Chapter 7

Thanksgiving went by in a blur. I helped Tonya make the dinner and whatever else she needed help with. I wore a fake smile the entire day, meeting family and friends and trying to look like a nice young girl and avoid attention as much as possible. 

And now it was the day after Thanksgiving. The family that wanted to adopt me was coming today. My heart had been pounding in my chest since I went to bed last night and my hands were sweating more than they ever have. I was beyond nervous. What if these people didn’t like me? Or what if they were mean people? Surely Dimitri wouldn’t let a family like that adopt me. At least I hope he wouldn't. But… would he really be able to do anything if they wanted to adopt me? 

Dimitri told me a little bit about them. In fact, they weren't a family at all. It was just this guy named James and his wife Tessa. They had no children of their own but had adopted several other children, around my age actually, who have since grown into adults and moved out of the house. And they lived about an hour away, in Texas. Despite living in Louisiana my entire life, I had never actually been to Texas. That’s all he really told me about them. But he did tell me that since it was only an hour I could still visit whenever I wanted. 

It seemed as if every five minutes I was checking the clock, seeming to make time go slower. It was the longest two hours of my life. They were supposed to arrive around noon and I had gotten up at ten. 

Finally, it was 11:55 and there was a knock on the door. I was currently hiding in the kitchen with Dimitri, Tonya was playing with the kids in their playroom, and Dimitri hurried to the door and opened it. I listened intently as he greeted them and invited them in. They said hello in return. They sounded nice, James especially sounded cheery to be here. Maybe they weren’t as bad as I was expecting. It was silent for a few moments before I heard who I believed to be Tessa speak. 

“We’re sorry for being early but James was just so excited.” 

“That’s alright. I understand.” They all laughed lightly before Dimitri called me. 

“Sera! Come and meet James and Tessa!” 

I quickly wiped my hands on my jeans and took a deep breath before walking slowly into the living room. The first thing I noticed was how tall James was. He had to be over six feet tall. Compared to him, Tessa looked tiny, but she was probably half a foot taller than I was at five feet tall. James had shoulder-length dark brown hair and what looked to be dark brown eyes. His jaw had a slight stubble lining it and his skin was rather tan compared to my pale skin. He probably spends a lot of time in the sun. I couldn’t explain it, but just by looking at him I could tell he was a very kind and caring person, although, the huge smile he was sending me probably helped. 

Tessa had long curly brown hair with skin a shade lighter than James but still very tan. She looked rather kind too, but it was obvious that she wasn’t as excited as James. 

I slowly inched my way over to them and said hi. Suddenly Dimitri laughed. 

“Sorry, she’s rather shy meeting new people.” I watched James as his smile widened. Gently, he reached his hand out for me to shake it. 

“I’m James,” he said, “and this is my wife, Tessa.” As he pointed to Tessa I could tell that he loved her very much. It was obvious. And the way she smiled back, it looked mutual. 

I shook his hand and gave him a small smile, I couldn’t help it, before introducing myself. “I-I’m Sera.” 

After shaking his hand, Tessa stuck her hand out for me to shake as well and I quickly did so. I couldn’t tell what it was, but there was something about James that was different than most people, something that made part of me want to smile at him and make him smile in return, something that made me want him to like me. I was snapped from my thoughts as Dimitri spoke. 

“Why don’t you guys sit down on the couch? Would either of you like a drink?” James shook his head no, but Tessa asked for some water. Dimitri went to go get it while we sat down on the couch. 

It was silent for a few moments and I could tell it was killing James. It looked like he wanted to talk, but didn’t quite know what to start with, but eventually, he figured it out. 

“Listen, Sera, I know people that are in your situation are there for a reason and I’m not going to ask about it. I’ll listen if you want to tell me, but that’s up to you. But, I just want to let you know, that if I say something that makes you upset or triggers you in any way, I’m sorry.” 

I smiled at him a nodded. 

For some reason, my smile wasn’t all fake. Now, don’t get me wrong, most of it was. I really didn’t want to let James know how I was hurting. I didn’t want anyone to know I was hurting. But there was a part of me that couldn’t help but like James. 

He smiled in return and just with that small interaction he seemed happy. 

“Let’s get to know each other a little, yeah? We can start with the easy stuff. What’s your favorite color?” I mentally scoffed at the common question, but there’s only one way to know. 

“Yellow. What’s yours?” 

“Blue.” 

“How old are you?” 

“Fourteen. You?” 

“I’m 36, and Tessa is 37.” 

And so it went, on and on, as James asked me a question and I asked the same in return. At one point Dimitri came in with Tessa’s water, but he left immediately seeing that we were getting along. Tessa didn’t say much opting to sit and listen. 

I already liked James, so when it was time for them to go, I was actually kinda disappointed. They said they would talk about it and I would get a call when they decided. They said their goodbyes, wished us all a good night, and that was that. 

I had a good time with them and it looked like me getting adopted was likely, but I would have to wait for the call. 

Until then, my life with the Belikovs would continue.