Richard and Katherine Grow a Family

[Ishigreensa]

Richard Jford was a manager at a warehouse for construction supplies and tools, and he had a nice woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his days with, but for one reason or another, one the doctors really couldn't find an answer to, they just had a hard time getting pregnant, and so it was, about two years previous, that they brought home their first child from the foster system.  It had been a long road, and they had to be patient with her while she learned their new rules, which honestly, they found it strange at times that the rules she thought were rules, were somehow easier for her to follow than ones that made more sense.

Samantha has mostly stopped wetting herself in the daytime, but even that had taken nearly a year for her to realize that it was unnecessary, and she was still wetting herself up until just a few days ago on purpose while she waited for people to open her bedroom door in the mornings.  There was no evidence that she had completely stopped yet, but at least, she had not done so in the last couple of days.

Richard climbed out of bed and after kissing his wife, he made his way towards the bathroom to get ready to take a shower on this July 13th Monday morning.

Samantha was resting her eyes in her room, her pajamas with a small diaper and a pad inside for extra protection felt dry this morning.  She looked out the window at the rising sun, and she sighed.  She had no idea that they the family was going to be driving to the next town over about an hour and a half away to pick up a new family member.  She could still hear the old Voices of the Myers in her head at times.  She could hear the whipping sounds of the Snyders' wire hangers, and she could hear the echoing shame of her past calling her a thief.

She opened her eyes and looked towards the door, but it was still closed.

"You know you are not to touch that diaper, and no one takes it off you but me," the lady's face lingered in her mind for a moment or two.

Richard had not wanted to get Samantha thinking she was getting a sister before they went to the town over and it was declared certain that they would get the girl.  There had been a few times, when they were getting their first one, that mistakes were made, papers were forgotten, or someone forgot to check something, so that it took more than a dozen trips to get their first child.  Samantha didn't come to them without baggage, but if you asked Richard today, if he thought Samantha was worth it, he'd tell you that no child is perfect, and that he is glad for having Samantha every day.  However, he doesn't truly see what happens at home sometimes when he is at work, and poor Katherine has to deal with her alone, especially when it comes to school problems.

Samantha looked over at her bedroom door, wondering when they would get her up.  was she allowed to leave the room?  She thought maybe it was okay, but her legs shook when she stood up.  If she were wrong....

The eleven (going to be twleve year old on the 24th) girl had caramel dark blond hair that hung around her head in long uneven strings that reached just past her shoulders.  There had been a dare, that Samantha took readily, when one of the prissy girls at her gymnastics class that Saturday before had dared her to cut a couple of clumps of hair, so she was taken to the beauty Salon the day before, on Sunday, and they fixed it up.  It could have been worse, for sure, for she had not cut anything high up on her head.  This allowed them to just trim her hair close to the length of her shoulders.  Though Samantha was brainwashed into all kinds of strange rules and procedures in her past to avoid getting into trouble, she still seemed to find other ways to get into trouble.

Richard nearly laughed at the idea that this little preteen would stare blankly into a door blocking her from leaving a room she was told to sit in, and yet, she would readily do something like cut parts of her hair or she would even pull the fire alarm, like she did nearly a year and a half ago at school.  That child was something else.

Samantha looked at the still closed door, willing it to open, but it didn't, and so, with a great heavy sigh, she spread her legs and started to pee into her diaper that was on under her purple nightshirt with three playful kittens tumbling over each other.  The logo on the shirt in the center read: "Go Wild!"  in vibrant Orange!  It was only about six thirty by this time, and it being summer, there was likely no reason for anyone to have checked on her before this....

 

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine was a tall and medium built woman in her mid 30’s. Having met her husband in college, she was living her dream life, married and having one child for now, but soon another foster. They’d had a few respite foster children over the years of having Samantha, though they only stayed for a few days each. Today they’d be getting someone a little more long term. 
 

A while after her husband and daughter had awoken, Katherine got up around 7 in the morning. She made the bed she shared with Richard and then went down the hall to check on Samantha. She knocked lightly before slowly opening the door.

“Morning honey.” She said cheerfully. “How’d you sleep?” She could see by the expression on her daughter’s face that she was embarrassed. Knowing what was wrong she sighed a bit. “Honey, you don’t have to wait for someone to come get you in the morning. I know it’s hard to remember, but you’ll never get in trouble for going to the bathroom in our house.” Her tone was calm and even, not wanting to upset or scare the girl. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up, we have a big day with exciting plans ahead of us today.”

Leaving the door open, Katherine went back to the master bedroom to get ready for the day. With Samantha being nearly 12 she didn’t want to embarrass the girl more by cleaning her up when the girl was capable of doing so easily. Once she was dressed in some light blue jeans and a white blouse, she brushed her hair up into a ponytail and headed downstairs to greet her husband. The couple figured that July was the best time of any to accept a new placement. While Richard still had to work, Katherine was a high school teacher and thus didn’t have to work during summers. 
 

“Ready for the big day? I’m so excited and also worried. I know nothing they told us about her was anything we haven’t dealt with before, but still, she’s so much younger than Samantha.” She rambled to her husband, always being the one to worry. 
 

The next town over held the social services office for the county. It was small and mostly just a few offices, no real place to keep children long term. Alice sat on a chair in the view of her caseworker, Maria, not being allowed to leave without permission. She was given a piece of paper and a pencil, though she didn’t enjoy having to keep still for so long. 
 

The small girl was 8 years old, set to turn 9 in November. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a crude ponytail, clearly still tangled and not well taken care of. She had on some dingy denim overalls and a blue Tshirt, both of which looked old and not quite the right size for her, despite being small for her age and looking more like a 6 or 7 year old. Her skin was pale and dirty, some dirt hiding some of the freckles covering her face, especially her cheeks and forehead. 
 

Occasionally glancing up at Maria, Alice kept her head down and scribbled on the paper in front of her, doing her best to sit still, though she wasn’t very successful and was quite squirmy. She’d been removed from her mother’s care a week ago now and had been bounced around a few foster homes but nobody wanted to keep her once they learned of her file. Supposedly there was another family coming to get her today, but Alice knew inside that it wouldn’t be different. She worried what these new people would be like. She missed her mother greatly and still didn’t quite understand why she couldn’t go home, having only been told that her mother couldn’t care for her properly. Everyone always phrased it as if it was Alice’s fault and bad behavior that caused her to get taken away. Her mother did warn her before that how she behaved could get her taken, though she never meant to misbehave. 
 

She glanced at the digital clock on Maria’s desk, she said the family would be here around 9 o’clock or so, and that felt like forever from now. 

[Ishigreensa]

Samantha looked up at her mother, Katherine, and for a moment, she saw in her mind, a hanger coming down on her back, the hook biting into her skin sometimes, and sometimes, just the thin wire causing her skin to welt and sting.  She was about to cover her face, but then Katherine spoke to her reminding her of where she was.

The lady walked into her room, and asked her pleasantly how she was, and she didn't even mention that the little girl was standing there, out of bed, and wearing a sagging soaking wet diaper under her nightshirt.  Well, she didn't lead with it anyway.

"I... I wet," she mumbled in a very low voice, still shaking a little bit.

Katherine had already figured it out, or probably seen the leaking diaper drizzling a little down her legs and making a few drops of pee fall on the floor around her feet, and she immediately told her the new rule that was not really that new!  She had been hearing the same new rule for over two years, and yet, anytime she saw a closed door, she couldn't help but not open it, and then, if she had to pee, she would wait too long if no one checked on her.

"I'm sorry.  I forgot your rule," she whispered.  

Samantha walked down the hall in her soaking wet diaper still dripping her pee here and there on the floor, and she finally got to the tub where she started to fill the tub with warm water.

"Do you think we are made of money?" she heard in her head.

But she shook that thought from her mind.  The door was left open.  There was no woman right behind her holding a belt or some strap to hit her with.  The rules here were different.  They would even come in on her and fill the tub more for her sometimes, if they weren't busy.  They always told her here, "You can use as much water as you want, as long as it doesn't get on the floor from running too much into the tub, baby."  She liked it when they tagged the word baby at the end, as if somehow, that softening of talking to her was meant to make her feel less scared.  But she noticed in the last few months, especially Katherine used that word a little less, and she checked on her a little less.  She wasn't really sure why.

 

Richard frowned and shook his head and sighed.

"Katherine, remember how many times we had to go back before we even got Samantha?  Don't get yourself worked up until we know for sure we are getting the little one.  All it takes is one little line to be forgotten for them to renig on us, which is why I haven't exactly told Samantha what we are doing today, and I asked that you didn't.  Not point in getting her worked up over getting a little sister, only to not have it happen, right?"

He was saying this from experience because nearly five years ago, they had started looking into getting an adopted child.  A little over two years ago, the system said they qualified, but then they kept finding parts of paperwork not done right, or a studycase was not complete, or just anything, it seemed, to snatch a child from them at the last minute, and then, when they did get Samantha, they were given a child with so many emotional and physical scars, it is a wonder they have helped Samantha to become as comfortable with Katherine as she has, and she still has outbursts where she forgets exactly who Katherine is.

"One step at a time, okay, Katherine?"

He hugged her and kissed the side of her head just above her ear.

"I mean, I do know how hard it is keep our emotions in check.  I really liked the photo of the child they sent us, but we honestly don't know a lot about her yet.  I do know that when Samantha first came to us, it was an uphill battle to get her to realize that she was not going to get it with a strange object, and do you remember how many times you had to clean out her dirty clothes because she kept pooping herself?  At least she doesn't do that anymore."

Richard looked up at the clock.

"Look, I'm going to go check that she put enough water in the tub to actually get clean.  You know how she is sometimes, and then I'll go set some clothes out for her to wear."

Richard still looked at her like a little girl and didn't really see the child starting to grow up.

 

 

 

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine smiled and listened to her husband. “I know I know.” She chuckled lightly. “You’re right, you just know how I get sometimes. I’m so excited to have another child in the house. I just hope it all works out.” 

While Richard went upstairs to help Samantha, Katherine started to make some scrambled eggs and toast for a quick breakfast. The photo they’d gotten of the little girl was etched into her mind already. It was her school photo from the year before, a small girl with loose bouncy curls and her two front teeth missing, wearing a baby blue dress and smiling wide. She struggled to think of how the girl in the photo could be as bad as her file said. Then again, that photo was nearly a year old and anything can happen in that time frame. 
 

She shook her head and plated up some food for everyone before going upstairs to triple check the spare bedroom. It was plain at the moment, not knowing what the girl would like. It did have some white sheets with fairies and castles all over them though, along with a matching purple comforter. She poked and prodded the bed, making extra sure it was perfect. She was a worrier that was for sure, though on a day to day basis she was much better at keeping it in check. 
 

With a sigh Katherine sat back downstairs at the table. She couldn’t do anything more now aside from wait, and hope the day ahead went smoothly. 

[Ishigreensa]

Samantha smiled and when she saw Richard come in to check on her.

"Did I put enough water in?" she asked him.

He nodded and reaching down, he picked up her wet clothes and threw her diaper that was on the floor in the trash.  "I've set some clothes out for you for today, honey.  If everything works out, this will be a special day for our family, but even if it doesn't, when we are done checking on something, we can take you to the zoo or something, okay?"

Samantha smiled and nodded.  "Is mommy mad?  I wet my pants on purpose again."

"We've been through this, sweetheart.  It's not on purpose if you are scared.  I'm sure if mommy really thought you'd done it on purpose, I'd have heard yelling and mommy would have at least told me as much."

Samantha nodded and washed at her shoulder as Richard left the bathroom.

 

A while later, Richard was dressed in his best suit, and Samantha came down to the kitchen in a pair of pink shorts and a nice green blouse that had lace around the neck line and the ends of the short sleeves.

"I know it's not the most formal," Richard told Katherine.  "But I figured we'd go to the zoo later, and I wanted her to be comfortable.  If we take them to the zoo, it would give us a chance to get to know the other one."

Samantha raised her eyebrow at what she heard as she pushed a fork of egg towards her mouth.

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine smiled and chuckled a bit at her husband. “Well I don’t think a suit is very good for the zoo. Plus we don’t need to be dressed super formal, I know we did when we got Samantha, but we knew much less back then.” She said lightheartedly. 
 

When everything with breakfast and getting dressed was said and done, she put some extra waters and small snack foods in her purse, knowing the drive would be long, and not knowing if the girl would be hungry. When the time came, she got into the car, glancing back and making for absolute certain that Samantha was buckled and settled. “It’s going to be a bit of a drive, so just let us know if you need anything okay honey? Don’t worry about if you’re bothering us.”

Alice was growing more impatient and bored. Usually kids her age would be given a little more freedom to wander about as they please to a degree. However since everything Maria had been told about her so far, Alice had to stay in her line of sight to avoid getting in trouble. Alice desperately wanted to move and wander or do just about anything else rather than sit still. Despite hating everything happening at the moment, she didn’t want to get in trouble, and thus did her best to stay quiet and put, though she was still very squirmy. 

[Ishigreensa]

"You're right," Richard smiled thinking about how he had overdressed.  "I'll just go put on something else real quick.

While he was getting ready again, Samantha walked over to see what Katherine was doing, and she listened and nodded while she explained, in her head, still, new rules.

"What if I... I forgot your um... your rules... and I...," she looked down embarrassed at what she was saying.

Richard came back in, and he hugged little Samantha from behind and patted her butt.  "Go get in the car, sweetheart."

He then went to see if there was anything they could help Katherine with.

"Do you need me to carry anything?  Do you have all the papers?  I think the drive is about an hour and a half.  If you think I should pull over about half way into the drive, I do believe there is that rest area, you know, in case Samantha forgets to tell us she wants to use it?"  He was a bit nervous.  It might not set a good example if Samantha came into the office wearing wet shorts.  

"Actually, I think we should bring a spare set of clothes for Samantha, just in case?"

He raced back to her room to get her some extra clothes, like you would do for someone that wasn't much older than five or six.

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine acknowledged her husband and confirmed that she had everything they needed to get Alice. Her purse had a file organizer home to all the different papers and forms they’d received, not misplacing a single one. 

“Don’t worry too much about it.” She said to Samantha and placed a hand on her knee from the passenger seat. “Just do your best to tell us if you need anything and we’ll go from there. If you’re hungry, thirsty, need the bathroom, or even if you just need to stand up for a little while. If you can’t tell us that’s fine just do your best sweetheart.”

Once her husband returned to the car, Katherine put the bag of spare clothes in her seemingly never ending purse. She buckled herself in and sighed a bit. 
 

“Are we all ready then?”

[Ishigreensa]

"As ready as we can be," Richard told her.  "They never told us what sizes the little girl wears.  I remember when we got Samantha, she had like two or three sets of clothes, all of which were ruined and way too small for her.  Her shoes were tearing up her feet, remember?"

He started the car and looked back at his baby girl.

"You have something to do with you, don't you baby?  It's an hour and half drive where we are going, so I don't want you to be too bored back there."

"I have my coloring, my Honey Bear, and my extra paper and crayons," she said.  She was a little immature for a child her age, so Richard had yet to get her her own phone or anything like that.  He was afraid someone would find it and use it to do sneaky stuff on her and run up his bill somehow.  So he had put off getting her a smart phone or anything like it.  The only thing she did have, was an old fashion flip phone that only did phone calls, and nothing else.  It was for her safety.  She hadn't complained as yet about it.

He nodded and they started down the road.

Samantha didn't say anything to them about being bored or uncomfortable, but just the same, Richard stopped at the rest area for a few minutes just in case.  Samantha didn't use the toilet though, and then they were on their way again, and reached the office about ten minutes after nine due to the traffic they got into once they were in the city.

"Well, we are here," Richard sighed and looked over at Katherine.

Suddenly, there was crying and sobbing from the back.

"No, no, no!  Please!  I'll be good!  I'll learn your rules!  I promise!"

And Samantha broke down into fits of sobbing.  She thought they were returning her, and this was the first family that really... well, she liked.

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine nodded and frowned. She remembered the day clearly. They hadn’t been told much about Samantha aside from her behaviors, being completely blindsided by her lack of belongings and hygiene. She looked back at Samantha and smiled softly. 
 

Katherine typically didn’t mind that Samantha was a bit immature for her age. It seemed like children were forced to grow up so fast nowadays and was happy to let Samantha remain a child and not become a teenager too soon. Teaching high school she got to see how mature the kids thought they had to be and how most of them deep down still missed some more childish activities. 
 

She smiled nervously at Richard and grasped his hand with a nod when they arrived. This was the moment. It was now or never. 

“What? Oh baby no.” Katherine said, opening the back door and sitting next to Samantha. “Honey you are very good.” She said pulling her into a hug and rubbing her back. “I’m sorry we scared you. We’re not here for you. Your father didn’t want to get your hopes up too far in advance in case things didn’t work out, but we’re here to pick up a new foster child.” She explained in a calm and sweet tone. “She’s not a replacement for you either. We thought you’d like a sister maybe and she needs a place to stay for a while. She’ll be with us for a while longer than the respite foster kids.” She hoped she was succeeding in calming Samantha down, though she wasn’t too sure. 
 

Alice wasn’t very good at understanding how much time had passed, and couldn’t read the large analog clock on the wall. Every now and then she’d get a glimpse of Maria’s digital clock. When she saw that it was already ten minutes after nine, she started to get even more worried.
 

She didn’t expect this new family to last very long or to actually want her. But she also didn’t expect them to just not show up. Maria told her that if this family didn’t work out then she’d be sent to a group home where there’s as many as 20 girls in various age groups, usually troublemakers or kids who nobody wanted. She didn’t want that and had hoped deep down that maybe this new family would want her. But were they even coming at this point?

“Sit still Alice.” Maria scolded lightly when the small girl’s movements started to slightly lift the chair of the ground as she squirmed and rocked. Maria was a kind woman, but was overworked with so many children to oversee. 

[Ishigreensa]

Samantha looked up into Katherine's eyes.  "But... I wet my pants this morning, on... on purpose again," she told her.  Everything was on purpose to her though, as that is what she had learned to say to keep from being call a liar.  It was on purpose, but as dad said earlier, it was because she was scared to leave her bedroom, just as her mom had guessed earlier when she told her that she doesn't have to wait like that.  

Samantha looked deep into her mommy's eyes, and after a moment, knew that mommy was telling the truth, and that they were not here because she had misbehaved.  

"I'm sorry," she said once she was able to control her feelings again.  "So, I'm getting a foster sister?  Is she older than me?"  The last thing Samantha wanted, was a bossy girl that would make her do things she didn't want, or worse, a boy that would do things that someone at one of the other homes she had been in a long time ago had done to her.

Richard came around to them, and he squatted down to where Katherine was talking to Samantha.

"How about daddy carry his little girl into the place, and that way, you can hang on to me tightly anytime you get upset or scared about things," he told her.  "You can even stay in my lap so that you know you are not being left behind.  How does that sound?"

Samantha looked at Katherine, a look she had given so many times in the past two years, that Samantha believed she had to know it meant "Can I?"

She didn't want to make mommy mad just incase, because it would be so easy for them to leave her since they were there.

 

Once they were settled, and Samantha was calmed down, it was 9:14, and they walked into the office, a scared Samantha, clinging to her daddy's neck while he held her.  Samantha would have liked Katherine to hold her, just the same, but Samantha was likely too heavy and big for her to carry her.

 

[Shy-Diapers]

“None of that will make us leave you behind sweetheart.” Katherine reassured her daughter. 
 

“Yes, you’re getting a foster sister for a while. She’s a bit younger than you. Her name is Alice and she’s 8 years old.” She said with a smile. 
 

Katherine wasn’t thrilled about Samantha being carried in, worried about the caseworker judging them for carrying an older child, but cared more about her daughter’s wellbeing. She nodded and followed the rest of her family in, making sure to grab her purse. 
 

Maria saw the couple walk in and she smiled, standing up from her desk. “Hi, we spoke on the phone. I’m Maria. It’s nice to meet you all in person.” She said with a smile, not paying much attention to Samantha. 
 

The caseworker led the family over to where Alice was sitting. “This is Alice. Now, just to confirm, you’ve read over her file, and you still want to foster her?” She asked hesitantly. “This is her last chance at a foster home before she goes to a group home. Most families find she’s too much trouble for them.” 

Alice looked up at the three person family for a moment out of curiosity, though she hung her head when Maria started talking about her. She did her best to sit still, but was anxious and tired of sitting in the chair. What if they don’t want me? What if the older girl doesn’t like me? The little girl’s mind raced with possibilities. 
 

“We’ve read through everything, numerous times over.” Katherine nodded while she looked at her husband. She felt her heart aching for Alice already, seeing the girl’s disheveled state. “Though, I thought she was 8, she seems quite small, did I misread?”

Maria shook her head and summoned the small girl over. “Alice come here.” She said pointing next to her. “You are correct, she is eight, she’ll turn nine in November. She’s just small for her age, possibly due to malnutrition. 
 

Alice obediently stood by her case worker. She stared down at her feet and tried to stay still though that was very difficult for the girl on a good day, let alone when her feet were crammed into a pair of sneakers two sizes too small. Her dirty clothes didn’t help either. But the small girl didn’t want to misbehave and mess up her last chance at a family. Am I too small? I can’t help it! What if they want a bigger girl like the one they have?

[Ishigreensa]

Samantha squirmed.  She didn't know what the little one's situation was like, but she did remember what being a foster kid was like.  She whispered.  "Can I get down?"

Richard let her legs down so she could stand and then looking up at Katherine to make sure she wasn't being bad, she walked closer to the little girl.

"Um... you didn't take a bath last night, did you?" Samantha said with a knowing the process and how it works attitude.  "Can you please take your shoes off for me?"

Samantha knew that when she was adopted, she was scared of everything, too scared to tell anyone anything that was wrong, but she knew from experience, that many families didn't care enough to buy you shoes, and by the looks of this girl?  She assumed she had suffered at those kinds of hands based on how dirty she was and how she smelled.

Richard frowned and shook his head.  "That's all the more reason we want to give her a chance.  No child should go through any of their childhood unloved," he told the woman.  "If I had the money, I'd adopt all the children in places like that.  You know, the ones where she will be sent if she doesn' find a family."

He squatted down at the little baby girl, and he motioned for her.

"It's okay, little one," he said softly towards her.

Samantha looked back at him.  "I want her to take her shoes off, daddy.  I don't know, but the last place that had me before you didn't care about the size of shoes I had, and it really hurts to scrunch your toes up."

He nodded.  "Can you take your shoes off, sweetheart?" he asked the little one.

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine nodded at Samantha, wanting her to feel free to approach the younger girl. If they had any chance of getting along, she needed to make sure Samantha was okay with everything too. 
 

Alice was confused and surprised by the older girl’s request. “You’re not the boss of me. And it’s none of your business!” She quipped back. She wasn’t too fond of doing what other kids told her to, especially if there was no reason or explanation for it. She also wasn’t too fond of this girl pointing out that she needed a bath. 

“Alice!” Maria scolded in surprise. “Apologize to her.” She insisted, though Alice made no such statement, standing firmly in place. 

Maria sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what’s gotten into her. I’m glad to hear that you have no issues taking her. Are there any questions I can answer before I send you off with her?” She asked, hoping to get Alice gone before the family changed their minds. “Here are her things.” She said as she handed a lightly filled trash bag to Katherine. The bag only contained a few dirty pairs of clothes and a homemade pink quilt.

Alice frowned when Richard approached and started talking to her. “I need them!” She insisted, sounding almost defiant. “If you take them I won’t have any shoes!” 

[Ishigreensa]

Samantha backed off immediately knowing she wouldn't want someone bossing her around either.  She just ran to Katherine and put her face in mommy's side.  "I didn't mean to bully her," she sobbed.

"You are such a bully!" she heard in the back of her mind from somewhere in a voice in her past.  "Why do you pick on the younger children!  You are ...."

And Samantha started bawling.

Richard frown up at the social working thinking it was her job to be patient with little ones like this.  Why was she being so mean to her, in his opinion.  "Honey, those shoes are hurting your feet, aren't they?  Maybe I should have asked you if you'd like to take them off.  You can hold them if you want.  I just want to see your feet, and make sure the size is right.

He looked up at Katherine for some support, but he also saw that Samantha was crying against her, and he shook his head.

"You know what I'd like to do, sweetheart?  I'd like to take you to get some shoes that fit.  Would you like that?"

"I'm sorry I was mean to her mommy," Samantha was still sobbing thinking she had been bad.

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine frowned and bent down to reassure Samantha. She rubbed her back and tried to soothe her. “It’s okay sweetie. You’re not being a bully, I promise. She’s probably just scared and nervous.” She tried to comfort Samantha, though if she was honest, the little girl’s attitude caught her off guard and she was trying to reason with it herself. “You weren’t mean baby.”

Alice frowned and fidgeted in place. Her shoes were uncomfortable and the more it was pointed out the more they hurt. She didn’t want to push her luck and get left behind and end up in a group home. 
 

After Richard continued to talk and Alice realized he wouldn’t be letting this go, she obediently took her shoes off, holding them in her hands, the straps on each one hanging on by a single thread and holes being visible in the bottom of the soles. Her feet weren’t any better either, covered in blisters and red from being crammed into such small shoes. 
 

She frowned and looked up at Richard when he mentioned new shoes, though she avoided making any eye contact. “What do I gotta do?” She asked skeptically. She wasn’t used to getting new things just out of the blue, it was always a give and take situation for her. 

[Ishigreensa]

"Honey," Richard frowned at her question, but then he remembered two years ago, when they got Samantha....

"I wanted to buy you some clothes, so how about we though anything away that you don't want or need anymore?" he had asked her when they went through her bag and found that nearly everything was stained and it smelled like a sewer in there.

"How many times I gonna be hit if you buy something?" was her question at the time, so this wasn't exactly new.  Just different words.

He sighed.  "That's not how this works, baby.  You don't do anything to get things you need.  Look at your little feet, sweetheart!  You NEED shoes that fit you, and you don't do anything to get things that you need.  I just want you to come home with us and give us a chance.  That's all.  We want to take care of you, right mommy?" he invited Katherine to the conversation.  "But it would be nice if you said you were sorry to Samantha for caring about you.  She was adopted like you, so she kind of knows things about how foster families sometimes treat kids they don't want."

Samantha peeked over as daddy was trying to ask the girl to apologize too, though he seemed to be less demanding of it, and explained things to her a little bit more than Maria did.

She looked up at her mommy who was calming her down, and shaking.  "Maybe I was being a bully cause I told her she didn't take a bath?" she asked.  "I mean, it not her fault.  I remember this place from two years ago, unless it changed.  They don't have a bathtub here, and so that means the people she used to be with didn't wash her or nothing.  Just like... um... like with me.  I remember I was embarrassed too, when you found out I was dirty.  I am sorry I called her dirty."  In Samantha's case, two years ago, it had been worse.  She had had poop sitting in her panties when they picked her up.

Samantha glanced to see if daddy was making any headway with the new girl at all.  She remembered all the feelings she had, two years ago, and how scary it was.  She didn't blame Alice at all for snapping.  She was protecting herself.  She was probably always done something to, and while Samantha wasn't as strong or outspoke as Alice is, Samantha remembered being terrified.

Richard took a look into the bag and pulled out a few things at random to see what the condition of the stuff was.  He remembered that they basically threw all of Samantha's things away two years ago because none of it was any good.

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice looked down shamefully at her feet. She wanted to hide them but had nothing to cover them with. She was embarrassed and skeptical of Richard, though he seemed very nice. 

“I have a mommy.” She said firmly in response. Despite being removed from her care, Alice loved her mother and didn’t want to be taken away. “She’s gonna get better and take me back!” She insisted, tears starting to form in her eyes. She wasn’t too fond of this family trying to replace her mom so soon. 

Katherine smiled from a distance at Alice. “That’s okay. I know I’m not your mommy. You can call me K or Mrs. K if you’d like. We just want to help you and make you comfy while your mommy gets better.” She suggested softly.

She turned back to Samantha and shook her head. “Don't worry honey. It’s not very nice to say she didn’t take a bath, but you weren’t bullying. I promise. You just wanted to help her feel better.”

Alice ignored the prompt to apologize once again. She saw no reason to because in her mind, Samantha was mean to her and she was just defending herself. 

“That’s mine!” She cried when she saw Richard pull out her quilt. She had no attachments to any of the clothes in her bag, but her blanket was special to her and she’d managed to hang onto it so far even after being bounced around. She lunged forward to try to grab it, scared he was going to throw it away. 

While her clothes weren’t clean or nice, they weren’t disgusting either. They smelled a bit but not horribly. Alice had managed to learn to wash her clothes in the bathtub at home, so while they weren’t disgusting, they weren’t exactly clean either. 

[Ishigreensa]

Richard smiled and nodded.

"Yes, baby, that is yours, and if you want to hold on to it, you most certainly can.  I am just trying to see what you might need in the short term while you stay with us until your mommy gets better.  You know what, if you want, you can call me Uncle Richard and even call her Aunt Kathy, or as she suggested, just Mrs. K if that helps.  No one here wants to replace anyone that you love, sweetheart."

He reached out towards her.

He looked up at Maria.  "We'll take her.  Let us know if her mom wants to visit or whatever, and we'll make arrangements.  A child should not be kept from a caring parent, even if a parent needs special help sometimes."

He then reached for the little one.

"Who washes your clothes for you?" he asked her knowing they didn't look machine washed at all.  "No one will take your things away from you, but how about we get you few other clothes.  You don't really have that many things anyway."

Richard decided not to push it.  You can make a kid say they are sorry, but that doesn't mean that they are sorry.  It was better, probably, to let the girls work it out later, and it would certainly take time for them to get used to each other anyway.  He nodded at Maria.

"I'm going to carry our other girl out to the car like I promised her so that she doesn't feel like she is going to be left behind.  And so, we have her bag of stuff and shoeless princess, so would you please either carry the bag or the little princess?"

And he turned to Katherine.  "And I know the man should take the luggage, but Samantha is heavier than either the bag or the little girl."

[Shy-Diapers]

Alice skeptically looked between Richard and Katherine. She didn’t want to push her luck, but she certainly wasn’t ready to trust these people with open arms. She clung to her blanket, making for absolute certain nobody could take it away from her. 

She blushed a little and looked at her feet when Richard asked about her clothes. “I do.” She said softly, a tone very different from the harsh one she’d been speaking with before. She knew she wasn’t the best at it, but she didn’t know how to use the washing machine and her mother didn’t want her to. Plus if Alice didn’t wash her own clothes, she wouldn’t have anything remotely clean to wear. “Mommy got too tired to wash them.” She added on after the fact. She wanted to protect her mother, but she also didn’t like lying, so she told the truth. 

Maria nodded and gave a small smile. “We will be in contact to set up visitations.” She confirmed. “Unfortunately I have to stay inside and take over watching a little boy. We do have a car seat for her though” She politely responded when asked to carry Alice, handing over the car seat to the couple. It wasn’t brand new. But it was probably the newest thing the girl owned, having come from somewhere other than her home, instead being one the agency had on hand for cases like hers.

“I can walk!” The small girl protested when Katherine tried to pick her up. She was very distrustful of Katherine and women in general, so she was certainly not going to be carried so soon. 

Katherine sighed but didn’t want to push their luck. “No worries. Why don’t you hold onto your bag and I’ll carry your car seat. Just make sure to stay very close.” She said, figuring the girl wouldn’t simply run and the trash bag would make it easier to know if she dropped it and wandered. 
 

Katherine got the carseat attached and secured into the backseat, behind the passenger side. She buckled Alice in when she climbed up, grateful she didn’t protest again. Once both girls were secured in the back, she sat up front and looked at her husband. 

“What’s the plan now?” She asked. The zoo didn’t seem like the best idea given the girl didn’t even have proper shoes, plus it would raise concerns if they walked around the zoo with such a dirty child. 
 

[Ishigreensa]

Richard sighed and looked back the children in the car.

"Well, that child does need new shoes," he told Katherine.  "I'd hate to break a promise outright to Samantha, but you're right.  The little one is in no condition to visit a zoo right now. And actually, none of her clothes are clean either.  Let's go get her a few things so we can make sure she has things that fit, and maybe get Samantha something as a peace offering for having to break our word at going to the zoo today?"

He glanced back again at the girls before starting the car, and then as he started the car, he frowned and looked Katherine in the eye for a moment.

"They did say that she was eight or nine, right?  I mean... a car seat?  And she's so small?"

Richard started to drive off.

 

Samantha looked sheepishly at the girl in the car seat.  She still had not been told how old she was, so she assumed she was like six or seven.

"I'm sorry I was rude to you in there," she said her voice very soft.  "I... I... It's just... I wasn't taken good care of either when I started the foster system."

She looked down and chewed a little at her bottom lip before she tried again.  "I... I didn't mean to be mean.  I know it's not your fault you didn't take a bath last night.  I was here two years ago, and I know they don't have a bathtub.  I know your feet hurt if you don't have good shoes because I didn't have good shoes for a long long time.  I just....  I'm sorry I made you mad."

She turned and looked out the window.

 

They drove about ten minutes to a large parking lot a Super Kmart store.

[Shy-Diapers]

Katherine nodded in agreement. She felt bad potentially disappointing Samantha, but hoped she’d understand since she seemed to be very empathetic towards Alice. 

She sighed when looking at the girl’s size. “Everything says she’s eight years old.” She said with a frown. “Though she was removed from her mother for neglect, so she probably didn’t have enough food in the house and that’s why she’s so small.”

Alice didn’t know how to respond to Samantha so she just looked out her window and frowned. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, trying to process everything that was happening to her. Everything seemed to happen so fast. 

“Sorry about the zoo honey.” Katherine said to Samantha when they got out of the car. “You can pick something out here if you’d like though to make up for it if you’d like.” She smiled, hoping to get her daughter’s mind off the earlier conversation. She hoped that since they proved they wouldn’t leave her at the social services office that Samantha would feel better. 
 

Alice was fumbling and trying to unbuckle herself when everyone else was getting out. She was struggling with it though and clearly unsuccessful. She didn’t have a harness or anything on her carseat, just the normal seatbelt, but that didn’t mean the girl could get out herself. She was growing increasingly frustrated by the time Richard got out. 

[Ishigreensa]

"It's okay, mom," Samantha said looking down though still a little disappointed.  "The zoo will be there anytime you and dad can take us, but I know that if I were being picked up right now, the way I was when you first got me, I'd be too ashamed to even want to go.  So... I understand.  I'm not sure, mom, and I'm not trying to be mean, but I think that she's either peed herself, or she has to go really bad.  She was wiggling in her seat a lot before we got here."

Richard got out of the car, and he opened her door.  He could see her trying to reach the buckle, but it was obvious that she could barely reach it, and that was the main cause of her being unable to get it undone.  He squatted down outside her door, and waited for her to give up and look at him.

"If you let me, baby, I could do it.  I need your permission first though, since I'm reaching across you, and you were very adamant about not wanting to be held or picked up earlier.  I want you to know that you have some say when it comes to who touches or when unless there is a situation that puts you in danger or you are using it to avoid being scolded if you get in trouble.  Understand?"

He waited for her.  He was trying to explain it matter of fact, but also there a look in his eye as if she was his baby as much as Samantha was.

"Good, now, can I pick you up and carry you, or do you want to walk, but hold my hand.  It is dangerous out here, because sometimes, careless people tear through lots and they can't see you that clearly because you are a little shorter than most kids.  So I want to keep you safe.  Is it okay if I pick you up for that reason, or at least hold your hand?"

He waited for her to decide what was better for her.

 

Samantha remembered what it was like, being scared of what the new rules were, of not getting them right, and worst of all, what would happen when you messed up on them.  This was the only family that didn't reach for a strap, a hanger, a belt, something to hit her with just for not remembering when she was allowed to brush her teeth or when she was supposed to ask for food.  She was like seven and eight years old in some of those places that did that to her.  This was the first place, when she was about ten, that when she forgot to tie her shoes, that Richard didn't slap her, but rather ran up to her, and he tied them for her before she fell.

Samantha hoped that her little foster sister would eventually realize that she was safe here, and that she would catch on faster than she did.  Samantha didn't even trust Katherine for nearly a year.  She felt bad for how long it had taken, but then, it was always women that hit her with stuff, claiming that women are weaker than men, and needed leverage to let kids know their place.  If Katherine ever even raised a hand to her, she couldn't remember it.  

"Mommy?" she looked up at her.  "I'm sorry I always got scared and yelled at you for almost a year.  It was stupid for me to be scared of you."

[Shy-Diapers]

“It’s okay sweetie. Let’s not worry about that right now. She might just be nervous too.” Katherine said quietly to Samantha. “When we walked inside she was sitting in a chair by the worker’s desk. She might be nervous and not want to sit still. She’s also a lot littler than you so it’s normal to be a little squirmy.” 

Alice frowned and resigned when Richard spoke to her. She let him unbuckle her without any protest. She was used to being so fiercely independent and doing everything for herself so getting help was a learning curve for her. 

She looked down at her lap and spoke quietly, the defiance gone from her voice, though she sounded more mature than she looked. “I don’t have shoes on. It’s not good to be barefoot. You can pick me up.” She didn’t seem thrilled with the idea, but didn’t fight it either. 

Katherine frowned and shook her head. “You don’t need to apologize honey. You didn’t have good experiences before coming to live with us. It’s okay to be scared.” She reassured Samantha. “I’m just happy you started trusting us.”

She grabbed a cart once everyone was inside and turned to Richard. “Where should we go first? I’m not sure exactly what she needs. What exactly did she have in that bag?”

[Ishigreensa]

"I... um... know she was nervous in there, but honestly, so was I.  I didn't feel like Maria was going to take any playing around by kids at all.  She reminded me of my strictest teacher ever from fourth grade," Samantha told her.  "On top of that, meeting new people that might not like you, and then I went and bullied her, and well, yeah, it was probably really hard for her in there."

Richard smiled and saw that Katherine had a cart with a place to place a child in it, and he spoke softly to the little one before he answered her.  "Would you rather me carry you all through the store, or there is a seat on the cart that you can ride in?"

Samantha looked up and she saw daddy carrying Alice.  She sort of wanted to be carried, but she didn't say so.  She was supposed to be the big girl and set an example, right?

"Well, the little one definitely needs shoes, so I think we should go that way first.  If we can get her some shoes paid for first, she might be a little more comfortable in deciding whether she wants to walk around or not."

Samantha looked at the girl for any more hints that she was nervous, or if she had stopped, it meant to Samantha that she definitely peed, but then she remembered one time... and decided that even if she did pee, she wouldn't tell mommy again.  Even though mommy wouldn't be as mean, she could still understand Alice being scared to admit that she had wet herself.

"I think she had some clothes were nice enough to wear if they were a bit cleaner, but I think she only had like three sets, so she definitely needs more clothes.  But for now, some shoes to make her little feet happier?  Yes?" he smiled at Katherine.  "It might not be a bad idea to get her a few toys even, even if we might not get to keep her as long as we'd like."