I often look at the plots of novels and wonder how on earth they dreamt up such unlikely tales. But, of course, life is often stranger than fiction. My life, and that of my family, recently took a strange and unexpected turn which is worthy of a novel.
A man from the Eastern Cape contacted me by email in Thailand and asked me whether I was the same Peter Malherbe who lived in Komga and had a sister named Jacqueline. He said he would like to communicate with me. I replied immediately saying this was indeed the same person who once marched through the hallowed halls of Komga Secondary School.
Then came the news. The man said he believed that my sister was his birth mother and that he was given up for adoption on birth. He had been adopted by a loving family and was now a married church pastor. All he wanted was more information about his mother and possibly a photograph of her.
He was born in June 1977, which makes him 30 years old. And it means that my sister, Jackie, was 19 at the time of his birth. She passed away two years later. At the time I would have been in the army, and I had absolutely no idea that she had been pregnant. Neither did my brothers. Our parents had kept it from us.It was the strangest feeling communicating with a family member that I never knew existed. I wonder if he looks like Jackie? He will meet with my family shortly and he will get a picture of his mom. I am glad that he was able to contact us and that we are able to tell him about his mother. He seems to be a really nice guy and I am sure Jackie would have been very proud of him.
I had actually heard about the case about 10 years ago, when I was contacted by a social welfare worker who made some queries around this possibilty, but had not given further details and there was no contact.A strange aside is that our family comes from a long line of religious ministers, and my dad preached in the Methodist Church. With my brothers and I choosing other careers, it seemed as though this tradition had ended. Well, now we know that it hasn't, really. Jackie's son is a preacher.
I hope that I will be able to meet him when I am back in South Africa on holiday. It may sound odd, but it's a rather nice feeling that some part of Jackie lives on in her son. Isn't life strange?
