Hi everyone, it's Reese! I have some amazing news to share today! It's official- we will be adopting Emma! Yesterday we had a five hour meeting. (Yes, I know, there are lots of meetings involved with adoptions.) Notice the word "we"? Yes, my sisters, myself, and Emma received permission to attend this meeting!
The first woman I saw upon walking in the door was one whose face I knew well, from descriptions and photos. I never thought I would see this woman again. Emma froze and we surrounded her for protection. It was Lucy.
There, sitting in metal handcuffs was Lucy Shields, Emma's former guardian. Our first instinct was to immediately leave the room. However, that was not an option. Guards were stationed at the door and near Lucy. No one was going anywhere.
"Hello my dear Emma." Lucy said with a cold tone.
"I'm far from dear to you, nor do I want to be!" Emma replied, her voice rising with anger like a train gaining speed.
I knew this terrible woman well from photos and descriptions. Her blond hair looked like it had not been washed in weeks. The smell of stale alcohol and heavy perfume lingered around the small stuffy room. Lucy's blue eyes looked at us, seeming to investigate whether we could or should be trusted.
Our parents sat calmly a few feet away from Lucy. They were not panicking. No, they did not even muster a word. They only sat there and rifled through forms and papers.
Meanwhile, Emma was panicking. She began to back towards the door when a police officer gently laid a hand on her.
"It's alright, Em girl. Nothing's going to happen."
I could see it as soon as I looked at the police officer. His narrow build. The caramel-colored hair with traces of blonde. But most of all were his blue eyes. This was Emma's father, Ben Shields.
Emma had told us that she did not know where her father was. That he had abandoned her and her mother at a very early age. That she thought that she would never see him again. But now, standing behind her, this tall, handsome man had returned.
Emma almost screamed when he first laid a gentle hand upon her. When she finally realized who this middle-aged man was, she took a step closer to him, and was immediately engulfed in a hug.
"Em girl, how I missed you." He said with a loving tone as he gazed downward.
Emma backed off slowly as her eyes narrowed.
"Where have you been?" Emma asked, her blue eyes looking angry and sad.
Nothing was said at first. Ben Shields carefully took Emma's left hand in his and sat her down in a folding chair. That's when the story begins.
Ten years ago, when Emma was merely five years old, Ben went to Rhode Island to pursue a college degree with the police. Relatives of his lived there and the school was very close to there (I can't say the location.). Without wanting to upset anyone with this decision, he plotted every move strategically and left at midnight on a warm August night. The next day, Emma's mother went slightly insane. When she looked for Ben but could not find him, she gave up. She did not look for him. She did not bother to call him. She sank into a dark, deep pit of depression. Eventually, many weeks later, when Emma was six, she would commit suicide. At the age of six years old, Emma took over the home and somehow managed for three years. The next year, Ben returned.
By this point, Lucy was Emma's legal guardian, but she had not been abusing her yet. It was agreed that no one would tell Emma of the returning of her father. Lucy threatened that if he dared tell Emma of his return, he would never be given custody. It was declared by the court that when Emma turned sixteen, he would receive custody of her.
Emma turns fifteen tomorrow, May 22. If Lucy's abusive guardianship had not been found out about, she would still be living there. However, in this case, if we were not adopting Emma, she would be in the orphanage. By technical means, Ben could still take Emma and fight for her. Because he is her biological father, the odds of him receiving custody would be high. However, the odds changed this time.
When my mother found out about Emma's situation from the adoption agency that she works for, she immediately wanted to help. It was not until about a month later, when Emma was placed in an orphanage, that the thought of adoption came about. The first person Kara located and spoke with was Ben, whom granted permission for the adoption. However, the orphanage proposed a problem. They required that Emma stay in the orphanage two weeks after her arrival before adoption began to be talked about, and an additional two weeks of processing and forms. (Unlike most orphanages, this is a very short amount of time. Due to Emma's abusive situation, she was hospitalized for three days before arriving at the orphanage.)
For signatures and most of the paperwork, both of my parents had to present in Washington. This led to us traveling to Washington State to fill out forms and attempt an earlier adoption date. Now, today, and for the past three days, we have been in meetings and been discussing all of the things associated with the adoption.
Ben and Lucy Shields were both required to be present here for verbal agreement of the adoption. (Yes, I do realize that Lucy is supposed to be in prison, but she was allowed out only for this.) This is why this second to last meeting was five hours long. Upon receiving permission and custody agreements from Ben, Lucy succumbed and agreed as well. With many signatures and meetings, the adoption was complete and official. We are now the official legal guardians of Emma.
Now I am going to speak about the events that occurred today. Our side of the story is pretty boring. From about 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., we did schoolwork. I finished my History essay, and everyone else finished their schoolwork as well. (With being absent for almost a week, we took the work with us.) At noon, we met Ben and Emma at a 50's style diner about an hour drive from the hotel. There we stayed and ate until 2 p.m.. At this point, Ben had to go back to work. Knowing that tomorrow would be the last time seeing his daughter for a long time, he decided to take off the day and spend it with Emma. They went all around Washington until 9 p.m. when he dropped off Emma at the orphanage again until tomorrow.
We booked a nine hour flight back home for tomorrow, May 22. We will be meeting Emma at the orphanage at 8 a.m.. Emma will say her goodbyes, gather her belongings, and we are due at the Seattle airport at 9:30 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. flight. I'll let you know how everything goes tomorrow.
I'm so excited!
Love,
Reese <3
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