My son was kidnapped more than 20 years ago and now we can’t understand each other

Eileen Vanes had given up hope of ever seeing her son again.
Twenty four years ago her Spanish husband had kidnapped their son. Eileen had met Juan on holiday and she’d moved to Spain to marry him. They’d had son Carlos and daughter Alex but he’d treated her like a slave. When his business failed they moved back to Britain, but one day Juan disappeared with Carlos.

Eileen was desperate, finally found that he’d taken him back to Spain. Juan told her she’d never see Carlos again and if she brought Alex to Spain she’d never see her again either.
She fought through the courts, enlisted the help of her Euro MP, even wrote to the PM. But Spain wasn’t a full member of the EU and there were no agreements in place. No one would help Eileen.
She carried on sending Carlos letters and presents. But the presents would be returned smashed and the letters torn into pieces.

The years went by and Eileen remarried, but she thought about her son every day, still sent letters and cards, tried phoning, but never got anywhere – didn’t know where he was anymore.
Daughter Alex grew up and had children of her own. Then in January of this year Alex was online and got a message. It was her brother Carlos’ fiancée, Miraya. She could speak a little English and said Carlos was desperate to get in touch, wanted to speak to his mum. Alex phoned Eileen, couldn’t believe it. Eileen hadn’t spoken Spanish in more than 20 years but she didn’t hesitate and shaking, she called her son.

Carlos had never been allowed to speak English by his dad and had lost the use of it, so they talked in Spanish. It was the hardest thing Eileen had done, she wanted to say so much… but couldn’t.
Carlos flew over the following week and they were reunited at the airport for the first time in 24 years.

Carlos explained that his dad had told him that she had abandoned him. He'd told Carlos his mum had come back to Spain but never wanted to see him. He thought Eileen had never wanted him.
But his grandmother had just died and on her deathbed told Carlos. “Your mum is an angel. You’ve been lied to. Go and find her!” It had taken him months but finally he’d found them.
Ironically Carlos and his sister couldn’t say a word to each other as Alex hated her dad so much she’d never learned Spanish.
For Eileen it was as if they’d never been apart. Her Spanish got better the more she spoke to Carlos and soon they’d filled in all the gaps. Eileen and hubby Peter have been to Spain to stay with Carlos, Miraya and their baby son twice since then and Carlos and Alex are both going to evening classes to learn each other’s languages.

Eileen, who’s 53, said: “I thought I’d lost Carlos forever. Twenty four years is too long to be separated, but we’re proof that it’s never too late and now we’ve got the rest of our lives to be a family again.”