Warmth

Chapter 1

Okay, let's look at your file. Remy.” My counselor kept talking, repeating whatever was written in my file. It's the same thing every time, since I was 6. No, since I was baby, sitting in these hard stiff chairs waiting to see if someone wants me to live in their home. Being a foster kid people tend to look down on you, treat you like a germ or a contagious bacteria. I've been to temporary homes just so I can have a place to sleep and bathe for school the next day. But it always has a very uncomfortable feeling, it makes me feel like a burden, and unwanted. I dream about what it must feel like to have a mother and a father, what it feels like to have a loving family, a warm home, and go to a school with friends. I've had this all my life, so it's hard to miss something you never had. Mrs. Garland is my counselor, she's been with me for 11 years. She's a wonderful person, and the only one that gives me warm hugs when she sees me. She even got me the job I've had for three years already. It's at a small Cafe in town, and I'm good friends with one of my employees. I rather work then be at school or my room, after my shifts end I usually stay and have some coffee and read. I can't wait till I'm eighteen so I can have the feeling of a warm home of my own.
“So, Jade Redwood and Hale Redwood are a lovely married couple and live on the far side of the country. They also have horses and sheep, isn't that cool? They have a son, he's 22, his name is Greyson.”  I look at her completely confused.
“Why are you telling me. About them?”  Mrs Garland put my file down and leaned up towards her desk placing her intertwined hands down.
“You know why? Because after 15 years of being in the place, you're finally going to have a forever home. The paperwork is processing and has to have a final signature which will take at least 11 months to go through, but other than that, your going to have a family that's    permit.”
I couldn't believe what she was saying, a forever home? Me? A strange foreign feeling came through me and my face felt hot. My vision got blurry and my stomach started to twist and turn.
“Are you okay? Remy?”
“I'm o-okay, I just need some fresh air.”
“Then let's go eat, I'm hungry and my lunch our is in like, five minutes.”
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“How do they even know they want me, as their own? I just don't understand how, they've never met me and they don't even know who I am or what I'm like.”  Mrs. Garland didn't reply to me, she just pulled in into the parking lot.
“Grab my purse please.”

“Sure.”

We walked up to see the counter to order, we always get the same thing. Two mushroom burger combos with two large root beer floats, she told the lady what we were getting and grabbed our number to put on the table. We chose to sit by the windows and I brought up the questions she never never gave me answers to in the car.
“Mrs. Garland, I really need to know why-”

“Remy, listen. They called me one day about, three months ago. They were wondering if they were able to see anyone available for adoption, of course I said yes and got my laptop to bring up files. I started to ask them the regular questions that I am supposed to like 'what is your interest in adopting’  and 'What are your  reasons’  they said that 22 years ago they gave birth to twins, and that when they were born one had medical issues, and they were told that one was really weak and had a hard time developing in the womb alongside the other. He was very underdeveloped and frail. Four years later greyson, the healthy one, was so attached to his sick brother and always took care of him. But one day when they were finished with dinner xavy wasn't feeling good, he had came down with a high fever and was vomiting continuously. They took him in and greyson cried to go but he couldn't, when they went to the hospital and he was getting tests done, they had said that he had leukemia. She was crying I could tell from her Shaky voice, her son for the next two years was going through a hard time fighting for his life. Surgery.
Radiation Therapy. Chemotherapy  Immunotherapy. Targeted Therapy.
Hormone Therapy. Stem Cell Transplant. Precision Medicine, he was struggling through everything until one spring day he passed away. It was a long grieving point and especially for greyson. The family had a very hard time moving on, but now they think they are ready to love and care for another addition. They chose  your file quickly, I told them about you and how long you have been here. They really took a liking to you and thought that you deserve a home now, and a family that wants you to feel like you belong and wanted. So, me and the Redwoods set a date for you to meet them. They really hope you like em and that you'll agree to move in with them, no rushing and no pushing it's totally your choice. oh and the both of them think your so cute.”
I was in total shock and in tears after mrs. garland finished her story about the family. I couldn't stop wiping away the consistent warm tears falling from my red eyes, it was heartbreaking and must have been really hard for them. Especially for the brother, having so much love for his sibling and him being taken away so suddenly. 
“I w-want to meet t-them as Soon. As p-p-possible.” I look up at Mrs garland, she had a faint smile on her face and nodded to my words. She took out her phone and dialed someone.
“Hi! Yes, he agreed. Yes, and he said asap. Really, no thank you. We are currently not busy and at A&W, yes, it's on blacksmith and porder. See you soon, bye bye.”

“I didn't mean today at this moment, look at me I'm a mess.”

“You are not, you look good. I'm sorry but I'm just so excited for you to finally have a home, a family. And they were so excited to.”

“I've never had someone happy to see me, it feels weird. Like, bubbles are being blown inside me.”

She laughs at me.

“Butterflies! Your just nervous!”
I scrunch my nose at the laughing woman.

“And that's funny to you?”

“Very.”
As soon as she was done laughing at me, I needed to get something off my chest, something that I'm sure if that hasn't been. Brought up.

“Do they know.” I asked, she had gotten serious, something I need to see right now. I continued to asked my question.

“Do they know that sometimes I go through something that I hate. Did you even tell them that I'm a little? If they don't know before they continue with the adoption, how will they know if they really want me. It's disgusting and I hate myself for it, I hate how it ruins everything good for me. What if they don't want to me anymore, what if-”

“Remy, they know. I've told them when I was explaining your file, they seem to not have an issue with it. They told me that you'll have your own room, space, and privacy. That if your ever going g to need anything for it, they will help you, and not push you away. They understand that that's how you are and it's from the trauma in your life. They don't blame you for having it and they would never neglect you either.”
No one has ever went on with the adoption after hearing this. And there was a warm heavy feeling I had felt when Mrs. Garland told me this. There was always that one issue that kept me here and everyone found it hard to deal with. They didn't want to have a 17 year old boy that acted like a complete child round them or their kids, so it always was a burden to me.
。。。。。。    。。。。。。。

“I'm going to the bathroom laraine.”

“It's Mrs garland still brat!”  I waved her off  and made my way to the restroom. I looked for an open stall and did my business, I couldn't stop thinking about what the family was like. Will I become a Redwood too? I bit my bottom lip. “Remy Redwood.”
Nah it sounds too weird, I zip up my pants and flush the toilet. I go to wash my hands and remove my rings, the public bathrooms are always so dirty. Like how hard is it to throw away your napkins and dry up your mess. I look at my reflection, my ash blonde hair is a bit messy and kinda long. My eyes are a bright warm Caramel and my eyelashes are kinda long. I was always teased and called a girl growing up, and my small frame just made it more difficult to be noticed as one of the boys. I make my way back to our table slowly and peak around the corner, I see a lady and man talking to Mrs. Garland. They look very young, the woman looks very petite and has long brown hair. The man looks very tall and has short blonde hair, I slowly make my way to the table. Looking down, with my bangs covering my shy eyes. All three of them look my way and all of a sudden I feel a warm sweet embrace around me, I couldn't move because the grip was so tight. But deep down inside I didn't want to move, I didn't want her to let go because this, this I have never felt before. Love, love and comfort, it's such a warm feeling and I can feel myself  sinking into this strange state. My body was buzzing, and I didn't want her to free me, so I kind of put some of my weight to her by leaning in, to let her know just a little bit longer. Soon she pulled me out from her chest and put her cold soft hands on my cheeks, she looked into my eyes as she brushed my bangs to the side. She had tears in her eyes, but I couldn't understand why she was so happy to see me. Maybe she was ready for another son. “ We're so happy to see you, and that you agreed to meet us.”  The man said, that must be Hale.

“It's nice to meet you too as well, I'm Remy.”