Tight-Knit Family

Making a Home

Dylan

"Please." I begged to the orphanage director. "You can't let them take me and not Emma."

"I'm sorry Dylan, but the couple only wants one child." I sighed and looked to my twin sister. She smiled painfully at me and then said, "Well, um...oh my God, Dylan, I'm gonna miss you so much."

I was gonna miss Emma too. We had a bucket list of everything we planned to do once we got adopted. Go skydiving, take a trip to Paris, go on the tallest roller coaster in the world, the list went on and on.

"Me too, Em. Promise me we'll keep in touch?" Emma smiled and said, "Pinky swear." She held her pinky out and then rested her head on my shoulder.

I don't think either of us wanted to let go.

________

Whizzer's POV

"You excited?" Marvin asked as we pulled into the parking lot of a brick building. Marvin smiled and turned off the car, leading me into the building.

I pulled out the manila folder that came in the mail several weeks ago with our new son's file.

Dylan Maddox Jacques
Born August 12, 2007
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'2"

The photo on the front page was of a boy with dark brown skin, dark brown eyes, curly dark brown hair, and thick-rimmed black glasses. He had a huge, cheeky grin and his eyes were full of hope. I smiled at the photo and then turned towards Marvin.

"Jason's gonna love him." I said. Marvin smiled worriedly and I said, "You did tell Jason, right?"

"I thought that was supposed to be your job!" Marvin snapped. I sighed and said, "You call Jason and tell him what's going on, and I'll go grab Dylan."

Marvin leaned against a wall and called Jason, and I walked up towards the front desk.

"Whizzer Brown."

"He's right there waiting for you."

I turned and there was Dylan, clutching the hand of a girl who was a few inches shorter than him. The girl and Dylan looked exactly alike, with the same skin tone and the same eye color, but the girls hair was drastically curlier than Dylan's.

Then it hit me.

They're siblings. I'm separating siblings.

"Hello, Dylan." I said. Dylan firmly grasped my hand and shook it. "Hello, Mr. Brown. How are you today?"

"Please, Dylan, call me Whizzer." Dylan made a funny face when he heard my name and I laughed. I turned towards the girl and said, "And who's this lovely young lady?"

"E-Emma." the girl said. Emma's lip quivered and tears lined her eyes.

"She's my twin sister." Dylan said.

I turned back, trying not to cry myself. I felt so bad for taking Dylan away from his sister like that.

"Marvin!" I yelled.

"Who's Marvin?" Dylan asked.

"My boyfriend, your other father." I said. Marvin walked over to us and said, "Yes?"

"Are you okay with adopting a second child?" I said. I noticed Dylan and Emma squeal and hug each other and I fell more in love with them.

"Dylan has a twin sister." I whispered to Marvin. Marvin looked to the twins and said, "I have no problem with that. Jason's really excited, by the way."

I smiled and turned towards the orphanage director.

"We'll take Emma too."

_______

Dylan

"Welcome home!" Whizzer said. The first thing I saw was a little boy who could not have been much older than me with curly light brown hair and light brown eyes.

"Dylan, Emma, this is Jason, your brother. Jason, these are your siblings." Jason extended his hand and I shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you, Jason."

"The others should be coming over soon."

"The...others?" Emma asked, perplexed. Marvin laughed and said, "Yes, my ex-wife and her husband, and our neighbors, Jason's godparents."

"I'm so lost." Emma said. Whizzer and Marvin both laughed and then the doorbell rang.

"Ah! Dylan, Emma, this is my ex-wife Trina, and her husband Mendel!"

"Pleased to meet you." I said. Mendel looked to Marvin in confusion and said, "Marvin, I thought you were only adopting one kid!"

"Change of plans, we have two!" Whizzer said. Two women walked in and Marvin grinned. "These are our neighbors, Charlotte and Cordelia! The lesbians from next door!"

"More gays." I said, almost starstruck. Everyone started laughing and then Emma pulled me and Whizzer aside.

"Thank you. Thank you, both of you."

"Both of us?" Whizzer and I said at the same time.

"Yeah. If it wasn't for Dylan clinging to me like a lifeline, Whizzer wouldn't have realized I existed. And thank you, Whizzer, for taking a chance on me. I knew you were only expecting to adopt one kid." Emma said quietly.

"Awww, thank you, Emma. You seem like a good kid, you twins both do. I can't wait to get to know you both better." Whizzer said. He smiled at both of us and walked off.

Emma shot me a soft smile and said, "I think we just found our new home."