Visitor (Normila / Laurmani)

Chapter 23

Lauren and Normani sat nervously in an office waiting for the caseworker to return. Lauren tapped her fingers rapidly on the wooden armrests of her chair. Noticing that her wife was more anxious than she was, Normani reached over and held Lauren's hand. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the caseworker appeared and sat at her desk in front of them.

"I'm sorry for the wait," the caseworker apologized. "We've just been so busy the past few weeks."

The caseworker then turned to pull a file out of the cabinet behind her. She placed a manila folder on her desk and opened it to reveal the stack of papers inside. She smacked her lips and procrastinated before giving the two women in front of her the news.

"We regret to inform you that we cannot approve you for adoption." The caseworker paused and looked up for her clients' reactions.

When Normani and Lauren said nothing, she continued. "I know that you said that this is the third agency you've been to. I'm going to be frank. Whether you're looking to adopt directly from the state, a pregnant woman who is working through an agency, or a foreign country, no adoption agency in the U.S. is going to approve you."

Lauren didn't make eye contact with the caseworker. She was wiggling her feet around and staring at her shoes. Normani had her head turned to look at her wife. Despite Lauren's lack of words and facial expressions, Normani knew that she wasn't taking the news well.

"I know that we have some problematic things in our background," Normani spoke up. "But, we're doing so much better now. Lauren's psychologist said that she thinks she's ready to be a parent. She hasn't had any violent outbursts in two years. And, me...this new medication I've been taking has been working great. My psychiatrist is impressed by my improvement."

The caseworker pressed her lips after realizing that letting them down wouldn't be as easy as she had hoped. "You two look like you are doing very well. I agree. But, you have to understand that we have to put the interest of the children first. We cannot predict the future, so all we have to go on is your past. Going through the court transcripts for Lauren's case, not only did she seriously injure your father and lover, but there was also testimony that she was physically abusing you. And, your multiple suicide attempts... Have you thought about getting a sperm donor?"

"We've already tried it," Lauren mumbled.

Normani interjected to further explain, "I can't carry the child because of the medication I'm on, and Lauren has been having difficulty getting pregnant."

The caseworker tapped her pen on her desk as she thought of other solutions. "The only other things I can suggest are traveling overseas to adopt directly from a foreign country or to find a pregnant woman who will work with you without the aid of an adoption agency."

"In other words, it ain't happening," Lauren muttered.

Normani stood up and motioned for Lauren to stand up, too. "We appreciate your help. Have a nice day."

The adoption agency was less than a mile away from their house, so they went back home the way they came: walking. They had bought a two-bedroom, starter home in preparation for an addition to their family. On their way back, they passed an elementary school. Lauren stared at the kids laughing and playing at the playground.
"We're never going to have that," she mentioned sadly.

Normani wrapped an arm around her wife and kissed her on the temple. "We'll figure something out."

As the couple approached their driveway, they noticed an SUV parked in it. It was an SUV that was familiar to them. They made their way around the SUV and their vehicles and saw someone knocking on their front door. The person could hear them approaching and turned around.