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-1986-
“Bobby, do you know where Luna is?” Mary-Anne asked as she looked behind the kitchen door, “I haven’t seen her at all since I came home from school.”
“I’m sure she’s here, maybe she went outside. Dad made that fence tight so she can’t escape. Remember?”
“Oh right! I forgot about that!”
Both children walked outside and called for Luna. A small meow was heard, then the fluffy multicolored kitten ran out of the bush and straight to Mary-Anne. Mary-Anne gathered Luna in her arms and sat down on the patio deck with Bobby sitting down beside her.
“I thought I heard you both come in,” Bobby’s mother voice rang out, “I need you to come inside, both of you.”
Bobby and Mary-Anne looked at one another with puzzled looks as they got up, walking back inside the house. Bobby stopped suddenly. Mary-Anne hit him from behind, Luna protested the squeeze between the two children. Robert, Bobby’s father was sitting in the kitchen chair and looking very serious. Something wasn’t right, Bobby thought, Dad never comes home this time of day.
“Son, it’s ok just sit down,” Robert stated, “and you too, Mary-Anne.”
They sat. Mary-Anne held Luna tightly with fear, until she heard the small meows of protest. She then eased up her grip. Luna settled down on Mary-Anne’s lap and fell asleep, purring loudly. Bobby sat confused, frightened and not really sure he wanted to hear what his parent’s had to say.
“Mary-Anne we just had news about your father,” Robert stated, “and he’s applied for custody of you. Apparently he’s leaving prison in a month as the parole board believes he’s changed.”
Mary-Anne’s eyes grew huge as she listened. Her hands trembled and her stomach felt so tight, she swore she was going to throw up – right there! Bobby gasped, as the world became dark, spinning around on him. His mother reached over and rubbed his back, placing his head down until colour returned to his face.
“What we want you to know, is this,” Robert looked directly at Mary-Anne and he continued, “We’ve grown to love you as our own daughter. No matter the problems, we’ve stuck it out together and watched you grow into a very smart, beautiful girl.”
Lisa nodded in agreement, Robert continued, “In fact, we’ve been talking with your social worker. And we believe that is the reason your father is requesting custody. Because we were planning to go to court, with your worker, next month and deem you a permanent ward…thus making it possible for you to be adopted. “
Mary-Anne sat quiet, swallowing hard and trying not to cry as she listened to Robert’s words. She couldn’t grasp that these people wanted to adopt her after all she had done. And the fear rose up as strong bile at the thought of moving back with her father. She never felt Lisa’s hand hold her own tightly, as her head spun with so many conflicting emotions.
“Now, we want you and Bobby to believe this,” Robert’s voice grew stronger and louder, “No one, not even your father, will remove you from this home. Ever! I’ll shoot the first one that tries!”
Lisa got up and walked behind her husband, rubbing his shoulders and murmuring words of support as she advised him to cool down his anger. He took a deep breath and continued, “I’m sorry. That was out of line. I just…..I just don’t want to lose you, Mary-Anne because you are family. And the thought your father could walk in and take you home……”
Lisa interrupted him quickly, as she watched Mary-Anne’s face turn white, “Honey, listen to me. Robert and I plan to fight this. Your social worker and your counsellor plan to fight this. There isn’t one piece of evidence to prove your father has any skills or ability to raise you. Bea, your worker, doesn’t believe he stands a chance.”
“In fact Mary-Anne, your father never even filed for custody until the papers for permanent custody arrived in the prison this morning. Now he wants custody. Everyone, even the judge, will see he’s only doing this to control you. To mock the system. And you’ll be allowed to live with us, I promise!”
Robert looked up at his wife lovingly and continued where she had left off, “We both promise. You will be our daughter by the end of next month. And you won’t ever have to worry about your father again.”
Bobby sat stunned. First, they planned to adopt this crazy girl and no one asked him? Then they spring on them both her father is wanting her to go to his home? Didn’t anyone care what he thought?
“Bobby, honey, this all is a shock to you too, I know. We had planned to talk with you first about the adoption. In fact, we had planned to talk tonight while Mary-Anne was having her bath but…..we got the news and knew we had to talk to you both,” Lisa stated quietly, “I hope you understand.”
Bobby nodded “yes” and chastised himself for being so selfish. How could he think of himself as his friend’s life unraveled before her own eyes. He looked over at Mary-Anne, sitting so quiet and pale.
“Mary-Anne,” he whispered, “you ok?”
Mary-Anne couldn’t get out the words. She sat staring across the room at images no one saw. Her mind travelling backwards to the years she spent with this man who called himself her father…..then she yelled, startling Luna who jumped quickly off her lap, “He’s not my father! He’s not my father! He’s not! He never adopted me! My mum never gave me to him! He can’t take me! NO!”
Robert sat back in his chair, stunned. Staring at Mary-Anne. Lisa stopped cold in her tracks and took a seat quickly before she fell down. Bobby nodded in agreement. He knew there was something bothering him the whole time, he just couldn’t remember what. Mary-Anne had told him that. When she first moved in. How her mum had met her dad when she was little and he wasn’t her real dad. Maybe that will make the judge stop her dad from taking her away!
“Mary-Anne, what do you mean he’s not your dad?” Robert asked puzzled, “Even Bea has him down as your legal guardian and as far as the records show, you are his daughter. “
“NO!” Mary-Anne yelled, “My mum met him when I was 2 years old. You remember me telling you right Bobby? How my mum sang to me on the piano and how she stopped when he moved in. I don’t remember much but I remember how she stopped singing.”
“Yes, honey, he did move in when you were 2 years old,” Lisa said in a tight voice, “but he was your dad. Your mum had left him many times before he moved in. Finally she stopped fighting him and let him into her life.”
“NO! You don’t understand!” Mary-Anne screamed, jumping up and stomping on the floor with her foot, “You don’t get it! He made her lie about all that stuff! She told me that when she was an angel, after he………he……HE’S NOT MY DAD!”
Lisa got up quickly and tried to pull Mary-Anne into an embrace. Mary-Anne pushed her away, tears glistening in her eyes as she continued to yell, “I got my real birth certificate! He never knew I had it! And I didn’t figure it out until last year what it was! My mum put it into a little box and sealed it. Made me promise never to open it unless it was really important and never let my dad have it. Wait, I’ll get it!”
Mary-Anne ran to her room then returned, practically throwing the box onto the table. With trembling fingers, she opened the box and withdrew a paper.
“See! It says “father Jacob O’Reilly!” That monster in jail isn’t my dad!”
Lisa and Robert looked at the paper and shook their heads in disbelief. The miracle they had both prayed was there. It would mean tracking down this man, O’Reilly but it would also mean Mary-Anne’s father didn’t have a hope of gaining custody.
“Honey, can we have this?”
Mary-Anne handed over the paper, then ran out of the room to the bathroom. Sounds of heaving could be heard from the bathroom. Lisa looked over at Bobby, then Robert and left to tend to Mary-Anne.
“Are you ok son? “ Robert stated concerned, “You were kinda forgotten there. Didn’t mean to do that to you, son.”
“Dad, it’s ok. I understand. Will that paper really help Mary-Anne?”
“I hope so. I hope it isn’t false but we won’t tell Mary-Anne that, ok. Let’s keep that between ourselves. I’ll get it verified tomorrow. I’ll take the day off to sort this all out.”
Robert got up and walked over. Sitting down beside Bobby he looked his boy straight in the eye, “Son, you have to tell me if you don’t want Mary-Anne living here as your sister. If there is any reason at all you don’t want this, you have to tell. And I won’t be angry, honest.”
Bobby gulped. He was only 12 years old. Mary-Anne was only 12 years old. Yet she knew she was going to marry him. And he didn’t know what he felt. If his parents adopted her, they’d never get married. What a relief!
Bobby looked up at his father, then back down to the floor. Yet, if he never loved Mary-Anne why did his stomach do flips every time he saw her lately? Why was he so mixed up on how he felt about her? He wanted to ask his Dad but felt it was too selfish to ask them not to adopt Mary-Anne because he might….no, he didn’t love her and he didn’t want to marry her and he was only 12 years old. He looked up at his dad and answered the question.
“Dad, I think Mary-Anne needs us and truthfully, I think we need her. I think we should adopt her.”
Robert brushed away his tears as he heard the struggle in his son’s voice and patted Bobby on the back. He mumbled about going out to work on the old car in the garage and left. Bobby walked out of the kitchen and head to his tree fort.
“Hey Bobby Parsons, you letting up one crazy girl or have you banned her from your life?”
Bobby looked down and saw Mary-Anne standing on the ground, looking so small and vulnerable.
“Nah, sis, its time we reached for the moon. Come on up, the space shuttle is about to depart.”
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