Mute | Adopted by Scarlett Johansson

15 - Scarlett

Scarlett was ecstatic at the news of being able to take Arlo out for the day, even if Mrs Moore still had to supervise. The idea of not being in the setting of the orphanage felt like massive leaps worth of progress to her and she desperately hoped that everything would work out well, fearing the idea of a set back in their relationship because they pushed the girl too far too quickly. Pretty much as soon as Scarlett got the run down of the plan, she instantly started planning every small detail out, communicating back and forth with Mrs Moore about all the inquiries she had. However, Mrs Moore was quick to ease her sudden worries by providing answers to the questions, and logical solutions to any obstacles that Scarlett thought up.

With all of this going around her mind 24/7, Thursday came by quicker than she could have hoped. And soon enough she found herself driving over to pick them up right this moment. The two adults had decided before hand that Scarlett would drive her car over to the orphanage to pick them up and they would all head to their destination together. Mrs Moore had assured Scarlett that she would provide the booster seat for Arlo, the girl being too small to ride in a car safely without one. She also informed Scarlett of the possibilities of how Arlo could react outside of the orphanage, which she learned could range from being a reasonable level of okay to a concerningly panicked state. This news made Scarlett's heart sink a little, wanting the child to always feel safe and loved from this point on in her life, even though she knew that it would take time to gain that level of trust with Arlo. All she could do for the girl right now was show her that she is there for her, whatever the situation.

Pulling up on the driveway, in front of the large building, she took a big deep breath, like she did so often when starting her days on set. Scarlett had barely had time to close her car door when she saw Mrs Moore walk out of the front door, booster seat in hand and small girl closely in tow, and she couldn't help but smile widely at the sight of Arlo, dressed in the cutest pair of green overalls that beautifully complimented her blue eyes, a white shirt sitting underneath it, an adorable pair of white sandals and the top half of her dirty blonde hair pulled to the back of her head into a braid. Scarlett had been working so hard on her ASL, devoting pretty much all of her free time. When she wasn't answering emails, on long phone calls, sleeping, or eating, she was enhancing her abilities and knowledge of this method of communication. It was because of all this hard work that Scarlett understood when Arlo caught Mrs Moore's attention asking her if they were leaving straight away, making her feel proud at how much progress she had made in such a short amount of time. It was also now that Scarlett noticed the stuffed animal tucked under the girls arm, which she had to place there in order to have access to both of her hands to properly sign her question. The stuffie was green, a little bit of a darker shade than that of her overalls, with a number of yellow spikes along its back and a long tail hanging down by her side. Scarlett guessed it was a dinosaur or dragon of sorts and decided immediately that it was one of the cutest, if not the cutest, stuffed animal she had ever come across.

Before Mrs Moore could answer the girl, Scarlett spoke up.
"That was the plan, is that okay with you sweetheart?"
At this unexpected event, Arlo suddenly looked up to Scarlett, then up at Mrs Moore, almost as if she were looking for confirmation that it actually happened, and she wasn't the only one who heard it. The girl looked back at Scarlett and smiled whilst gently nodding her head. This little interaction made both adults beam, eager to see how this scene would all play out.
"Well I'm glad because I'm so excited to spend the afternoon with you at the park." Scarlett spoke in a light manner, trying to ease any stress or anxiousness that the girl might be carrying.
"Right so, should I put the booster seat in the back then?" Mrs Moore questioned, albeit rhetorically, as she knew this was the next step for their day out.
"Um yeah, sorry, the back seats are all clear so I don't mind which side you put her seat." Scarlett informed, bringing herself back to the real world after replaying Arlo's reaction to what just happened in her head, whilst also feeling a little guilty that she made Mrs Moore wait with the booster seat in hand whilst she stood there, pretty much planning out the rest of her life with the small girl. Even though she knew the seats weren't that heavy, they were still pretty awkward to hold for prolonged amounts of time.

After the booster seat was placed securely into the spot behind the drivers seat, Mrs Moore led Arlo to the car door, helping her climb in and watching her put her seatbelt on, to make sure it was done properly to keep her safe. It was decided that, since it was Scarlett's car, she would drive them to the park and they would walk around to find an ice cream store nearby. Because of this Scarlett could see the girl in the back, using her rear view mirror, and she could attempt to read the girls facial expressions as Arlo watched everything that went past her mirror. Out of her peripheral, she could also see Mrs Moore taking quick glances at Arlo, obviously they were both anxious about how the child could possibly react to the different surroundings than she is used to on a daily basis.

Being such a big fan of Disney, Scarlett had a playlist of some of her favourites playing quietly in the background, deciding that this would be the more appropriate thing for the 8 year old over any song that played on the radio. Obviously, Scarlett could have just left the stereo off, but she didn't want to risk anyone feeling uncomfortable or awkward, and Scarlett truly believed that no one could hate Disney songs, no matter how hard they tried.
"So Arlo, is that a dinosaur I see in your lap?" Scarlett asked, deciding that it was time to spark conversation with Arlo. Looking into the back through the mirror, Scarlett saw the girl nod and slightly hold up the dinosaur for her to get a better look at it.
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
Arlo gave the sign that it was a boy right after she laid him comfortably back in her lap.
"And what might his name be?"
D-O-U-G-L-A-S, the girl signed.
"Douglas the Dinosaur, I love it!" Scarlett exclaimed with a wide smile, making the girl in the back smile at Scarlett too, just as widely.