At My 30th Birthday Dinner, My Mom Said I Was Adopted for a Tax Break

for thirty years and finally released. “She’s adopted. We took her in when she was two. And do you know why?”

I sat frozen. Forty pairs of eyes swiveled toward me.

“Tax benefits.” Patricia laughed—actually laughed, the sound bright and cruel and ringing off the chandeliers. “The government had a wonderful program. Adopt a child, get a nice deduction.continue reading …