A Secret With A Happy Ending
My uncle served in Vietnam. While over there, his troop found a baby that had been orphaned or abandoned, they aren’t sure. My uncle was shipping back to Australia soon and wanted to adopt him, but my aunt said no. They’d only been married about four months when he was drafted, so while I don’t agree with my aunt’s actions and generally don’t like her as a person, I can understand why she said no.
My uncle’s troop found a family to raise the baby, and that’s the story the whole family knows—but there’s way more to it than that. The secret is that my uncle and some other guys from his troop stayed in contact with the family and the kid, sending them money every month to help raise him and then to help him go to university.
They eventually helped him and his adoptive family move to Australia in the late 90s. My aunt and the rest of my family had no idea all this time, it only came out when my aunt and uncle divorced in 2017 and she had a forensic accountant go through their bank records. She worked at a bank for like 40 years and always noticed the money missing, but his reasons were always justified.
Since we all know now, my uncle has introduced some of us to the guy and his family. They’re all really lovely people.