care of me?” the child asked.
“ Dr. Thomas.”
“ But where will I live?” Mia asked.
“ You'll live with Colin, sweetheart. He's going to adopt you.”
They were both quiet for several seconds, and Rosario heard her daughter weeping softly.
“ Mama, can I take Marvin?” Mia asked, reaching for the love-worn bear, and Rosario began to cry again.
“ Of course you can, my darling,” she said, pulling the child to her once more.
“ Okay,” Mia said through a whimper. “I'll miss you, Mama,” Mia said, looking at her mother. Even in the dark, Rosario could see that while there was pain in her daughter's eyes, there was also acceptance, and suddenly she knew her child would be all right.
“ I'm going to miss you too, Mia,” Rosario whispered.
Fifteen
Colin Thomas sat in the back corner of the Starbucks attached to the Barnes & Noble book store fourteen blocks from his hotel. He'd quickly dropped $150.00 on books about parenting, and he slowly flipped through the first one as he sipped his espresso. It was well into the evening and the bookstore was quiet, as was the coffee shop.
The concierge had given him directions to the store, as Colin had stood patiently waiting.
“ A book lover,” the older gentleman had said, as he quickly jotted the directions on a small slip of paper.
“ I'm adopting a child. I need to read everything I can about it,” Colin had responded, surprised to hear himself make the admission.
Caitlin would have called it “telling the universe”, and wherever she was, he imagined she still did.
“ Tell the universe,” she'd say. “Tell it what you want. I want to write a bestseller,” she'd once said, standing in the front window of her apartment, staring out at a Brooklyn morning.
Not with the shit in that first book, he thought, and then chastised himself for thinking it.
Sitting in the coffee shop, Colin could hear her words in his head, and they were so loud, and so clear, that he wouldn't have been surprised to turn around and see her standing behind him.
Instinctively, he turned. There was no one behind him. He took his laptop from his briefcase, and opened it on the table in front of him. Quickly he checked his email, but found no response from his lawyer friend.
“ Shit,” he whispered.
Colin knew he faced a lot of legalese in the process of adopting Mia, or at least assuming guardianship, and he doubted any of the books in the bag on the chair beside him would clearly explain the process. What the hell am I doing? He was nearing forty and was a workaholic who didn't have time for a gold fish. He couldn't sustain a relationship for more than a few months, with the exception of Caitlin, and he'd blown that one all to hell. He had no parenting skills, and was about to become a father to a child he barely knew. What the hell was he doing? He checked the laptop again. Still no email. He doubted the email would tell him much about being a father, and suddenly he wasn't sure he could learn how from any book. He supposed he'd have to take it one day at a time. He wanted to call Caitlin, and before he could stop himself, he reached for his phone and flipped it open. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn't just call Cate and ask her for advice about becoming a father. She'd probably hang up on him, with good reason. Even if he were brave enough to call her, which he wasn't, he certainly couldn't open with a line like that. She'd probably reach through the phone and punch him, if such a thing was possible, and for that level of stupidity, it just might be. Who could he call? He punched in the numbers for his answering service, and as he hoped, Caren answered on the first ring. He wondered for a moment if she ever went home. Hadn't she been there at the crack of dawn?
“ Caren, it's Colin, how are you?” he asked, and he heard her sigh. He knew how she was.
“ I'm here, Colin. Nothing to report,” she replied.
“ That's good to
“ Dr. Thomas.”
“ But where will I live?” Mia asked.
“ You'll live with Colin, sweetheart. He's going to adopt you.”
They were both quiet for several seconds, and Rosario heard her daughter weeping softly.
“ Mama, can I take Marvin?” Mia asked, reaching for the love-worn bear, and Rosario began to cry again.
“ Of course you can, my darling,” she said, pulling the child to her once more.
“ Okay,” Mia said through a whimper. “I'll miss you, Mama,” Mia said, looking at her mother. Even in the dark, Rosario could see that while there was pain in her daughter's eyes, there was also acceptance, and suddenly she knew her child would be all right.
“ I'm going to miss you too, Mia,” Rosario whispered.
Fifteen
Colin Thomas sat in the back corner of the Starbucks attached to the Barnes & Noble book store fourteen blocks from his hotel. He'd quickly dropped $150.00 on books about parenting, and he slowly flipped through the first one as he sipped his espresso. It was well into the evening and the bookstore was quiet, as was the coffee shop.
The concierge had given him directions to the store, as Colin had stood patiently waiting.
“ A book lover,” the older gentleman had said, as he quickly jotted the directions on a small slip of paper.
“ I'm adopting a child. I need to read everything I can about it,” Colin had responded, surprised to hear himself make the admission.
Caitlin would have called it “telling the universe”, and wherever she was, he imagined she still did.
“ Tell the universe,” she'd say. “Tell it what you want. I want to write a bestseller,” she'd once said, standing in the front window of her apartment, staring out at a Brooklyn morning.
Not with the shit in that first book, he thought, and then chastised himself for thinking it.
Sitting in the coffee shop, Colin could hear her words in his head, and they were so loud, and so clear, that he wouldn't have been surprised to turn around and see her standing behind him.
Instinctively, he turned. There was no one behind him. He took his laptop from his briefcase, and opened it on the table in front of him. Quickly he checked his email, but found no response from his lawyer friend.
“ Shit,” he whispered.
Colin knew he faced a lot of legalese in the process of adopting Mia, or at least assuming guardianship, and he doubted any of the books in the bag on the chair beside him would clearly explain the process. What the hell am I doing? He was nearing forty and was a workaholic who didn't have time for a gold fish. He couldn't sustain a relationship for more than a few months, with the exception of Caitlin, and he'd blown that one all to hell. He had no parenting skills, and was about to become a father to a child he barely knew. What the hell was he doing? He checked the laptop again. Still no email. He doubted the email would tell him much about being a father, and suddenly he wasn't sure he could learn how from any book. He supposed he'd have to take it one day at a time. He wanted to call Caitlin, and before he could stop himself, he reached for his phone and flipped it open. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn't just call Cate and ask her for advice about becoming a father. She'd probably hang up on him, with good reason. Even if he were brave enough to call her, which he wasn't, he certainly couldn't open with a line like that. She'd probably reach through the phone and punch him, if such a thing was possible, and for that level of stupidity, it just might be. Who could he call? He punched in the numbers for his answering service, and as he hoped, Caren answered on the first ring. He wondered for a moment if she ever went home. Hadn't she been there at the crack of dawn?
“ Caren, it's Colin, how are you?” he asked, and he heard her sigh. He knew how she was.
“ I'm here, Colin. Nothing to report,” she replied.
“ That's good to
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