Isabella: Our Adopted Baby

Chapter 20

The weekend went by slower than I was expecting. Giovanni had things to do around the house so they didn't go anywhere the entire weekend. Quinn cleaned a few areas of the house but spent most of her time outside as well. I wasn't sure if it was because the weather was starting to change and the temperatures were dropping or if they just really liked being outside.

I was glad for some time to myself.

But I started to get stir-crazy after watching TV all day Saturday. I wanted to do something but I wasn't going to stoop to playing with toys. If I wasn't being forced to play with them then I wasn't doing it. I wanted to have some control while I was there.

I wasn't giving up all of my freedoms to them. That wasn't fair to me.

I ventured outside on Sunday, needing some fresh air. Giovanni was in the garage with the door open. I could hear music playing from inside. It was more of that stupid Jazz music he liked. I sat down in one of the chairs on the porch and pulled my knees up to my chest. Quinn didn't fight me when I picked out a t-shirt and sweatpants. Maybe she was just glad I was wearing, and using, the diapers so she was willing to let the clothes go. I was grateful for a little bit of lee-way even if it wasn't that much.

The sun was shining down on the grass but it hadn't reached the porch yet. The roof covered the porch enough that it stayed shaded.

I crossed my arms over my knees and rested my cheek on my arm. Faintly, I could hear kids playing down the street. It made me wonder if Giovanni and Quinn wanted that for themselves. From me.

I felt bad that I knew I couldn't be the child they wanted. They had a right to be parents. It was unfortunate that they couldn't have children of their own. At least... not at that moment. Maybe they would get there at some point.

I let my eyelids close as the slight breeze blew my hair. It was still warm enough outside, even in the shade, to sit without a jacket on but I knew those days were becoming fewer and fewer. Even though I didn't have total freedom to go where I wanted or do what I wanted, I still wanted to take advantage of the warmer weather as much as I could.

Minutes passed by as I sat alone on the porch. The street was quiet; no one was out driving around. It was more peaceful than I expected but I was used to noise. The area around my apartment was far louder than the quiet neighborhood surrounding Giovanni and Quinn's house.

I opened my eyes and realized I'd fallen asleep. I didn't know how long I'd been asleep but I figured if anyone needed me, they'd come find me.

I glanced to my left and saw someone had been outside. On the small table beside me was a sippy cup and some frosted animal cookies on a paper plate. I wasn't sure when anyone had come out since I was asleep the whole time.

I looked around me to see if either of them were nearby but I was alone. I was glad for some time to myself. Giovanni and Quinn had their moments where they could be mean but that wasn't all the time. When they were nice, they tried too hard to get me to like them. It was a bit overwhelming. I needed some time to be alone so I could wrap my head around everything. Because if I didn't, I ended up pushing back and it wasn't a good situation for me to be in.

I grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite. I hadn't had an animal cookie in years. Usually, if I wanted a snack, I'd get a bag of chips or a snack cake. To me, animal cookies were for kids.

Maybe that was why they were given to me.

I sat up and folded my legs under me. I felt the smallest urge to go to the bathroom as I moved.

I bit my lip as I contemplated what to do. They wanted me to use the diapers and I didn't want to get into any trouble. I did use one one time before but just the thought of using the diapers made me feel so embarrassed. I knew I could've just gone to my room and dealt with things myself but they didn't want me to do that. If I didn't want to get into trouble, I had to use them how they wanted me to.