey, it’s for your sister’s sake. She will be raised in a loving family. Do you not wish that for her? Do you want her to be lonely and depressed all the time?”
“But she’s not alone!” retorted Maria. “I’m here with her, and Ruth is also there!”
“They will be her new parents, Maria. And Donna will be happy with them. Won’t you let her go?”
Maria eventually gave in, but not long after that, Ruth was also adopted by a family, leaving her all alone. She missed her sisters terribly and would spend hours with Mrs. Matthews talking about them. “Donna and Ruth….did they forget me, Mrs. Matthews?” the girl would ask sadly.
The older woman would smile brightly at her. “Of course not, my dear! They’re doing well with their families, and you see, one day, you’ll be reunited!”
When Maria turned 23, she received a Facebook message from a woman named Anna Hanks. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she opened the message and read it! It was Donna! Her adoptive parents named her Anna, and she requested to meet her along with Ruth. She suggested they return to their hometown to pay their respects at their birth parents’ graves.
Maria, who was working as a teacher at a community college after leaving the orphanage, immediately agreed, and a few days later, she met her sisters again. At first, she didn’t recognize Ruth. She’d last seen her as a plump child, but now she looked stunning in a black tank top, high heels, and a slim physique. Donna hadn’t changed much, except that she had gotten glasses.
Maria became emotional while the three sisters were sitting in a restaurant. “I didn’t think we’d be reunited like this!” she cried. “I’m very happy to see you both again!”
“And so are we, Maria,” Donna added. “Do you remember how much you cried the last time I left the orphanage? I wish I’d found you sooner!”
“Ok, guys, enough! You guys are making me feel left out!” Ruth chirped in, sulking. “It’s not my fault that I can’t recall much of what happened!”
The other sisters burst out laughing, and Donna didn’t hesitate to pull Ruth’s leg. “Oh really? Don’t you remember when mom and dad had picked you up from the garbage? No wonder you look different from us!”
“Guys! You’re so mean! We are triplets! That means mom and dad picked all three of us from the garbage!” cried Ruth, and Donna and Maria couldn’t stop laughing.
They spent the whole day together, paid a visit to their parent’s grave, and as they were departing, they pledged to meet again in 50 years, joking that they’d be grannies by then.
“You see, even our garbage sister will be an old grandma by then!” Donna said to Maria, winking, and hugged her goodbye as they arrived at the airport. Ruth jumped in to join the hug, and the three sisters exchanged phone numbers and addresses before saying their goodbyes.
They could never have predicted what was about to happen…
50 years passed. Several developments occurred in the sisters’ lives over these years. Maria became a proud mother of twin daughters and a handsome baby boy, while Ruth was divorced with two children. Donna had a daughter, and she was settled abroad.
When the time came for them to meet up again at the resort, each of them flew over, excited to see their sisters again. Maria, as always, was the first one to arrive. She was sitting on a bench at the seaside resort, wearing a red overcoat and white flats. Suddenly, she was startled by a voice. “Maria?”
The older woman turned around to see Donna standing there. She looked a bit different with a bob cut and round glasses, but Maria recognized her in an instant. She gave her a tight hug as she approached her.
“Oh, Donna! I’m so glad to see you again! But where is Ruth?” she inquired anxiously.
“Did she forget about the meeting? You know how she is! Always reckless and forgetful.”
“Oh!” laughed Maria. “Let me message her. She might be late. I am sure she wouldn’t forget about meeting us again.”
Maria texted Ruth, and the message was delivered, but there was no response. She later called her too, but it went unanswered. They waited for her all day and later decided to spend a few days in town at the resort, thinking Ruth would arrive sooner or later, but days passed, and no word of her came.
At last, they decided it was time to visit Ruth. However, when they were checking out of the resort, the receptionist stopped them. “Mrs. Smith!” she cried, running up to Maria and Donna. “Please wait.”
Maria turned around to see a young lady holding an envelope. “I apologize, Mrs. Smith. We received a letter; it’s addressed to you and Mrs. Timberlake. We got it a few days ago, but the person who was on that shift that day completely forgot about it. I only found out about it this morning.”
“A letter?” Maria wondered as she opened the envelope. There was no information about the sender on the envelope, but when she opened it, she realized it was from Ruth.
“Dear Maria and Donna,
I’m so sorry that I couldn’t make it to our reunion. Unfortunately, I had no other choice. My children kicked me out of the house after I had a stroke because they didn’t want to care for me. I’m glad that I’m at least alive and could send my love to you. I hope you’ll forgive me.
With love,
Ruth.”
After reading the letter, Maria and Donna couldn’t stop crying. “How could those kids do such a thing! How can they just throw their mother out of the house?” Maria said, furious. “I will make sure they regret what they’ve done!” And with that, the two sisters flew over to meet Ruth.
When they arrived, Ruth’s daughter Anne answered the door. Anne and her husband Matt had moved into Ruth’s house after kicking her out. Aiden, her son, had moved abroad after that and married someone there.
“What are you doing here, you two? Come back later. I’m not free!” she snapped at them.
“Where’s Ruth, Anne? Where the hell did you send her?” Maria inquired angrily, taking a step forward.
“How would I know? That old hag just left home one day and never returned.”
At this point, Donna lost control and slapped Anne across the face. “You shameless girl! Just wait until we find her! We’ll make sure you regret what you’ve done!” However, they could have never predicted what was about to happen…
One week passed. Donna and Maria did everything, including going to the cops and using social media, but nothing worked. There was no news of Ruth. Did she leave town? Or worse, was she dead? The sisters were perplexed, terrified, and concerned.
They stopped by a cafe for a cup of coffee one evening — tired of doing the rounds in another neighborhood in search of Ruth – when suddenly they noticed a woman huddled in a corner. Maria proceeded to offer some money, but she covered her mouth in horror when she saw the woman’s face. “Ruth? Is that you?”
The woman looked up, her eyes welling up, and she couldn’t stop crying. “Maria! Oh my goodness! How – how could you…” she couldn’t finish as tears welled up in her eyes. The sisters couldn’t believe it when they realized the homeless woman was their Ruth, their chirpy and silly Ruth.
They brought her inside the cafe, ordered food for her, and that night, they took her to the hotel. Ruth revealed that it was the first time she had eaten and slept peacefully in several years.
Later, the three sisters checked out of the hotel and proceeded to Ruth’s house with all of their belongings. Anne froze in shock when she answered the door. “You – you….what are you doing here?”
“Move aside, lady! This is our sister’s house, and we’ve come to spend time with her!” Maria said as she carried all of their belongings into the house and sat on the living room sofa. “And, yeah,” she added. “How about some drinks, sisters? Suddenly, the temperature appears to be excessively high in this room!” she mocked Anne, who was just standing there, fuming in anger.