Adopting

With the four of them looking as stunning as ever, their little family was gaining attention from all around. Eyes were glued to them and whispers followed them wherever they went but they were either too aloof to notice or already so accustomed to let it bother them. Going from store to store until all their shopping was done. After that they went to have a nice meal and ended the day with a nice walk back home. Having a day with great weather and with the gifts having already been sent back to the home after the last present was bought, it would be a waste if they didn't do anything to make use of one of the last summery days of the year. Even little Amira ventured to walk on her own tiny feet as one hand was held by Jenny and the other by Jason. With a day full of fun and lots of walking, all of them slept like a log once they went to bed. For the two little ones, this wasn't much later than the time they arrived home and for Jenny and Jason it was but two hours after that.

The next day, the day to visit the orphanage had finally arrived. The day was even sunnier than the day before and after packing the car with all the gifts, they got on the road and started their drive to the children's home. Brother and sister were seated in the back and Jenny and Jason in the two front seats, each using their seat partner for their entertainment during the ride over. Their day out had gotten off to a good start and for Jenny it became even better when she listened in on the conversation Charlie and Amira were having. Charlie was explaining to Amira what being an orphan meant and why they visited the children at the home each year. "You see Ami, they don't have a mommy and daddy like we do. No one to spoil them like we spoil you or like our parents spoil me. So, you and me, we are blessed. Since they don't have someone to make them feel special everyday, we have one day a year where we go there in person and try to do that for them and give back for all the things we have. Plus, we get to play all day with many nice children around our age."

In the mirror she could see that her daughter was attentively listening to her big brother's every word. The talk didn't end there but Jenny had heard all the right things being said. So, she decided to leave the two of them be as she glanced over at Jason, who had heard their conversation as well. After she exchanged a chuckle with him, she closed her eyes and let the warm sun shine on her face, letting their talk fade into the background while Jason continued to focus on the road.

When they arrived at the home, their day went as wonderfully as the years before. Laughing, smiling, playing. Everyone seemed to be fully enjoying themselves. But after a few hours, Jenny and Jason took a bit of break and were sitting on one of the benches outside. Enjoying the warmth of the sun as they watched the kids play amongst themselves. There the conversation they had shared a few years ago resurfaced. "Don't you think it is about time we take one of these kids home. Contributing to the orphanage in a different way then donations and gifts." Jason kept his eyes on the sight of playing kids in front of him as he replied, "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."

After a talk with the director, Jenny and Jason were able to find a suitable match for their happy little family. They would have done this sooner but because they did not want the child to think that he or she was only there because they could not have children of their own or to become insecure after they had children of their own, they waited until now. The two of them had decided to wait with adopting until they wanted no more biological children of their own. Having two children of their own, a boy and a girl, one of each and both of them absolutely perfect, they had reached that point. So, with all the desired biological children accounted for, they now wanted to try and actually help a child that had no parents of their own. In whichever form of adoption that may be.

In the end their choice fell on a bit of a unique... or at least less common case. In order to make sure they were actually helping a child and not just adopting for the sake of adopting, they purposely looked into a child that was already a bit older and therefore had a smaller chance of being adopted. When they talked to the director, it turned out that the person with the smallest chance for adoption was a boy that was almost 16 years old. His parents had died in a crash and none of their relatives wanted to take him or his younger sister in. Though there had been people wanting to adopt the sister, who has just turned 4, they insisted on staying together. Since, foster homes and children's homes only house 'children' in the literal sense of the word, the moment a child turns 18 he or she is forced to move out and fend for themselves. Meaning that in two years either they would be forced to separate or the brother would have to become the official guardian of his sister and take care of both himself and her. Though this wasn't exactly the adoption they had in mind, this certainly fit the bill of helping a parentless child in need.