Søren's Wish

Prologue

Six years ago I changed my life for better or worse. Six long years ago I agreed to be the mother figure of Soren Haynes. It was still the best decision I have ever made, but also the hardest.

Elvina Jakobsen was my best friend while she attended the exchange student program at my school. She was so beautiful. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were stunning. All of the guys wanted to court her. Her Danish accent is what attracted people the most.

Elvina came to school in Winnipeg for some time in grade twelve. I remember her being so fond of everyone and everything. She was also a very clueless and careless girl. Elvina ended up getting pregnant while staying in Canada. She panicked and needed a way out of the mess right away. I wanted to be the good friend, so I thought of ways to help her.

She was seventeen years old. It was October. Her birthday was in January and she was set to be going back home in mid-March. But since the baby was inside of her, the plans had changed a little bit. She couldn't kill the life she had inside of her. It was too cruel for her, so she kept him. She called her parents and told them that she wouldn't be returning anytime soon for unknown reasons. Elvina dropped out of highschool with only a semester left to go.

My parents told me to not get caught up in Elvina's mess, but she was my friend. There were plenty of late night arguments. My mom and and dad could no longer stand me, but they still let me live with them for the time being. They swore that as soon as I graduate I was no longer allowed to step foot in their house. Those words wrenched my heart, but I tried not to let it get to me.

Soren was born on June 2nd, 2007. He was a healthy baby, but to some people there was something wrong. He had dark skin. Soren was part African-American, which meant Elvina had slept with an African-American man. I would ask Elvina all the time about how she got pregnant and with who, but she wouldn't let me know. I finally knew why, because she was embarrassed. She grew up in a home of racism. I found that out later on.

When Soren was three weeks old, she came to see me and asked me to do the unthinkable. Two days before my graduation ceremony, she wanted me to keep Soren, forever. I couldn't imagine how that would work. I had plans to go to university. I couldn't care for a child at the same time.

"Please Dawson, you have to. You and I both know that I can't care for this child. You're the only hope he has to living a normal life," she sobbed. Her eyes stared at me intensily. That's all I remember about that day.

The next day I was sitting in a cheap motel with a baby in my arms. I had been kicked out of my house and disowned by my parents. I sat on the bed and cried over Soren's little body. The only person that could fix it all was my brother, but he wouldn't be coming home anytime soon.

Nearly three months after agreeing to keep the baby, I was registered for school and I had moved to Kitchener. I was preparing to attend university in Waterloo. Soren wasn't age appropiate for daycare yet, so I had a hard time finding someone to take care of him. But I managed to get one of the ladies next door to agree to keep him while I attended school. I think my life story made her pity me and want to help me out. I was guilty for doing so, but I really needed someone to watch him just while I go to school.

A couple weeks later I got a call informing me that Elvina Jakobsen died of alcohol poisoning. I didn't know how to take it. Since I didn't adopt Soren, he was now considered an orphan. It took a while to figure everything out and get it legally settled. After a month and a half, I was Soren Haynes' official mother.

After six long years with him I had grown an astounding bond with him. I treated Soren like my own son, because he was through my eyes. The first few years with him was a struggle, money wise.

When Elvina passed away I was in shock for a couple of days, until I got a call. A man named Dante Haynes, who claimed to be the real father. Apparently he had been giving money to Elvina for Soren this whole time. She was collecting it for herself though. Later Isaiah started depositing money into my account for him. I put it all towards Soren of course. But I never had a conversation with the man again after he started doing me the favour.

After graduating in Waterloo with my degree in Education and Health I became a gym teacher at the local highschool in Kitchener.

Life was going good, except for one small problem. Whenever I went out with him in public I always got strange looks. I could see it on Soren's face. He was shy because we looked different. I was light skinned and he was dark skinned. Soren never bothered to ask about it. That was up until now.