EXETER grandmother Shirley Harris is set to hug the brother she dreamed she might have, but has never met.
Shirley, 74, is counting down the hours until she can finally put her arms around Keith Roderick, who never even knew he had a sister.
Keith, 69, is travelling from Cwmbran, in South Wales, next week, for the emotional get-together with Shirley, who was adopted before Keith was born.
Shirley, of Abbeville Close, St Leonard's, said: "I was only small when I was adopted but for some reason I always told myself I had a brother. I don't really know why.
"It was about 40 years ago that I tried to find out more about my family and I saw my gran in Exmouth. She showed my a picture of the lad. She said she would get in touch with him but she never did I suppose.
"Now I know he is coming I can't wait. I don't know what I will do. I may break down in pieces or just try to be calm but I know I will put my arms around him.
"After all these years, to finally find I do have a brother – it is a wonderful, happy story – a dream come true."
Keith is also bursting with excitement at the prospect of meeting Shirley.
He said: "It is almost like a miracle. I never knew I had a sister until about a month ago and now I am making plans to meet her in Exeter.
"I am absolutely delighted and I can't wait to see her. I am so lucky. It seems my mother had a daughter when she was just 18 and hadn't told any of the family about it.
"In those days it was just not on and so the little girl was adopted. I came along later and when I was a kid I was always going to Exmouth where my gran, Kate Salmon, had a boarding house in Victoria Road. My gran was buried at Woodbury Church graveyard and it was while preparing a family tree that my cousin in London made some inquiries and found out about the background.
"I called my cousin Wendy Jarrett in Exeter a few weeks ago and she was able to tell me I had a sister, Shirley, and that she lived in Exeter. I couldn't wait to come down to Exeter. I have made arrangements to drive down to and meet up with Shirley in Exmouth. I'm sure we will have lots to talk about but it is just amazing to realise that I really have a sister."
Mrs Jarrett said: "It is a wonderful story and is really quite strange because Shirley had married my late husband's best friend Bernard and in fact worked for me for a while when we had a retirement home in Exeter."
Mrs Jarrett, who now runs Sunny Mead Kennels in Langaton Lane, Pinhoe, said: "Shirley is absolutely delighted and burst into tears of delight when she heard the news.
