“Julian was Simon’s older brother,” Mrs. Callahan explained clearly.
I stared at her in utter disbelief. “Simon didn’t have a brother. He was an only child.”
“He did have a brother,” she insisted gently.
“No, he grew up believing he had no remaining biological family,” I countered quickly.
“Because he simply didn’t know the truth for most of his life,” Mrs. Callahan told me softly. “They entered the child care system after their parents died in an accident. They were placed in entirely different foster homes, and due to clerical mistakes in the state records, they lost track of each other completely.”
“And Simon only found out about this last year?” I asked, processing the information slowly.
“Yes, that is correct,” she affirmed.
“Did he ever manage to find Julian?” I asked, holding my breath.
Mrs. Callahan looked down at her lap sadly. “He tried his best.”
