HOME BETWEEN US

CHAPTER3

The car ride felt endless.

Muriel sat in the back seat, clutching her hands tightly in her lap, fingers digging into the worn fabric.

The car's interior was quiet, almost unnervingly so, with only the hum of the engine and the occasional creak of the suspension filling the space.

Every so often, she glanced out the window, her gaze fixed on the blur of unfamiliar streets, wondering how far they were from her old life and how much farther to this new life. Beside her, her new foster parents kept throwing concerned looks her way. They had introduced themselves when they first met, but it felt like there was a distance between them, one that hadn't been bridged by the polite greetings.

The woman, Mrs. Matilda had smiled and asked her some questions about what she liked to do, but Muriel had only offered short, polite answers.

The man, Mr. Luke, hadn't said much at all except for a quiet "hello" when they shook hands and his awkward jokes. Now, there was nothing but the rhythm of the tires against the pavement.

Muriel stared down at her hands, unable to ignore the nagging feeling in her chest. What were they thinking? Did they already regret their decision to adopt her? She had spent so much of her life feeling like a burden, like the weight of her past and her struggles had been too much for anyone to handle. And now, these strangers—these new parents—were here, taking her into their lives like it was nothing, like she was just another piece in their puzzle. But was it really nothing?

She could hear the faint sound of Mr. Harris clearing his throat in the front seat and smiling. She looked up, meeting his eyes for a moment before quickly averting her gaze back to the window. "So, Muriel," he began, his voice low and cautious. "How are you feeling about all this?"

Muriel hesitated, biting her lip. How was she feeling? She wanted to say something honest, something real, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she shrugged. "I don't know," she said softly. "I guess... I guess I'll see." She tried to smile but it was too fake and not forthcoming.

The silence that followed was thick, and for a few long seconds, she could feel the weight of their expectations pressing in on her. She imagined their minds racing, wondering if she was going to make this difficult, wondering if they had made a mistake.

Mrs. Matilda spoke next, her tone gentle but filled with an air of optimism that made Muriel uncomfortable. "It's okay to feel uncertain. This is a big change for everyone, and we're just so happy to have you with us. We want to make sure you feel comfortable, safe..."

Muriel's mind wandered. Safe? Comfortable? She had never known what that truly felt like. The word sounded foreign, like something you read about in books, not something that belonged to people like her. She had learned the hard way that promises of safety and love often came with strings attached—strings that could cut you when you least expected it.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then she froze. Was she being too cynical? Too defensive? It had been so long since she had allowed herself to hope for anything good. The only thing she could remember were the years spent bouncing from one cold, impersonal place to the next. The faces that came and went, and the empty promises whispered by people who didn't stay long enough to make a difference.

"What if I don't fit in?" she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if you wake up one day and decide your home cannot contain me anymore?" She finally asked the most pressing question on her mind.

Mr. Luke turned slightly in his seat to look at her, though his gaze never fully met hers. "That's harsh," he said, his voice steady. "We cannot decide something like that without a motive. You know, nobody wakes up one day and decides on something like that. At least not in our home. Okay?"

His words almost reassured her but the doubt lingered. He hadn't answered her questions fully. What if this was just another stop on the road to disappointment? What if she couldn't ever belong?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Matilda's soft laugh, warm and reassuring. "I know it's scary," she said, her voice like a mother's, comforting in the way it reached through the silence. "But we'll take things slowly. No pressure. Just.. We want you to be happy with us."

Muriel swallowed hard, trying to push the lump in her throat away. She looked out the window again, letting the cool breeze from the open window brush against her face. There were so many unknowns, so much uncertainty, but one thing was certain: they weren't turning back now. She didn't know if she could trust them, or if they'd ever see her for who she really was beneath the walls she'd built. But for the first time in a long while, she let herself imagine the possibility that maybe, just maybe, it could be different this time.

"Okay," Mrs. Matilda turned to face her as if reaching a conclusion, reached for her hand and squeezed it comfortingly, "You are going to be just fine with us and the boys." The way she said it calmly and naturally, sounded too normal. It seemed as though she was already a part of the family or that Mrs. Matilda really wanted her to become a part of her home. Funny how her life was. You could go from having no parents to having one in a day, the same way you could go from being just a girl to having brothers.

"Boys?" Muriel repeated.

"Yes." Mrs. Matilda smiled, "You know, I have four. Four loving, strong-headed boys, just like their dad." Watching her eyes twinkle, Muriel could instinctively tell that she was proud of them. She saw her husband squeeze her hand lightly and smile at her.

Grateful for the direction of the conversation, Mr. Luke relaxed a bit and even leaned in to the conversation. "I did not think I was strong-headed."

His wife nudged him on the ribs, "Yeah?" She asked playfully, and Muriel caught herself before she could smile. Watching their playful interaction, Muriel's mind drifted off. Up until today, she had only known she had a couple that were interested in her. How did she suddenly belong in a full family?

Her husband shrugged his shoulder as his wife reached for her bag and took out her phone. "Here," She handed it to Muriel, "I think you should know them before you meet them."

Muriel looked at her to make sure before grasping the phone in her hands. "Are they okay with the idea of me?"

Not expecting that question, the wife looked at her husband, who cleared his throat. "Okay, that is an understatement," he replied. "But you'll have to see for yourself to believe me, I guess."

His wife smiled reassuringly, "They'll dot on you." Her eyes softened as she spoke,"We kept trying for a girl until we had our four boys. After Sinclair, came Alex, then Jeremy and Sebastian.

Muriel listened, swiping from one picture to another. Each was tall and elegant. When she came to the last, the photo of a boy about eight, her eyes brightened a bit. He looked cute with his smile plastered across his face innocently. When she felt a smile creep up on her lips, she knew she was going to like him.

"Is this your last boy?" She tried to sound as uninterested as possible, but her words came out otherwise. Mrs. Matilda turned to look. "Yes." She smiled brightly, That's Sebastian.

"Sebastian," Muriel repeated quietly after wondering about the kind of reception she was going to receive.

The car turned onto a quiet street, and Muriel caught her first glimpse of the house—a small, two-story home with a red door and a neat garden that looked well-tended. It wasn't grand, but it had a kind of warmth to it, an invitation that felt... real.

Maybe, she thought, she could try to believe in it.