Chapter Two: My Turn

Months went by and I made no new friends. They all wound up leaving. Whether it be adopted or they turned eighteen. It was now the day before my birthday and I was packing my stuff up ready to walk out of the doors as soon as I woke up the next morning. I put my bag by my bed lying down as everyone went off to school. I would be eighteen tomorrow. With no home and no diploma. I would be homeless so I was in no mood for school. As everyone left they made the regular sweep to make sure no one had stayed behind. I stayed in my bed. They saw me, but didn’t bother to try to get me to go. They knew what tomorrow was. They had seen me grow up so they knew. They had celebrated my birthdays with me. Giving me cupcakes with a single candle in the middle. They did their best to make every birthday fun and enjoyable. May hadn’t been there when I woke up and she still wasn’t there. I had wondered why, but didn’t bother to ask. The hours went by and I eventually feel asleep dreaming of nothing. He never dreamed anymore. He never had anything to dream about. He didn’t have a family to dream of or any friends. Except for the occasional dream of seeing MJ again. May had been helping him send letters, but even those got lost in time. MJ was happy in his new home. He had told me about how he had a little brother and sister now and that they had this big house and a pool. I could only dream of that. I had spent my life in here and I never got a family. When everyone got back to the home the noise woke me up. I sat up running my fingers through my hair. They were all talking about graduating or moving up a grade. All I could think of was tomorrow. Having to walk out of the doors and not know where to go. It was scary. The head administrator came in requesting me to her office. “Grab your bag Riz,” she said to me before turning around. I grabbed my bag putting it over my shoulder. I casually walked behind her to her office. She opened the door sitting down in her chair. I sat down in the chair across her desk setting my bag on the ground. I wondered why I was even here. I left tomorrow. Was this procedure of leaving? I didn’t know. This was one office I’d never seen. She typed a few things on her computer before looking to me. “Well Riz you turn eighteen tomorrow and I would like to inform you that you have been adopted,” she smiled at me. I let the words sink in as shock crept across my face. “What?” I asked. I couldn’t believe it. I turned eighteen tomorrow and I got adopted today? How could it be? Could it really be my turn? So many questions and I just needed to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. “May Lynn Adams has adopted you as of ---“ someone walking in the door cut her short. I turned to see May walk in smiling. “As of right now,” she looked to me opening her arms. I remembered that move. My mother had done it every time she came to get me. I looked at May with an unsure look on my face. May smiled at me. “I’ll never let you go Brennan I promise.” I hadn’t heard my name in years. Hearing her say my name like that just melted me. I got up wrapping my arms around her. May smiled rubbing my back. After a while of hugging she sat down, as did I. The administrator smiled at me. “Feels great doesn’t it,” she smiled getting out a piece of paper. “Now this is optional for you Brennan. You can choose to keep your last name or change it. Neither of us will force you to do anything,” she smiled handing me the pen. I looked down at the paper. I didn’t even have to think about it. I signed my name Brennan Riz Adams. I smiled setting the pen down. “If you would like to go say good-bye you can,” May said with a smile. I walked out of the room going to say good-bye to everyone. The younger kids all crowded around me hugging my legs. They were going to miss me I knew that. I went back to the room hearing them talk. I pressed my ear to the door curiosity getting the best of me. “He’s broken May you know that,” “Yes I know, but then again I will try my best to put life back into him,” “It’s going to be hard May,” “I know that too, but he’s got so much ahead of him. He’s going to do great things and I’m going to help him.” I knocked on the door. The speaking ceased and I walked in. “Ready,” I said with a smile. I was ready to get my new life started. May got up smiling walking me out to her car. It was a nice looking car. It had four-doors and was silver with tinted windows. She opened the doors and I hopped into the passenger seat. “Leather seats,” I said with a smile. I heard May chuckle. “Yes leather,” she rolled her r and I couldn’t help but laugh. We drove for at least a hour and I fell asleep once in the car. I woke up when she stopped in front of a two-story house. I looked up at the house then back to her. “Is this your house?” I asked her my eyes wide. She nodded. “Yeah you would think I’d live in such a nice home with the job I have,” she smiled at me pulling into the garage. “But I do have two jobs.” I looked at her. She was so kind to me. She took care of me while I was at the home and now she adopted me the day before my birthday. I wanted to repay her somehow. Someway. “Hey May do you think you could help me find a job tomorrow?” I asked. I could at least help with bills. “Sure Brennan, but I hope you do know you will be finishing school,” she smiled to me sweetly opening the driver’s door and getting out. I nodded getting out. We went through the door connects to the garage and into a hallway. We walked passed a few doors then up the stairs. It was beautiful. The living room the kitchen the rooms, it was beautiful. I didn’t notice until I’d finally run through the entire house and looked at everything. She had been watching me the entire time. I looked at her suddenly embarrassed. She smiled to me. “No need to be embarrassed,” she crossed the room and grabbed my hand. “Let me show you your room.” I looked to her with a smile as she walked me to a room in the middle of the hallway. She opened the door and I was once again shocked. I had seen this room in my adventure throughout the house. I had never known it was mine. It has a king sized bed with a canopy. It was elegant. The room’s walls were beige with white accent walls. It had it’s own ballroom with a shower and everything. It even had a balcony. It had white carpet and a full-length mirror with a walk in closet. It was great. There was even a dresser. I couldn’t believe it. This was all mine. I looked to her with shock in my eyes. “This is really my room?” I walked in sitting down on the bed. It was like sitting on a cloud. May stood in the doorway smiling to me. “It’s all yours.” I couldn’t help it I got up running to her. I wrapped my arms around her. “Thank you.” I whispered. I couldn’t think of anything else to say, but thank you. She’d literally saved my life. She gave me a second chance. She was the mother I never had and my guardian angel. I knew I had a long ways to go before I was even remotely better. I would probably have to take therapy. I was still dead, but the fact I finally had a mother, a family, gave me a little hope. Maybe somehow I could be the Riz I never could be. Maybe I could finally revive myself with a little help from my mom May. “Thank you Momma.” I felt her arms wrap around me. Pulling me tight. I heard her sniff and I knew that she was crying. We stood there for so long. She finally stopped crying and looked at me. “I’ve never had a child. You’re my only child,” she smiled, as did I. We walked to the kitchen and I sat on a stool. “You hungry?” she asked me. I nodded. “Yeah a little,” she smiled getting out all sorts of different things. “Consider this your first meal of a new life,” she started to chop onions amongst other things. We talked and laughed about how I was when I was little and talking about me going back to school and then college. I hadn’t even thought about college. I never thought I’d go to college. I didn’t even have ideas. “Well you’ve always been good with kids. You also seem to know a lot about the mind. Maybe you could be a therapist,” she started to make what looked to be a steak. “How could I help others when I can’t even help myself?” I asked her. She looked to me and smiled. “You’ve been doing just that for seven years.” It was true. I had been doing that all my life. I smiled. “Well we’ll see.” I had always been good with kids. Talking to them and figuring out what was wrong and helping them through it. I had always been good at it. You could say it was a gift of mine. I looked up as she sat a plate in front of me. It was a steak with vegetables and it looked delicious. “Wow that looks amazing.” She chuckled. “Culinary school.” I couldn’t believe it. She was talented with people and food. I couldn’t have gotten any luckier. She’d replaced my mother many years ago. I just hadn’t noticed. How if I were hurt I’d go to her. I never noticed. Only now did I really see how much I needed her. As I ate she asked me about therapy. I thought about it for a moment looking up at her. “I think it would be good for me.” I couldn’t tell her how I constantly thought of dying. How everything hurt. I couldn’t do that to her. She had saved me and I just couldn’t tell her. After we finished eating we went to the living room. We watched a little bit of television, playing a few games until well into the night. She looked up at the clock then back at me. “Well look at the time. You should be in bed,” she laughed getting up. I looked at her groaned and got up. “It’s only eleven.” I chuckled. I knew I’d have to get up early, but I was just having too much fun. She smiled as I walked to my room. She showed me where my clothes were and where all the shampoo, toothpaste and the necessities were. I smiled brushing my teeth and changing into sleeping boxers. They were quite comfy. She sure knew how to shop. I smiled hopping in my new bed. It felt foreign to me and for a second I felt weird like I was in someone else’s bed. Like I didn’t belong in it. She came in a minute later telling me goodnight. I smiled at her hugging her and telling her the same. She shut my door behind her and I easily got comfortable. When you live your life in a twin bed it’s easy to get comfortable in a king. I was asleep in a few minutes.