she sounds happy, though Dan looked like a pouty pretty boy when Paul met him briefly as he sulked outside Chloe’s office waiting for a ride home last year. He’s about to ask if her boyfriend has a car yet when she says, “So then I guess you heard, tonight, at the McAdoos’. About their birth parents.”
Paul nods.
“God, this is when I hate the job.”
“So you think things don’t look good?”
“I don’t know. Their birth parents are really”—Chloe pauses to take a sip—“unpredictable. They called me from jail, for a ride, that was how I met them. I think it was check fraud for her, but he has some other things on his record, aggravated assault, battery of another woman, sex with a minor, though to be fair, he was nineteen and it was supposedly his girlfriend. But since then, it’s been money money money, get the agency to cosign on an apartment, get him a job, which is nearly impossible with his criminal record and Megan’s law, then when I finally get him one he has a fistfight with the manager, so then it’s food money and new maternity clothes for her and a nice pair of pants for him for an interview, and on and on. It’s a bad sign when your birth parents want so much money, and they choose the parents with the biggest income without even considering the other profiles, and then you go to their place and they have baby stuff.”
“It’s like Amber,” Paul says.
“Yeah, there were some red flags with Amber.” Paul is quiet, and after a moment, Chloe continues. “One time, I took her shopping for maternity clothes, and her mom held up a big yellow T-shirt with the word BABY in big letters, and an arrow pointing down. Most birth moms don’t want to draw that kind of attention to being pregnant. But all’s well that ends well, I guess, except for Amber’s baby.”
“We still think about her.” This is not a lie; he does think about her. “I don’t suppose you ever hear from them?”
Chloe shakes her head, stands up to throw away her empty coffee cup.
“Mr. Nova?” The admitting nurse leans her bulk over the desk. “You can come on back now.”
Paul does not waste time on a long good-bye with Chloe Pinter. He needs to get this hand sewn up, needs to get home and get some rest so he can be ready for Eva, for their baby.
OREGON OPEN ADOPTION—A place for all mothers
FRANCESCA97201
Joined: 26 Jun 1998
Posts: 17249
Posted: Fri, Nov 24 2000 4:24 am
In the predawn of Black Friday, Francie McAdoo’s burning eyes scan the boards. The most recent post is from ANGIENMARK4EVER, dated just minutes earlier.
Our CW just called, BM is in hospital with bleeding!!!!! BF told CW to tell us not to come yet!!! What does this mean???? Hugs please!!!
Francie clicks New Message. First the obligatory; have to reply to everyone so you’re sure to get lots of attention when it’s your turn.
(((ANGIE))) Don’t listen to the CW!!! I would not trust anyone—I would go to the hospital myself! ((((hugs)))) and (((((prayers))))))
And now on to her stuff: Francie’s heart speeds up as she types, fingers flying. Her high school typing teacher promised a good secretarial career if she focused on her form. Look at her now! Sitting in her Portland Heights mansion, queen of the message boards, she unloads, sixty words per minute.
Bad news:
she begins, sure to grab attention.
Pottery Barn, where I purchased my crib, rocker, and changing table, has discontinued the nightstand in their “Thomas” line. (See photo in profile.) My IRL friends thought I was crazy, buying out the Thomas collection after the fourth IVF failed, but you ladies supported me, promised there was a baby in my future. You knew it would be therapeutic to paint the room Caraway Seed (before you saw that color in every Starbucks downtown, LOL), and I loved assembling the crib, ordering the lighting, trying out rockers vs. gliders. But now there’s no nightstand and what do I do? Should I try ebay or—
Francie stops.
I.CANNOT.DO.THIS.ANYMORE.
The truth: CW called tonight, the baby has a crib, in the apartment with his parents. The worst part is, it is my fault.
One week ago, after our dinner meeting with BM and BF, John (DH) went to get the car, and BM asked CW to go with her to the bathroom, and I was alone (a setup, I see now!) with BF. He started talking about the