Chapter 26
“Mrs. Delgado!” An older man calls out to the lady with the leather briefcase.
The sharp tick tick tick from a nearby motorboat drowns whatever else he says.
The man steps onto the rickety dock with a confident stride, polished shoes clicking against the warped planks.
“I’m Mr. Jarrell,” he announces, extending a hand.
The sea breeze whips his blond hair in every direction. He’s tall, impossibly tan—too tan. His skin has the same crinkled, leathery texture as the lady’s briefcase. “Apologies for our tardiness. Our flight was delayed,” he says, stepping toward her.
I look away and toss another stone into the waves, letting the warm, sticky sand squish between my bare feet. The rocks are smooth against my toes. I bend down and pick up another one.
Mrs. Delgado is my social worker. She’s been working really hard to find a family willing to adopt me. But there’s one thing I’ve always been clear about—I want a brother. Mrs. Delgado knows that. No matter how kind or perfect the family might be… if there isn’t a brother, I’m not going anywhere.
Then, eleven days ago, Mrs. Delgado came to me with some big news—she found a family. And they have a son. A brother. They live in America, and I’ve been told he’s a little older than me. That’s okay. Having a big brother is all I’ve ever dreamed of.
“This is my wife, Gloria, and our daughter, Teya,” he says, and my head snaps up. Wait—daughter? I thought I was getting a brother.
I grab another stone and toss it into the water, watching it skip across the waves. I keep listening, trying to follow the conversation.
“Well, hello there. It’s so nice to meet Noah’s new family,” says the lady I don’t recognize. “My name is Sophia Adamos. I’m the social worker filling in for Mrs. Delgado today. She was called away last minute for some kind of emergency.”
I don’t really like Social Worker Sophia. She doesn’t seem as nice as Mrs. Delgado.
“You’ll have to excuse me,” she adds quickly. “This is only my third week on the job, and I’m still a bit disorganized. You wouldn’t happen to have your paperwork with you, would you, Mr. Jarrell?”
The tall man hands her a large envelope. “No worries, Sophia. Everything you need is in here. My wife made sure we were fully prepared for Noah’s adoption.”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Social Worker Sophia presses both hands to her chest. “I haven’t had the chance to stop by the office today and grab Mrs. Delgado’s files. This emergency of hers really threw everything off.”
I bend down and scoop up another handful of rocks, tossing them one by one into the shallow water. A sudden wave rushes in, splashing over my feet and almost stealing one of my sandals. I leap up from the bench just in time to grab it before it floats away.
It’s the purple one—the one that’s too big for my foot. The other sandal is white, and it fits better. It looks newer too. I wish I had another white one.
“Is Noah’s brother with you?”
My ears perk up.
“I was told you also have a son—Alex, I believe? Noah’s very excited about having a big brother.”
“Yes, of course…” The tall man glances over toward the bench. I quickly look away and toss another stone into the waves.
“…and Alex is also very excited to have a brother. Unfortunately, he wasn’t feeling well, so we had to leave him behind.”
Social Worker Sophia shakes her head, her voice floating on the ocean breeze. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope he feels better soon. Well, let me get Noah, and then you can be on your way.”
I toss the last of my rocks into the sea and hop down from the weathered bench. Hiking up my shorts, I tug on the yellow shoestring and tie it tighter around my waist, so they don’t fall down.
Mrs. Delgado says I have skinny legs, and it’s hard to find shorts that fit me. I think these ones used to belong to the old man at the orphanage because I saw him wearing them once, and now he has a new pair.
My shirt definitely belongs to me though. I found it first, tossed on the ground by the trash bin. It’s pink—my favorite color—and it hangs off one shoulder. I think it looks pretty. I have another shirt, too, but I like this one the best.
“Noah, sweetheart, come meet your family,” Social Worker Sophia calls out.
I dust off my hands and carefully drag my feet across the rocky shoreline toward the dock. I hope my purple sandal stays on. I stuff my hands into my pockets and walk straight over to the man with blond hair.
“Where’s my brother?” I ask.
“Mon Dieu!” he says, crouching down and pulling my hands out of my pockets. “Those are the most striking eyes I’ve ever seen. Clear fucking blue,” he adds, then quickly covers his mouth. “Oops.”
He said a bad word, but it’s not the first time I’ve ever heard one.
“Pardon,” he mutters, sounding a bit silly.
“You talk weird,” I tell him, not recognizing the language. I only speak English. Some Greek too.
“Noah, that isn’t polite!” Social Worker Sophia snaps. Mrs. Delgado would never snap at me.
“It’s fine,” my new dad says, tousling my hair. “Hi, son.” He finally smiles, and I think I might like him. His teeth are really straight—and super white. Like my sandal. Maybe he’ll get me another one.
“We’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Noah.” His fingers are long and feel kind of moist, like a wet towel, which grosses me out a little. He gestures toward the two people standing beside him. “This is your mom and your sister, Teya.”
“Where’s my brother?” I ask again, looking away from the lady and the smiling girl. Teya looks a lot older than me, and her eyes are strange—bright green, like lasers. But they don’t match, kind of like my sandals. “Mrs. Delgado said I would have a brother.”
My dad stands up, still holding one of my hands. My fingers look so tiny next to his. Only Mrs. Delgado has ever held my hand before; her fingers were small, like mine, and soft.
“Noah, do you like boats?” Dad asks. He squeezes my hand, and it hurts—but just a little. I can handle it. I don’t think he actually means to hurt me. “I have a rather large boat. Would you like to go for a ride?”
At the end of the dock, there’s a ginormous boat anchored in the marina. It must be his—it’s the only big one here.
“Is my brother on the boat?”
“He sure is.” He smiles wider. “Would you like to meet him?”
For the first time, a burst of excitement zips through me, and I practically jump right out of my purple sandal. “Yes, please!”
“Okay then.” Social Worker Sophia claps her hands. “I have a full schedule today and need to get back on the road. Noah, sweetie, congratulations on your adoption.” She gives me a friendly handshake. Mrs. Delgado would have given me a hug.
“Mr. Jarrell,” she says, straightening up and grabbing her briefcase.
Jarrell.
Wow.
My name will be Noah Jarrell.
I repeat it a million times in my head as they keep talking.
“I’ll swing by the office later and get those papers signed. Mrs. Delgado will email you the copies. Will that be alright?”
“Sure will, Sophia. She has my email, and I also included it on the paperwork you have there.”
I really need to pee, so I hope we get on the boat soon. Plus, I want to meet my brother. I’ll pee first, then meet him. Maybe we’ll share a bedroom. Maybe even have bunk beds like the ones at the orphanage! I’m going to sleep on top. Or maybe the bottom. I’ll sleep where he sleeps.
I wonder if he has purple sandals? If he needs another one, I could give him mine.
“Thank you, Mr. Jarrell. Enjoy your new adventures as a family.” Social Worker Sophia waves over her shoulder as she walks away.
Dad swoops me up high in the air, making me giggle hysterically as I fall against his chest and wrap my arms around his neck.
“Is that our boat?” I ask, swinging my legs and pointing to the largest boat I’ve ever seen. “It’s the biggest boat ever!”
“It’s called a yacht,” he says, walking toward the massive boat.
“A yacht!” I exclaim. So much excitement rushes through me, I can’t stop wiggling around like an animal in his arms. Plus, I really have to pee. Like really bad. Then after that, I’ll go find my brother. Alex. Alex and Noah—we’re going to make a great team! This is the best day of my life!
Dad puts me down, and I skip and spin on my tiptoes the rest of the way up the dock. My purple sandal slips off, but Dad quickly scoops it up before it falls into the water. My hero!
“Bonjour, Mr. Valentino,” the man in the captain’s hat says to Dad. “Welcome aboard, sir. Mrs. Valentino and Erica have already made their way inside.”
Erica? I thought her name was Teya? And why is he calling my dad Mr. Valentino? Social Worker Sophia called him Mr. Jarrell.
“Will we be headed back to France, sir?”
“Oui, Christophe,” Dad answers in that funny language again.
Suddenly, I stop dancing and spinning and look up at my dad. “France? I thought I was going to America?”
He scoops me up and carries me down two extra-wide steps before setting me back down. The metal bridgeway connecting our boat to the dock starts to retract. The captain pulls the metal slab toward him and clicks it into place. Waves lap softly around the boat’s edges.
I tug on Dad’s shorts. “Where’s my brother?”
This time, he doesn’t answer. He just turns and disappears down a long, narrow hallway, leaving me standing alone. His smile disappears with him.
“Am I going to America?” I call after him. “Where’s my brother?”
My arms start to tingle—especially my right one. It feels strange, like a buzzing I’ve never felt before. I shake it out. I wipe away a tear from my cheek and cough because my chest feels tight, like I can’t breathe.
Should I try to find my brother? Maybe he’ll know what to do.
I glance down at my feet and realize I’m only wearing my white sandal. Oh no—Dad still has my purple one! They’re my only pair of shoes.
I stand on my tiptoes and crane my neck to peek over the railing. The wind lifts my hair, and for a moment, I feel like I’m flying. Neat! But where would I land? There’s only water, and I’m pretty sure I can’t land on a wave.
Salty tears sting my cheeks and burn my eyes.
And I really need to pee.
“Psst… Noah.”
I spin around so fast I almost lose my balance. Plus, I stub my toe. I need to get my purple sandal back.
The girl with the strange eyes is standing in front of me. She presses her fingers to her lips.
“Shh…” she whispers, reaching for my hand.
“What’s your name?” I whisper back, hoping she’s nice. She’s kind of pretty—for a girl—but her eyes are scary. They glow a little, like something out of a video game.
“My name is America,” she says softly, brushing the hair out of my face. “But you can call me Erica. Or Meera if you’d prefer. Mimi is fine too.”
A shiver races up my spine as I follow her deeper into the large vessel. Even though there’s no wind in the hallway, I can’t stop shivering.
Using my fingers, I quietly count all of her names—four. But I think I’ll call her Erica. America is too confusing, and now I’ve forgotten the other two. Why does she have so many names? I only have one.
“I thought I was going to America,” I say, hobbling alongside her. “I’m scared,” I finally confess, squeezing her hand and trying not to trip.
“I know, baby,” she says gently, opening a door and pulling me inside.
There’s only one bed in the room, and it’s small. I was hoping to share a bed with my brother. I really want to sleep with Alex.
A soft click behind me sends a chill down my arms. I fold them over my chest.
Erica kneels down by the door and looks straight into my eyes. Her hands glide gently down my chilly arms.
“Listen carefully, Noah,” she says in a quiet, serious voice. “I’m going to teach you how to hide in the rain.”
I pee my pants.