The protagonist of an earlier article was a five-year-old girl who was adopted by a woman in Spain three years ago. She is now in India with her mother to meet her new sister, who will join their family soon after all the court-related procedures are over.

She has made a long journey back to where she was born although she has no memory of her first two years in India.

She flew from Madrid to Frankfurt and then on to Mumbai, where she met some cousins of her mum’s. That was just the beginning of a wave of relatives she will be meeting for the first time.

She is now in Vishakapatnam in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh getting acquainted with the newest member of the family. She feels very grown-up as she has been allowed to carry and feed the one-year-old and play the part of big sister, a role she will be taking on in real life as soon as all the formalities are over.

Pictures of the bonding have been sent to the family who have been moved by the interaction. The baby is unaware of the fact that her life is going to take a complete U-turn soon, just like that of the five year old.

In a fortuitous turn of events, the very same woman who handled the adoption of the first child on behalf of the Indian government has been posted to Vishakapatnam from Hyderabad and will be overseeing this case too. She met the five-year-old and was amazed to see the child so confident and jabbering away in Spanish, a huge change from the quiet two-year-old she knew.

Making it work

When the mother is complimented for her generosity of heart, she says she did it for herself as she wanted a family. But her decision has given her the greatest happiness and a sense of fulfilment in her life. She knows life isn’t going to be easy juggling two children and a full-time job which entails a lot of foreign travel but she is prepared to do everything in her power to make it work. As she leaves the orphanage and the baby for now, she feels a sense of loss already and hopes time flies by and they can be reunited soon.

For the baby, there will be bewildering changes ahead but she won’t be alone. Her big sister will be there to ease the transition.

Back home in Spain, in the village where they live at the foothills of a mountain, the residents eagerly await the arrival. Just as they took the first one to heart and embraced her wholeheartedly, they will do the same for this one. Pictures and videos have been sent to this WhatsApp group, too, to keep them updated on the latest events.

As they fly back to Hyderabad, the big girl will be meeting some more of her mum’s relatives, including aunts and uncles and cousins. They are all looking forward to meeting her and will probably spoil her rotten. She will be made to feel welcome and cherished, just as it should be. She is an affectionate child and will endear herself to all who meet her.

And as she interacts with family, her mother will feel a sense of pride and joy at the expanding circle of love that envelops her daughter, the child who came straight from her heart. She can only hope that the support she has received from so many quarters continues and that she will never feel alone or that she has taken on too much.

The act of adoption is as beautiful as it is challenging. But it is a gift for all involved — a gift accepted with love and a promise to cherish forever.