A Home for Jessa by Robin Delph Page B

came out the door.
        “Hello Jessa. I think Mr. Henson is waiting to see you,” she said with a smile.
         Jessa knew by the look on Miss Nancy’s face that she was going to get the journal. It took everything she had in her to keep from jumping up and running through the door. She contained herself as best she could and got up and walked into Mr. Henson’s office with a big smile on her face.
         “Well hello Jessa. I believe you’re here for this,” he said handing her a thick leather bound journal.
          Jessa’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the leather journal. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. “Thank you so much Mr. Henson. I promise I’ll take real good care of it.”
       “I’m sure you will dear. Now run along and have a nice night. I’ll see you in few days.”
         Jessa could contain her excitement no longer she ran out of his office and up the stairs. She could not wait to start writing in her new journal. Once upstairs she plopped down on her bed grabbed a pencil and opened her journal. She could hardly believe she had something like this that was her very on, but know she needed to figure out what to write first. After thinking about what to write for a couple hours she fell asleep.
        Jessa woke even more excited than she was when she fell asleep. She rubbed her eyes and got dressed in a hurry so she could write before it was time for class. After she was dressed she sat back on the bed and opened the journal.  As she began to write her first story she decided she would make it a funny short story about a dog named Lady. Writing seemed to take her into a completely different world one that was her very on.
     

                       Chapter Three   
     
     
           A few years had passed and Jessa sat on the bed wondering how she would spend her tenth birthday. She decided to look through her journal at the short stories she had written over the past two years. They were all short stories some about dogs others about princesses and things of that nature. She was pleased with the stories she had written and had even shared a few with Miss Nancy and Mr. Henson. Jessa had also written about some of the changes over the past two years. Miss Nancy had married and longer worked at the orphanage and a plump older widow named Mrs. Drew had taken over for her. Miss Nancy was kind, compassionate and loving. She had treated the children at the orphanage as if they were her very own. Mrs. Drew was no Miss Nancy. The woman seemed to be bitter and cold toward them and Jessa had never seen the woman smile.
         “Jessa Mrs. Drew wants to see you in her office,” one of the younger girls had poked her head in the room and said.
         I wonder what she wants now Jessa thought had she headed downstairs to Mrs. Drew’s office. It can’t be good the only time she wants to see any of the children here is to jump on to them for something. And he lately I have been her main target. First it was the way I stay to myself then about my writing. I wonder what I have done to make her mad this time.
        “Hello Ms. Parks. How are you today?”
         “I’m fine Mrs. Drew.”
         “Have a seat Jessa.”
         Here we go Jessa thought.
        “Jessa I was looking over your file and it has come to my attention that you haven’t been placed in a foster home in two years. Now as I am sure you know our goal is to place children in foster care in hopes of finding adoptive parents. That way they can have a real family and a stable home one day. Do you understand?”
        “Yes Mrs. Drew I do, but I am happy being here. I don’t really want to be in a foster home.” Jessa said.
         “And why is that Ms. Parks? Don’t you want to have a real family some day?” Mrs. Drew asked.
          “Yes I would, but have you heard some of the stories the kids that come back here tell about the foster homes