I thought no one could be worse than my mother, but I was proven wrong when Zhan and I met his parents just three days after we returned from the Bahamas. They may not compare to my mother and her offenses, but they are no better because of their history.

The honeymoon, which we spent mostly, loving each other, in bed at our private beach house or loving each other, at our private beach beach, went by way too fast. We would have loved to stay there one month longer. But we are already planning to travel there again next year and this time stay more than 2 weeks.

Well anyway, when we came back, still recovered and happy, we met already the day after our return, with my boss. I mean, my brother-in-law. It's still hard for me to think of him as part of my family now, after the years before, when he was just my boss at the hardware store to me.

Zhan and Zhao thought about many questions, I didn't say this would be pointless, because they would forget everything anyway when they meet their parents. Because this way they also got to know each other better. They told each other what they could remember from their childhood and realized that they were both only 3-4 years old when they were taken away from their parents.

Zhao said that because he was so young, he could hardly remember anything. But of being alone at home all the time and crying in fear, and even walking the streets alone at night looking for his parents. He told that he remembers one evening when there were many people with them in the small apartment. They drank alcohol, took drugs and had a wild orgy. "Everybody was sleeping with everybody. That's what I remember to this day." He said.

Zhan remembered evenings when the police came when his parents were fighting. Of evenings when he was alone. Of men coming into the house and messing things up, taking things, threatening and even beating up his parents.

Hearing all this brought out a thought in me that I had never thought was possible. Namely, that in my childhood, with my parents, it didn't hit me even close to as hard as it did for Zhan and his brother.

On the third day after our return, we set off in the afternoon to this one old small and uncared park on the outskirts of the city. The park, a popular meeting place for all those people who did not want to or could not integrate into society, was also from spring to autumn, the sleeping place of many homeless people. People who, through their own fault, lost everything, or innocently suddenly lost everything that was dear to them. In this park they were and are all the same.

And it was exactly in this park, of which there were never any good rumors, that we met Zhao and went to a certain place there, where a monument once stood, and met Zhan's parents.

The two aging ones were already waiting for us impatiently. They were sitting there on an old broken bench drinking a beer. I don't know what was going through Zhan's or Zhao's mind at that moment, I just know I was mighty pissed off when I saw them sitting there in broad daylight drinking beer.

And even the greeting made it clear what kind of people these two are. Zhan's father stood up, reached out his hand to Zhao and then to Zhan, and the very first thing he did was ask him, "Why a man, anyway? You are handsome, aren't you? Didn't you find a woman who wanted you? Do you have any kinky or strange habits and that's why no woman wants you?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Zhan immediately tensed up and got angry. But before he could return something appropriate, Zhan's big brother said, "Really? After so many years where you haven't seen each other, where there are so many things to sort out, is that what interests you the most? Has it perhaps occurred to you that Zhan loves his husband and that's why they're together and that's why they got married?"

The woman, I refuse to call them my in-laws, stood up and tried to mediate. Her breath, which smelled of alcohol, was barely tolerable as she replied, "He doesn't mean it. He was just surprised to hear that his youngest son is married to a man."

And then, after the initial anger had faded, Zhao asked, "Why have you been hiding all these years and reappeared so suddenly?"

"We weren't hiding. Well, yes, we kind of did. But not by choice. We were in the witness protection program." Explained Zhan's father.

"Oh really? And why is that?" Zhan asked, slightly snidely.

"Well, we got a few things like that, that weren't meant for our eyes. And the prosecutors offered us a deal at the time. If we go testify these guys, we'll get out of jail early and be put in a witness protection program." Said Mr. Xiao.

"You know what? Just tell us your story. I don't feel like asking you a bunch of questions to give us piecemeal answers. Say what you have to say and then we'll go back home." Said Zhao bitterly.

And indeed, Zhan's mother then took over the talking, because her husband, preferred to drink another beer.

"It was like this. When I met your father, I was only 16 years old and had just run away from home. More specifically, your father and I, were both runaways from home. We were always difficult for our parents. We didn't study, skipped school, drank alcohol and took drugs. And at some point, when we got tired of our elite parents' rules, we ran away from home. But your father and I couldn't stand each other from the very beginning when we met. But then, in a night of drinking and drugs, we ended up in bed together at some point and I got pregnant with you Zhao. And even though we didn't love each other, your father wanted to do the right thing. We got married in secret and then became parents. Our families didn't know about it. We thought even though we were young, we could handle it. We even gave up partying, alcohol and drugs. But eventually it caught up with us again and gambling addictions were added. To finance our addictions, we went begging, stealing and did minor burglaries in houses. Every now and then when we got caught, we only got some on our fingers, because of Zhao, so that we could continue to take care of him. And every time we promised ourselves to get better. But instead, it got worse and worse. We slipped further and further, forgetting everything around us. They finally took Zhao away from us and we didn't even try to get him back. But not because we didn't love him. But because we loved him. Because we knew that was the only way he would have a future. Only when he's no longer with us can he grow up without fear and problems."

"I see, so what?" Asked Zhan.

"Well, we realized we needed help and returned to our families. They made up stories together about how your father and I met and when we got married. We never told any of them about our son. Slowly, with the help of our families and therapies, we began to get better. We became braver again and thought, one drink can't hurt. One game won't be so bad. We can smoke a joint without any problem. We were so naive. We ended up back in the slipstream of our addictions faster than we would have thought. We cut ourselves off from our families again. I got pregnant again and gave birth to Zhan. To feed Zhan and finance our addictions, we stole again, begged and broke into houses again. But the money was not enough and so we borrowed from different loan sharks. We borrowed a lot of money from one in particular. And of course we couldn't pay off the loan. We then worked for this loan shark for almost two years, while other debt collectors kept coming to us. The loan shark gave us even more money so we could pay our debts. The only thing was that we now owed him even more. And he was fed up with waiting for his money. So one evening he came to us. Zhan you were only three years old at the time. Anyway, he came to us with two men and they took you away. The loan shark laughed and said that as soon as he sold our son, we would be debt-free. He threatened us if we ever dared to tell that he sold our son and not us. We could not and would not let that happen. We called the police and they were able to stop the sale. The prosecution had been after the loan shark for a long time and needed information about him and his men to finally put them behind bars. We were the informants. In exchange for a few years less jail time and entry into a witness protection program."

Burping, Zhan's father opened the next can of beer and nodded. "They agreed to the deal. We testified and after a couple of years in prison, we were put into the witness protection program. They took us to Thailand. We were given new identities and had to get married again there so we wouldn't be exposed. We weren't allowed to tell anyone that we were going into the witness protection program. We weren't allowed to call anyone. And we're back here now because the loan shark died and his business, his money, everything is gone. So we don't need the witness protection program anymore." Said Zhan's father.

"And to celebrate you being able to return home, you immediately started drinking again huh? How did you find me in the first place? After all, I got a new name then, too." Zhao replied.

"Well, a prosecutor helped us with that. They get all the information, did you know that? Well, anyway, they gave us the contact information of you." Mr. Xiao replied.

"What I don't understand is, why did you want to see us again?" Asked Zhao.

"Because you are our sons and you should know the truth. God, we loved you so much back then Zhao and of course you Zhan. But we were and are just not good people. We were and are addicts! You do not have to understand our actions, because we do not do it ourselves. Our actions at that time were solely related to our addictions. We were not able to think about anything else at all. But we didn't love you any less because of that. We were just not strong enough to fight those addictions. Today, we still drink alcohol. We no longer take drugs or participate in gambling. We have left that behind. But alcohol is still, our biggest addiction." Explained Zhan's mother.

Zhao shook his head and said very seriously, "Now, let's be honest. Zhan and I have been looking for you for a long time. Now we know why we couldn't find you. Now we have the answers we've always been looking for. But, don't think that I want to see you again. I understand that addiction is a disease and the sick person often can't help it. But, I have no emotional attachment to you and probably never will. All I wanted from you were answers. I have them now. Therefore, I bid you farewell and hope I never hear from you again."

Zhan nodded and said, after being silent for almost the entire time, "I always wanted to know who my parents were and why they wanted to sell me back then. Now I know the truth. I don't think it's better because of that. I also understand that you have been driven by your addictions. However, I must say, if you claim to have loved us so much, then I don't understand why you fell back into those addictions over and over again. Instead of just trying to be our parents. I for one hope when I have kids one day with my wonderful cute husband that I can give to them all that I never had from you two. Most of all, love for them. I too will refrain from any more meetings with you guys. I hope you can somehow enjoy the rest of your lives and stay sober for a day now and then and reflect on your lives."

Then Zhan took my hand, looked at Zhao, and we left the two of them behind. But before we left, their father said, "We don't need you anyway." At that moment, I would have loved to turn around and shove his can of beer down his throat.

Zhan now knows what kind of people his parents are. To him, they're something he's happy to do without. But at least one good thing came out of all this. He found out that he has an older brother. And the two of them want to stay in contact and spend as much time together as possible.