Page 118 of The Stolen Child

‘I’m Robert,’ he replied, his eyes wide with confusion.

Sally’s stomach flipped. She hated causing her little boy any further confusion. ‘Yes, Robert, but you have another name too . . . Zach!’

Sister Ailsa took the mashed fruit and said, ‘And I have another choo-choo train . . .’

‘Again, again!’ Zach squealed with laughter as he swallowed another spoon of banana.

In the end, they continued their journey, this time with Sally at the wheel. Sister Ailsa sang Scottish lullabies to Zach about a bonnie wee lassie, and his laugh made Sally’s heart sing.

‘He looks like my mother now,’ Sally said, her heart lurching as she watched them play together through the mirror. ‘When he was born, everyone said he was Ian’s doppelgänger, but the past two years have changed him. He has the same lopsided grin my mother had.’

‘Isn’t that a wonder,’ Sister Ailsa said knowingly. ‘You’ve got your son back, and he’s brought a little bit of your mother too.’

At lunchtime, they stopped for another picnic at a small park with a playground. As Sally pushed Zach on a swing, she fought back another wash of tears. She’d daydreamed about this simple pleasure for so long. After he was born, as she’d walked through Pinner Village Gardens park, pushing Zach in his pram, she’d promised he would be big enough for the swings one day. And, finally, that moment had come.

‘We need to get going,’ Sister Ailsa said, joining them. So they continued their drive, this time with Sister Ailsa behind the wheel, expertly navigating them along the twisty road to Ronda. The road was winding with dangerous bends that made Sally’s stomach flip when she peeked over the high ridge.

They arrived at the Convento de Santa Benedictine a little after four o’clock in the afternoon, hot and tired from the long drive in the small car. Despite their weariness, Sally was grateful that the journey had passed without incident. The convent was an imposing three-storey building with a magnificent bell tower that caught the sunlight and shone like a beacon. It had rich creamy brickwork and elaborately carved granite arches above the windows and doors.

Sister Ailsa glanced at Sally and Zach and said, ‘Most nuns here don’t speak English, but a couple do. Follow my lead.’ She opened the back door, and Sally and Zach stepped out of the car. Zach was wide awake now, and looked around in fascination. Sally kissed his cheek tenderly and smiled at him. He didn’t flinch or move away. He regarded her with his big blue eyes, and she thought there was less fear in his face now. She continued murmuring soothing words of love to him as she gently bounced him in her arms.

As they approached the heavy wooden front door, Sally’s heart pounded with anticipation. She had no idea what to expect inside the convent walls. The door opened, revealing two women dressed in formal nuns’ black habits. They greeted Sally and Sister Ailsa with warm smiles.

‘Hola, Sister Monique. Hola, Sister Teresa,’ Sister Ailsa said, and they kissed each other on the cheek.

‘Hola, Sister Ailsa,’ they chorused. And then their faces lit up with delight as they saw Zach. They ushered Sally and her Zach inside the convent walls and closed the door behind them.

Sally had done the impossible.

Against all odds, she had not only managed to find her stolen child, but escape to safety too. Looking at her son’s beautiful face, she knew she would never let Zach go again.

NOW

August 2023

Lily

Phibsborough, Dublin

Zach listened intently as Sally spoke about her incredible reunion with her son and their escape from the Carousel, his eyes never leaving his mother’s face.

The air was heavy and silent, with long-held secrets finally being revealed – their vice-like grip loosening at last for the first time in more than forty years.

Lily stood silently, her eyes darting around the room as she tried to make sense of it all. Her mother’s face was impassive, and her father still seemed completely bewildered. He looked over to Lily, his eyes begging her to help him understand.

But Lily was as lost as her father. How do you come to terms with a lifetime of lies and deceit? How could any of them move forward when everything you thought to be true turned out to be untrue, leaving destruction in its path?

‘We always thought it was impossible for someone to abduct a crying child without notice,’ Lily said.

‘You’re right, Lily. It would have been impossible without your mother’s help. Now you know how.’ Sally turned to Zach, and said softly, her brow furrowed, ‘You’re quiet. I know this is a lot to process. And you’ve every right to be angry and upset.’

Zach finally broke his silence, his voice barely above a whisper as he said to Sally, ‘All I want to say is thank you.’

‘For what?’ Sally replied, her eyes wide in surprise.

‘For fulfilling that promise you made when you took me back. That you would spend your life showing me how much you loved me.’ His voice trembled as he told her, ‘Well, you did that. I’ve lived a life of love – from you and Dad. And the girls.’

A strangled sob escaped Sally, and she held a hand to her chest as she struggled to contain her emotions.