"Who's this?" I asked my mom as I flipped through the old photo album, fixing my gaze on that particular figure who looked exactly like me.
The smiles were exactly like mine, and even though the photos were in white and black, the striking resemblance swept me off my feet.
I paused for a moment, trying to figure out who that image was. The photo album took me down memory lane to the days of my childhood, and the sound of laughter began to echo in my mind. How I was young and free and unbothered about the troubles of this world until I looked closer, as these two were the same height and face structure and wore even the same dress. "Mom, was there Photoshop at that time? But how come we are two?" I was so curious to know who those images were as I sat upright on the couch in the living room.
"Hannah, that's her name, my twin sister," Mom said in a very hushed voice, as her eyes were already teary.
"What? Are you a twin?" My hands were over my mouth as it was a mixed feeling for me to know that my mom was a twin. As I have always admired twins and their lifestyle, little did I know that we had one in our lineage.
"Wait a minute, Mom, so this isn't me? Oh my God, I looked so much like you both when I was younger; where's Aunt Hannah?" I raised my head, looking up at my mom for an answer.
"We lost her many years ago during World War II; she died of malnutrition when we were just 7 years old. My mom did her best to ensure she survived, but it was so hard as the whole world was in chaos at that time and we always had little or no food to eat." My mom began to reveal so many things about our lineage I knew nothing of. She told me how my grandpa was once a soldier who fought countless battles during his era and came home victorious, only to find Aunt Hannah was no more.
"Here's your grandpa, Pa Donald, a very strong and resilient man." My mom began to show me his photos, and I realized I took after Grandpa's vigour; he was indeed a vibrant and lively man.
"I wish I met all of them, especially Aunt Hannah." I said under my breath, "Mom, I'm glad you survived. Who would have told me the beautiful story from our lineage?"
I hugged Mom so much as that photo made me bond with my dear momma even more. That photo album laid a trove of memories and created opportunities to make new fond memories as well.
After a few minutes, I closed the photo album but kept on reflecting on the story Mom shared with me, which deepened my appreciation for family time and photos that kept memories alive. "Let's take a selfie Mom," I brought out my phone to capture a moment I wouldn't forget with my beloved mother since we now live in a digital world.