WOLF IN THE MIRROR
Chapter 1 Family is not always determined by biology
When a loving couple in Texas had received the call, they had been so flustered. Mr. and Mrs. Dancer had applied at many adoption agency, foster care system, and a adoption lawyer. After the last three tries, the birth mothers had changed their minds, either chose another couple or kept their babies.
Gerald's heart broke, knowing how traumatic, the three attempted adoptions had been for Mara, his wife. They didn't know why they were infertile, but he loved Mara so much, he didn't care if they had biological child of their own. All he cared about was his Mara's happiness.
At thirty five, Mara was even more beautiful then when he first met her at Plano East Senior High school, in Texas. He was a senior and she was a sophomore. He was to tongue tied when he was around her, Frozen in place, when he would see her warm brown eyes and long black hair. During high school, the blonde jock never had the courage to ask Mara out.
Couple of years later, he had heard from one of his team mates at Texas A&M, of a hot new freshman girl. The sweetest smile and sexiest famaliar curves greeted Gerald with a warm hug, when the hot new girl spotted him walking to class. She had remembered him! Mara still had his stomach in knots, but this time he had the courage to ask her out on a date. The football player was ecstatic when his dream girl said yes.
A year later, “I Do!” came out of her soft, sweet lips, in the small christian church, in their hometown of Plano, Texas. Gerald loved Mara's big smile, but hated the sad smiles and frowns, she sported lately. But the call from Mr. Thomas Tower, the adoption lawyer, had put the hope and smile back on her face. “Gerald, Mr. Tower gave me the number for a Mrs. Walter to call. She has three babies for us. Three!” After a deep breath, “we have to fly out to Los Angeles, California.”
“Oh my god, Mara! We can finally have part of our football team!” They called Mrs. Walter on speaker phone to learn about the babies. Mara called their parents, and started packing. Gerald called both of their personal assistants, to rearrange Mara and his work schedules. His PA, made the flight and hotel reservation, with open ended tickets. He honestly didn't know how the adoption might go.
The next morning the car service took them to the address Mrs. Walters had given them. A glass and metal sleek three story building met their hopeful eyes as they pulled up. Before they stepped out of the minivan, Gerald turned to his beautiful wife. "maa, no matter what happens, I love you. If we are never blessed with a child, we are blessed to have each other." Mara's eyes glowed with love as she listened to his reassuring words.
She clsp his large hands in her own small ones and gave him a heart felt squeeze. 'i'll be all right. This time is different, i can feel it." Mara smiled up at his face. "I love you, Gerald."
They stepped out of the vechicle as the cab driver opened the back and pulled out the three carseats. "I'll park and get the seats strapped in to the van for you. Call my card when you are ready to go to the hotel." the tall driver said. and pulled out a square business card. Gerald took it with a nervous smile. 'Thanks.'
"Good Luck, you both seem like really nice people.'
Mara smiled at the compliment.of the driver. "Let's go meet our children!"
Gerald smiled really big. 'Ok Mrs. Dancer!"
They pushed the security doorbell and a gruff male voice answered. "Yes."
"We are Mr. and Mrs. Dancer, we have an appointment with Mrs. Walter."
A buzzer sounded and the door unlocked. "They must have security so high because of the children's safety."
Gerald answered her with a "Probably."
Five minutes later they found themselves in a lovely foyer. “Mr. and Mrs. Dancer, these are the children, I told you about.” Mrs. Walter, the pleasant sounding older woman in her fifties, approached the smiling smiling middle age couple. “Like I said, they are siblings, so the father prefers a couple who will adopt all of them, together. “
The couple understood the clear message, Mrs. Walter was telling them. “We understand perfectly. We would be very grateful to be allowed to adopt them all.”
Before they had even seen the children, Gerald and Mara had decided that this was an opportunity they could not pass up. The college sweethearts had tried naturally to have children. At first, then using fertility treatments, conception devices, in vitro fertilization (IVF), and other related treatments. Gerald and his wife had tried for fifteen years to have a child, but nothing worked. The happiness they felt couldn't be contained by their smiles. Now they would be blessed with three.
Mrs. Walters smiled at the happy couple, pleased with their answer. Waving a hand to them to follow her. Their feet clattered down the marble tiled hall. It was a very comforting office. Soft colors, beige and golden yellows, arched halls and wood molding. Very elegant and inviting.
Walking into the nursery, Gerald and Mara were not prepared for the instant love they had for the adorable twenty six month old toddler and two month old twin infants. Black messy waves of hair and huge dark brown eyes looked up at Gerald and Mara. His full lips in a sad pout. “Si, mamma e papà?” He spoke Italian. Gerald and Mara looked at Mrs. Walter, questioning with their eyes. But all thoughts forgotten, as they looked at the two year old.
The sad moppet gazed at the couple, with tears threatening to fall. “Yes! Your my boy.” Mara was surprised at Gerald's outburst, he sounded so passionate and sincere. “I love you, Gerald Dancer,” the soft whisper from Mara, pleased Gerald, immensely. His wife and him, surrounded by these three small lives, took his breath away.
“Please sit down.” Noticing the chairs behind them, Mrs. Walter was gesturing towards. Gerald and Mara sat expectantly. The little boy climbed on Gerald's lap. “Papà.” Gerald pulled him into his arms.
A young woman walked in, picked up the baby girl, and Mrs. Walter picked up the baby boy. The ladies handed the babies to the seated couple. “You have paperwork to sign, but that is a legal formality. I could tell, these children were meant for you both.”
Tears that had been in Mara's heart shed and left plenty of room for the love that exploded for their children. “I'm a mother, Gerald!”
“I'm a father, Mara.” They knew, this time, the babies where theirs. After signing the papers and giving the lawyer and agency, their fee, The new expanded Dancer family left for the hotel. Their flight to Texas was going to be in two days. Gerald thought it would be good to spend some time visiting the area the babies where born in, so he had called his PA to make the arrangements for all their flights times. They had to decide on names, the biological father had not named the babies. The two year old was Raphael, but the agency said they could rename him. So after some consideration, they thought a new life, new names.
Six short years later.
Curly headed Charlotte had wanted to play with the handsome brown eyed little boy. It was her first day in her new elementary school. She was painfully shy. Without her big brother, Mark with her, she didn't know what to say. Next thing she knew, the black haired boy pushed her down on the rough gravel. Her dress was now dirty. Tears pricked her blue eyes as he then sat on her back. Charlotte didn't realize that she was crying until tears dropped on her arms. She looked up as she heard a commotion coming towards her.
“Andrew Dancer! What do you think your doing?” yelled a ferocious, black haired little girl. Her french braid with a bright pink bow, belied the not so sweet temper of the six year old girl. Hands on her hips, hitching up her pink dress. Charlotte looked up from the ground. She shivered at the indisputable power, the pretty, black haired girl radiated.
Seeing the handsome boy sitting on a dirty, crying girl, her stormy brown eyes squeezed into narrow slits. Andrew Louis Dancer, get off of her before I break your nose.” yelled the pint sized amazon.
Andrew Louis Dancer, a strapping six year old, second grader visibly gulped. If he could have hid, he would have. Andrew saw his worst nightmare, his twin sister angry.
Getting up quickly from the stupid crying blonde girl's back, he helped her up to her feet. “She fell, I tripped and fell on top of her.”
“It was an accident, Cheyanne!” yelled Jake Jackson, Cheyanne and Andrew's other best friend.
“Really.” The little girl looked straight into Jackson's blue eyes. As she kept her gaze steady on the taller boy, his eyes could not hold her stare. “Are you lying to me, JJ? Pinky swear. ”
“Yes, but she wouldn't play with Andrew. It's all her fault.” Jackson squirmed under eyes, full of her disappointment with him.
“J J, I'm not going to be your best friend anymore. You are not suppose to lie to your best friend.” Seven year old JJ, ran away to the other side of the playground, crying and heart broken.
Andrew got a black eye and was demoted from his twin sister's best friend, to unfriend status, without the use of face book or twitter. “Wait until I tell Chase and mom and dad.”
Curly blonde haired, blue eyed, Charlotte Cortez was renamed CC and had a kick butt new best friend, Cheyanne. Soft spoken, shy Charlotte's life changed for the better in second grade, on her first day of her new school, at eleven am during recess.
Andrew and JJ became best friends duo instead of trio, since both lost the very first girls they liked. Both boys never forgot the girls that broke their six and seven year old hearts.
Mark Cortez met his little sister's new best friend. A spit fire and little tornado, Cheyanne Dancer. He also met Cheyanne's big brother, Chase Dancer, his new best friend.
Who knew one incident could drastically change your life.
End of Chapter 1 Family is not always determined by biology
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