Adopted love

Chapter eight - The fair

Carla's POV:

I want to adopt a teenage girl. I am happy with my kids, but when I saw what Lesley's big daughter was going through, I decided to help a kid. I know I can't adopt all of them. It would be nice to have another kid at home. Of course, I have talked about this with my family. I will never do something they don't want. They are the first people I will ask about something like this. I'm glad they accepted the idea. My daughter Rosie was happy about it. Josh agreed too. I have talked with my husband, Ben, about it again. He only needed to make sure I wanted this. For now, I don't want to give up. Also, this is a long process. The girl has to live with us for some time. Later, she has to decide if she wants to stay with us. I want her to stay, but that is her choice. I looked at some places. It turned out that one foster care center has a fair. All the kids will go out. Parents can come to choose their children. I believe most of them are looking for the little ones. Well, I already have Rosie. She might be eleven, but this girl always will be my baby. The reason why I want to adopt is that I want to take care of someone. I do it for my kids, but they want me to go out more. I have a social life, but I love spending time with them. Maybe I need to let my husband do it too. Rosie got addicted to me. It's not like I am not. She is one cute little girl. I will always love my kids. That's why I want another one. I probably can get pregnant, but I don't want to do it. I want to give a chance to one of the foster kids. They deserve families too. I want to show her the positive side of being adopted. Every kid deserves a family, but not every family deserves a kid. I hope that she will feel good at home.

Today is the fair. Ben and I will go together. I asked the kids if they wanted to come, but no. They already have plans. Josh will go out with his friends and take his sister with him. I'm glad they go out so often. Rosie wanted her brother's friends to come for her birthday. I know she pranks Austin a lot, but that is because he pays too much attention to her. Sometimes I think she loves him more than Josh. That is not true, but if you look at it from the outside, you might think the same. The boys don't have siblings. It's understandable why they treat her like that.

I woke up and went to get ready for the day. It's the weekend, so I don't have to go to work. Also, that way I can go to the fair. I will dress casually. After all, I don't want all the attention to be on me. Later, I went into the kitchen. Ben was already cooking. That is my job, but I love it when he does it. I called the kids, and all of us sat around the table. Rosie was still sleepy. I hope she won't fall asleep at the table.

- Rosie. When did you go to bed last night? - I asked

- At 10 pm as usual.

- Are you sure?

- Ok, I played with my dolls.

- You know you can't stay late. In the morning, you can't wake up.

- I know. I'm sorry.

- You won't do it again, ok?

- Yes, mommy. Thank you.

- Where are you taking Rosie today? - Ben asked Josh

- I don't know. The boys said they wanted to meet us. Probably they will decide.

- Can I take the pink bunny with me? - Rosie asked

- Why? You don't need to bring it everywhere with you. There is a chance for you to lose it.

- I won't. I promise.

- Where this bunny came from? She doesn't leave it for a minute. - I said

- Try to guess. You have two options.

- Austin?

- Yes.

- He is spoiling her. I might forbid him to be near her. - I said, chuckling

- No, mommy. I love the bunny.

- Austin, too, right?

- Ew, no. I don't love him.

- That is not what I meant. Forget it. Let's eat now.

After breakfast, the kids went outside. Ben and I did the same. Well, we took the car this time. We both like to walk, but the foster care center is not close to the house. It took us one hour, but we arrived. Many parents were looking for a kid. I went to a booth while Ben was parking the car. Two women were there. I guess they take care of the kids here.

- Hello, I am Carla.

- Hi, Carla. I am Angela, and this is Brenda. How can we help you?

- I want to adopt a teenage girl.

- Finally, someone who wants an older kid. They are over there.

- Hey. I found a parking spot.

- That is my husband, Ben.

- Hello.

- I hope you find what you are looking for today. - Brenda said

- Thank you.

Ben and I went to look around. I want a teenage girl, but it doesn't mean I can't talk with other girls. I saw two older ones talking. They look like the age of Josh. It doesn't hurt to try.

- Hello, girls. I am Carla.

- Hi. I am Annie, and this is Nicole.

- I like your hairstyle, Nicole. Annie, your dress is pretty.

- Thank you. Can we help you? - Annie asked

- Well, I am looking for a teenage girl. Are you two sisters?

- No, but we live in the same room. Well, with another girl.

I talked with Annie and Nicole. Both of them are nice girls. I don't think I can choose between them. That was until I saw another girl. She was sitting alone with headphones on. Every kid was talking or playing with someone. She was alone. I don't know why I felt like that. Well, for some reason, that made me feel bad for her.

- Annie, who is this girl there?

- Which one?

- The one with the headphones.

- Oh, that is Kylie. If she has her headphones on, it means to leave her alone.

- Why? Did something happen? She is the only one who is alone.

- Kylie is a bit different than the others. Let's say that she accepts a new family hard. - Nicole said

- Can I talk with her?

- Yes, but I don't know if you will get what you want.

- I only want a talk, nothing else. If she doesn't want one, I will leave her alone.

- Maybe you are what she needs.

- What do you mean?

- Kylie didn't have much luck with the previous six families. She doesn't want to get adopted anymore.

- I see. Well, I will try to talk with her.

I left Ben with the girls and went to see Kylie. She has closed her eyes, enjoying the music. I have the feeling that she has been hurt. Maybe it's not true. The thing is that I think she won't talk with me.

- Hello.

No answer. I don't think she can hear me with the headphones on. I carefully touched her hand, and she quickly opened her eyes and looked at me. That is not what I expected. I hope she won't go away.

- Hey.

- Who are you, and what do you want from me? When I am with my headphones, it means to leave me alone.

- I know. Hi Kylie. I am Carla.

- From where do you know my name?

- Annie and Nicole. The man over there is my husband.

- I won't go anywhere with you.

- I never said that I wanted to take you.

- You don't have to do it. That is obvious. Let me tell you something. You are wasting your time. Annie wants to get adopted, so you better take her. I'm not going anywhere.

- Hey, I'm not taking you anywhere. You can calm down.

- I don't trust you.

- It's ok. I don't trust strangers too.

- Will you leave me alone?

- All I want is to talk with you. I thought you were upset.

- I'm fine.

- Are you sure?

- Yes. Also, it's not your business.

I didn't say anything and hugged her. I thought she might pull away, but no. Kylie stayed like that, doing nothing. For some reason, this feels good. Soon, I pulled away and looked at her.

- You are not my mom. - Kylie said and walked away

- I see you found a kid. - Ben said

- Well, I tried.

- Let's go inside. Brenda and Angela will help us.

We went to find the two women. I don't know what is happening with Kylie, but she looks upset. It can't be because of me. I didn't do anything to her. It was a simple hug.

- I see that you found a kid.

- Yes. Her name is Kylie.

- Kylie. She is a different kid. It will take her time to get used to a new family.

- She didn't like me.

- It's not because of you. The last family that took her didn't do their job well.

- Did something terrible happen?

- All I will say is that they didn't read her medical report. So, do you want to take her?

- I would love to, but I don't want her to feel bad. If she is not happy with me, she better stay here.

- Look, when she turns twenty-one, she has to move out of here. That is the policy. We can't keep her here, even if we want.

- I talked with two other girls as well. Annie and Nicole.

- They are good girls and roommates with Kylie.

- Can I know how Kylie ended up here? She looked upset when I talked with her.

- Her parents died in a car crash. She used to live alone until their neighbors called a social worker to check on her. It was hard to make her come here. Kylie didn't want to leave her house. Somehow, we managed to bring her here. She was only sixteen. Well, she was old enough to understand what would happen to her. Luckily, she likes being here. - Brenda said

- Doesn't she has a family, like grandparents or uncles?

- She has grandparents from her dad's side. We tried to call them, but they didn't want to talk. The last time we did it, someone else picked up the phone. They have changed their phone number. According to Kylie, her dad's parents didn't like her mom. Her as well. She has an uncle, but he lives in London. Also, he said he couldn't take care of her. He has two jobs and won't have time for her. She doesn't have anyone else. - Angela said

- That is sad. - I said

- Do you want her to come with you? I can talk with her.

- Thanks, but it won't be today. Can I come to see her?

- Sure. I can't guarantee she will talk with you, but you are always welcome.

- Thank you.

- Can I know why you decided to adopt? Mostly, people do it when they can't have kids.

- I have two. One is a boy of Kylie's age and a girl.

- That is great. I suggest you give Kylie some time. She will come if she sees that you want to take care of her.

- Ok, thank you.

- Do you want to know anything about the other girls?

- No, thank you. Kylie is my choice.

- Please, don't disappoint her. She doesn't trust people easily and is fed up with ungrateful families. When you want to take her home, come here. I will give you her medical report. Then I will tell you everything you need to know about her. - Brenda said

- I hope this day will come soon.

- We too.

- Ok, we have to go now. Bye and see you soon.

- Bye.

Both Ben and I went home. I can't stop thinking about Kylie. There was something in her that immediately caught my attention. I don't know what it was, but that was enough for me to understand she was the one I wanted. Hopefully, she would like to live with us. I don't want her to do anything she doesn't like.

We walked in and saw Austin chasing Rosie. I guess she has done something again. I might be a bad mom for letting her prank him so much, but I know they love this. No matter that, Austin might never admit it. Otherwise, he would've done something to stop her.

- Hello, kids.

- Hey, mom. How was the fair? Did you like a girl?

- I did, yes.

- Where is she?

- I decided not to take her today. I will be patient with her.

- Did something happen?

- No. She doesn't trust everyone. That's it.

- Are you sure?

- Can we not talk about this now?

- Yes, sure.

I invited the boys for dinner. This time, they decided to stay. I have made chicken with rice. It takes me less time. Sometimes I like to experiment. Today I don't have that much time. Maybe when Kylie comes home, I can cook her favorite food. I still don't know anything about her. I believe she will tell me. All I want is for her to feel good at home.

- The dinner is excellent, miss Carter. - Devan said

- Thank you. I'm glad that you like it. Rosie, why don't you eat?

- I am eating. - Rosie said and put the fork in her mouth

- Austin, did something happen? She feels guilty again.

- I am not the one who has to tell you.

- Rosie, what happened?

- Nothing.

- You can't hide anything from me.

- I pranked him.

- You promised that you would stop doing it. He doesn't like it.

- It was fun.

- Only for you. Maybe you don't know, but your pranks might hurt him. You have to think about that.

- Ok, I'm sorry.

- Rosie, you are not a little girl. I don't know why you keep doing this.

- You said I was your baby.

- You always will be, but it doesn't mean you must keep doing the same things.

- I get it.

- Will you apologize to Austin?

- Ok, I'm sorry.

- You say this every time, but ok. - Austin said

The boys stayed at home until 10 pm. That was when Rosie had to go to bed. I know she likes being with them, but they are older. The last time she stayed up late was when she slept only six hours. She has to wake up early for school. Honestly, I'm glad that she understands so well with her brother and his friends. It's good that they take her everywhere they go. I can't be at home all the time. She has friends as well. I can't leave her there often. After all, her friend's mom has to work as well. She is not a babysitter. I hope that Kylie will agree to come home with me. I want her to feel the same way as my kids.