Saving the Unloved

Chapter 4: Explanations

 Once inside I had Trent and Emma sit on the bench just outside the office so I could speak with Jen privately.

  "Okay, what's going on Brittany? Caleb caught these kids the other day sneaking candy in the men's restroom."

  "I caught them sneaking chips in the women's. But Jen, they have a very good reason. They're starving! Their mom refuses to feed them unless they are able to pay for the food themselves. Where are an 8 year old and a 5 year old supposed to find jobs?" I was instantly furious with my coworker Caleb. He's not exactly the kind of guy to wait to find out the full story. He probably yelled at them and called their mother.

  These suspicions were confirmed when Jen's eyes widened and she said, "I wish we hadn't called her now..."

  "What the hell were you thinking?! If you see skinny, dirty children who look hungry you should try to get their story first!!" I shouted angrily.

  "I know Brittany. We just weren't thinking much of it at the time. What are we going to do now? We obviously can't call their mom."

  "I already have it taken care of. I called a Social Worker friend of mine and she can find them somewhere to stay. She should be here soon."

  "Okay... Well we need to get back to work. What are we going to do about them until your friend gets here?"

  "They can walk around with me while I finish putting things away. I'm almost done for the night anyway."

  We agreed and headed back out into the main store. The children followed me as I finished my work for the night and then we waited by the office until Jessica arrived.

  "Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" she asked after a heartfelt greeting and introductions to the children. I lead the way into the side office that is used mainly for storage. 

  I explain what I know of the situation and leave the room so she can speak with Emma and Trent. My heart goes out to these two sweet children. They've been through so much in their short lives. While we were walking through the store they told me that they had never had jackets and I saw Emma's eyes fill with longing when she saw a knock-off Barbie doll.

  I was quickly brought out of my thoughts by two tiny pairs of arms wrapping around me and Emma's sweet voice whispering thank-yous. 

  Jessica came out of the office behind the duo with a sad smile on her face. Standing up and untangling myself gently from the childrens' grip I walked over to my friend. "What's going to happen to them now?"

 "Well, they'll probably wind up staying in a children's group home until we can find them a foster family. It's hard to come by foster parents willing to take on two children at the same time so they might have to be separated."

  This broke my heart more than anything else I had heard that evening. "Could they stay with me and my family? Just for now? I'll move out and try to get my foster licence if I need to."

  "I'm not sure. I would love to be able to say yes but I would need to speak with my boss. You're awfully young and in the end it would be up to a judge if you would be able to keep them or not."