Chapter 35 #2
“Do you need to check with your partner?”
“No,” Nate says quickly. “I can promise you, both she and I are flexible and will do whatever it takes to make the appointment.”
“Okay.” I can hear her smiling. “I’m glad.
One other thing: this is not a day event.
It will be over three days. The first two days, you won’t even tour the main part of the property.
You will go through multiple rounds of interviews.
If you pass that round, we will have you fill out another application that will be much more intense.
If that goes well, you will then meet with our in-house psychologist. She will also conduct an interview, and on Saturday, we will have you tour our main campus, where the children live.
After that, there are still steps, more interviews, but if you’ve made it to Saturday, it is a good sign. ”
I love how thorough they are and how important it is for them that we are a good fit.
“We understand and are ready to take the next step,” Nate replies, and I nod in agreement.
“Excellent. I’m glad to hear. In the next few hours, you will receive an email with the address, nearby hotels, and a list of what to bring for the interview.
We will also lay out a schedule to help best prepare you for the process.
I will follow up in two days, on Wednesday, to confirm.
We at Healing Horizons look forward to meeting you and Madeline. We will be in touch soon.”
“We very much look forward to it. Thank you for the call.”
“Nate!” I shout in excitement the moment he hangs up. I jump into his arms, and he spins me around.
I’ve never felt joy like this.
“Yeah, baby! We’re going to Vermont.”
Nate
It’s our third day in Vermont, and we’re finally getting the official tour of the main premises.
The last two days were grueling. I’ve never been interviewed or asked so many personal questions in my life, but I understand why they do it.
Adopting a child from Healing Horizon comes with bigger responsibilities than adopting elsewhere; they wouldn’t chance an adoption with an unfit family.
I don’t know what I expected when I visited here, but the setup is homey and welcoming.
It’s not a big cold building; it’s a campus-style property, where they converted an estate into the main area.
This is where the younger kids live.
The older children share small cottages on the property. Each child gets their own bedroom, and at a certain age, even a locked private area, to help them feel safe.
They’ve designed everything with intention and trauma in mind.
No harsh lighting, soundproof therapy rooms, and weighted blankets are kept everywhere. No loud alarms, and there are calm rooms scattered throughout it, where anyone can take a moment for themselves.
There are on-site trauma therapists, art therapists, music rooms, homeschooling classrooms, and even meditation classes.
They are a large-donor-dependent organization, relying mainly on others’ support to fund their mission, and, thankfully, have succeeded in raising enough so far.
Of course, our family will be donating, but not until we are officially approved, so there is no bias.
I roll my lips, trapping my emotions, as we walk through the house, taking in all the children living here. As a kid, I dreamed of being saved, and luckily, I was, eventually.
These children have had the same luck I did and, hopefully, will be adopted by a loving family some day soon. But I can’t help but think of all the kids who had it ten times worse than I did, or for the ones who never escape.
The ones who are still waiting for their knight in shining armor.
Anne gestures toward her office, and we follow her in to go over the tour and our thoughts we’ve had so far today.
We tell her the truth: we’ve had nothing but a positive experience, and we see they truly care for the children.
“I’d like to go over something else now that we’re here in person and you have officially been pre-approved, pending your home tour.”
Maddie and I nod eagerly, linking our hands together as we sit beside one another.
“First, let me ask you, are you only open to children in America?”
I frown, confused. “I don’t understand. I thought this was an American organization.”
“We are. However, we partner with others around the world—”
“We are open to the best fit, no matter their background,” Maddie interjects, then widens her eyes, mortified. “I’m so sorry for interrupting.”
Anne smiles softly, “I rather love your enthusiasm, Madeline. It tells a lot about your character.”
Maddie ducks her head, embarrassed, while I wrap my arm around her shoulders.
“She’s right, Anne. Madeline and I are here not to pick favorites. We don’t see gender, ethnicity, or age as factors in our decision.”
“Glad to hear it. That is not most people’s answer.”
“Can I ask why you’re inquiring when there are children here in the facility who need homes?”
“As we’ve explained, when we take in a child, they stay with us before being adopted, normally close to a year.
” She continues, “Most of the children that are up for adoption here have only recently entered the program. They must undergo mandatory therapies and evaluations before we even consider introducing them to a potential family, which can take months. Or they have already matched with a family.”
“It’s why we were drawn to your program,” Maddie says. “We could tell you truly cared about the children’s well-being.”
She nods. “Thank you. The reason I bring up international adoption through our company is that we have many more children, either ready or almost ready to be paired up with their forever families. There is no rush; you can explore your options here. We like to tell the potential adopters all options.”
“Well, as we said before, we are open,” I tell her honestly.
“There is one potential setback, however. I think because of your financial situation, Mr. Davenport, and both of your stable, impressive careers, the committee might overlook it.”
Maddie deflates beside me. “What setback?”
“We don’t focus on this at our location. I am a single mother myself, so I don’t believe in discriminating. However, in Europe and Asia, being married is normally a prerequisite. Not always, but most of the time.”
“We—”
Maddie cuts me off. “We’re getting married.”
I look over to her, wondering when that is, because that’s news to me.
Anne glances down at Maddie’s clearly empty finger. “Oh, um…I thought…”
“Well, we’re engaged, but we’ll be married soon, way before any adoption is complete.” Maddie holds up her hand awkwardly. “It’s getting sized.”
Anne perks up, smiling. “Well then, that makes things a lot easier, doesn’t it?” The phone rings, and she excuses herself when she steps out to take the call.
The second she closes the door behind her, I blurt, “Holy shit. Did you just lie, Maddie Grace Cunningham?” I chuckle. “I thought I’d never see the day.”
She covers my mouth, panicked. “Shush. I don’t know what’s come over me today. White lies are okay, right?”
“Babe, it’s not a lie. We are getting married.”
She leans back in her chair, visibly shaken. “I’ve probably just ruined it for us.” She runs her nervous hands down her face.
I grab her wrists to expose her. “Mads, calm down. Are you even listening to me? We are getting married. It’s not a lie.”
“Well, we’d better do it soon.”
“How romantic,” I say dryly.
She smirks and turns her head toward me, smiling. “Anywhere by your side is romantic, Nathaniel. It’s in your DNA.”
The door opens, and Anne walks back in, interrupting us. “I’m sorry about that. However, I’m glad I took the call.” She sits behind her desk, and a genuine smile pulls at her lips.
My eyes shift toward Maddie’s when Anne doesn’t elaborate. She types something on her computer and begins printing out papers.
Maddie shrugs her shoulders, just as lost as I am.
Anne collects the papers and puts them in a folder, placing them in front of her, her hands resting on top of it.
“If we find a child who seems like they are the right fit for you, we will gradually introduce you to your adopted child. First, under the guidance of our therapist, and then slowly on your own.”
“We are prepared to take this as slowly as needed. We understand and appreciate the depths of recovery you take to ensure each and every child is set up for a successful, healthy future.”
She nods sadly. “I knew you would.”
Anne knows all about my past.
Maddie and I agreed that being upfront with my story was the right way to start our process on the right foot.
“Well then.” She pushes the folder toward us, her hands still firmly holding it now.
“I didn’t want to mention it until I knew you were okay with a non-American child, or before I received the okay from our European counterpart.
But, if the two of you are truly open to adopting a child overseas, I think this may be a good fit.
” I reach forward to take the folder, too anxious to wait.
Anne doesn’t budge. “I want to be completely transparent. This is not a guarantee; we suggest matches all the time that don’t fit, and we will never hold that against you. ”
“We understand,” Maddie replies, her leg beginning to bounce nervously.
She finally releases her grip on the folder, and I take it quickly.
Angling my body toward Maddie, I hand her the folder. “You open it, Mads.”
She looks at Anne, tears beginning to brim in her eyes, confirming. “There is a child’s profile in here that we can potentially match with?”
She nods, smiling.
Maddie looks up at me, and all I see is hope and happiness.
Everything that’s happened over the last week is long gone.
This is what’s important right now.
I don’t care who’s in the room with us. I lean forward and press my lips to her forehead. “Go ahead, Goddess, open it.”
She lets out a deep breath, and with shaky hands, she slowly opens the folder.