June

The Meeting

"They're both very nice," she says as we wait

In the office, sitting on the blue sofa,

Staring at the green one on the other side of the

Glass coffee table, only imagining who could end up there

Any second now.

A knock, she goes to open the door for them,

To welcome in my chance to do this whole

Family thing over. I know family is a

Long way off, but at least this is

Something.

They sit down on the blue sofa, and my social worker

Lilly sits down again beside me.

"Hi there, I'm Mitch, and this is my husband Cam."

He says. He's not really talking to me, well he is

Kind of. But a lot of his introduction seems

Headed towards Lilly, who he has already met.

And despite the high levels of

Awkward, I can already tell I like them.

So we sit and chat for a while, and they tell me about

Their house, and their jobs, and their daughter who they adopted

Ten years ago when she was a baby. She is the same age as

Me, they say, and she is called Lily.

I talk a bit too, about my cello and my science and generally

The things that float my boat until,

Eventually, they say goodbye and stand up again,

And shake hands with me and Lilly,

And then they drive away, and it is just me,

And Lilly, and she drives me back

To Oak House, my group home,

Again.