The Family Mystery That Inspired the Novel (part 1)

My grandmother ca. 1940

Meet my maternal grandmother, Mirta, born - to the best of her knowledge - on May 14, 1923. All she knew about her origin was that, at the age of one-and-a-half, sick with vomiting and diarrhea, she was brought to Reina Mercedes Hospital in Havana by two women who, after a couple of visits, never returned. 

Young patients at Reina Mercedes Hospital ca. 1925. My grandmother is the leftmost little girl in the front row.

Mirta recovered quickly under the care of Dr. Rita Shelton. Dr. Shelton grew fond of the little girl, bringing her home on weekends and holidays to spend time with her family (she was single and lived with her parents and siblings). After about a year, Mirta was moved to the city’s orphanage. The Sheltons continued to look out for her. When she grew older, they enrolled her in Havana’s finest boarding school so she could get a good education.  

My grandmother and her foster sisters ca. 1925. Unusually for the time, all four Shelton sisters were professionals. 

As Mirta grew older, she longed to know who she was and where she came from. And while she appreciated her foster family, a part of her resented growing up in boarding schools rather than in the bosom of a family. She also suspected that the Sheltons knew more about her origins than they let on. Mirta was haunted by her abandonment and wondered what had driven her mother to leave her behind. She followed many dead ends over the years as she sought information on her birth family. She died in 2008 at 85 years old, never knowing who her mother was.

Her daughters and grandchildren, however, were determined to solve the mystery even after she was gone… 

(To be continued)