L&T Chapter 2. Wanted

Chapter 2: Wanted Chapter 2: Wanted

Two years passed.

Grandma still had custody of the kids.

On paper, things looked better.

Tobin and Lily were still together. They had a roof over their heads. The case stayed open, but no one was talking about another move.

From the outside, it looked like they had settled in.

Inside, life rarely felt settled.

Some mornings Grandma was full of energy. She'd make pancakes, turn on music in the kitchen, and laugh while Lily danced across the living room with Tobin stumbling along, trying to keep up.

Other mornings, the curtains never opened.

The dishes piled higher.

Phone calls went unanswered.

They learned to play quietly until Grandma was ready to face the day.

She loved them. That never changed. But the weight she carried often spilled into their childhood.

Money came and went.

So did routines.

Some weeks Grandma promised they'd go to the park on Saturday but then Saturday would come, and something else would get in the way.

Lily eventually stopped asking.

She wasn't angry.

She was learning something no five-year-old should have to learn.

Sometimes grown-ups mean what they say... but sometimes life gets in the way of those plans.

Tobin was too young to understand disappointment.

He only knew that his sister always seemed to grow quiet and stay closer to him on the days Grandma was busy.

She'd quietly put her shoes back by the door.

Take off her coat.

Find something else for them to do.

Children become incredibly good at adjusting when life asks them to. Too good.

Then, one afternoon, there was a knock at the door.

Not from a social worker.

It was Emily - from the church they went to for a breakfast the week before.

She arrived with dinner.

She sat on the floor and colored with Lily while Grandma talked.

She laughed with the kids.

Before she left, she looked Lily in the eyes and said,

"I'll see you next month."

It was such a simple sentence.

Most children hear promises like that every day.

For Lily though...

It sounded extraordinary. And that’s when she realized:

Emily was already planning to come back.

To be continued...