Growing Up Nelson

I WOULD A-DOPT U 2

The next day I got up and got dressed for school in one of the new outfits. As I can was getting dressed I began to miss my new best friend. I couldn't wait for him to get back from LA. This month feels likes its gonna drag but better make due. Now that I don't have lessons on the weekends maybe I could score a date with Tré. Hopefully he makes the first move. Prince would have a head full of grey hair if he found out that I went on a date while he was gone. Considering that I'm about to be 16 soon he better get used to it if he's still gonna be my music teacher. I looked myself over in the mirror at my outfit and was very pleased with what I had on. The denim set was a dark blue stone wash and the shirt I had on was black with the saying 'There's a 99.99% chance that I don't care'. Prince really knew how to pick 'em. Grabbing my book bag from my bed I took off my head scarf and shook my micro braids down and put them in a low pony tail and headed out of my bedroom and down the steps to start walking the 5 blocks to school. Each walk to and from school was one less day I had to wait to see Prince again. It would also be one day closer to my birthday. Sweet sixteen would be so much sweeter with a family to spend it with. I tried not to let it bother me because just like any other adoption day I'd tune it out but this month was going to be different. When adoption day came I put on one of my best outfits and waited downstairs with the younger kids as potential parents got to know each of the kids. I just sat for hours in the common room with a smile on my face as each couple walked by. Some kids got adopted and by the time the day was over only six out of the 40 of us went home with a family. Joey and I weren't adopted again this month. I could never figure out why Joey would never get a family. He was a very polite kids with a very sweet heart. It killed me to find him sitting at the kitchen table crying with his face buried in his arms.

"Joey? What's the matter?" I asked him even though I already knew the answer to my own question.

"How come nobody wants me?" He sobbed.

I couldn't bare to watch this anymore. I went and sat next to him and pulled him up from the table taking him into a hug.

"It's ok Joey. Don't cry. Maybe the right mom and dad just haven't come yet that's all! We just have to keep praying for them just like father always says at mass right?"

"I want a mommy and daddy now!"

This was getting harder and harder to watch every month. Parents come and go but most of us would never get out of here. Joey on the other had should have been adopted a year ago. I grabbed Joey and took him to my room so he could cry without people and other kids coming and staring at him. It made me mad when the staff would just look at him as a crybaby. They really don't know what it's like to think you're leaving this place when reality is you might not ever leave. When I got upstairs I laid Joey on my bed and closed the door. I pulled out a few bags of M&M's from the candy stash and opened them up for us to snack on after he stopped crying.

"Joey one of these days we'll have a home. And if we don't then when I age out I'll just take you with me."

"But Carly where would we live?"

"I don't know yet. But I'm sure when I get a job and start saving for a place we can be together all the time. If families don't want us then we'll be our own family!"

"You promise?"

"You know it buddy! I'd never want to leave you behind."

"Good! Because I wouldn't wanna leave you anyway Carly. Your my big sister and I love you."

He looked me in my face and said that I was his big sister! Do you know how awesome that makes me feel right now? That's almost way better than being adopted today! I couldn't help but give him a hug and tell him how much I loved him too. After we finished our candy Joey went to his room and got ready for bed. I got changed into my pjs and laid in bed listening to a Tupac mixtape that I got from Tré on Friday after school and fell asleep. The next day was just like all the others after adoption days came to an end. Quiet. I went back into the usual routine of getting up and going to school and coming back to hang with Joey. Then would be the nightly 15 minute phone call to Prince before he had to go on stage. The most I could tell him was just about school and the weekend and before he would hang up he would tell me to behave. Things were going pretty slowly and there was nothing going on to really give me anything to talk about until the one night I called Prince and he didn't answer. It wasn't like him to not pick up before he had to do a show. I didn't press too much about it until it kept happening for four nights straight. By the fifth night I was almost tempted not to call but I got an answer.