Traveling Vivian

Chapter Seven - Whore's Daughter

Traveling Vivian

Part Seven

Inside the foster home, there was plenty of children. I had the luxury of having my own room but it wasn’t my personal space because the nurses and doctors would come in and check on me. I had seen parents come into the foster home having a tour around the place. I was happy when they passed my door and onto the next one. I just really wished mommy can get me out of here. I don’t want a new mommy or daddy. I just want to be with her even though she was horrible as a parent.

I looked around the room and noticed the decorations. There was my toddler bed  that had guards around the edges. It wasn’t comfortable either.  It had gray sheets and a gray pillow. They gave me a stuffed teddy bear but it was not Spencer and that’s who I wanted to cuddled with at night, I hung the teddy bear at the end of the bed with his hands tied together in one of the metal guards. At the end of the bed were the wall and the door that led to the hallways of numerous kids who swarmed through the hallways yelling at each other. And to the right of my bed was the closet. To the left of the closet was a toy doll house with broken doll body parts. It was dirty and tormented. There was a wooden chest that had toys and on top of that was the medical stuff that the nurses used on me. I had numerous visits from the nurses. I barely had time to play with the toys.

“Who’s in this room?” A man asked who was in front of my door.

“Oh, that’s Vivian Houston. Her mother is in custody of the police. We know not of her father and her mother doesn’t have any family relatives.” A lady said. Her voice sounded familiar.

“So she isn’t for adopting yet?” the man asked.

The lady whispered something that I could not hear. I heard a clap then the lady gasped loudly. She unlocked the door that led to my room. The man stared at me with his deep blue eyes. I looked up at him and smiled. There was something about him that made me feel like I was certainly at home. I turned towards my left and noticed the grey-haired lady from the first day I was here. She smiled at me and looked at the man.

“She is really beautiful.  What is her mother charged with?” The man asked.

“She was involved with a prostitution ring and destruction of public property.” The lady whispered.

The man smiled at her, “Surely she cannot win a case so big like that.”

The lady shrugged and walked from the room. “Well let’s see the other babies shall we? Are you interested in a boy instead of the girls? We have seen the girls all this time.”

The man frowned and patted my head. “here you go, buddy. I found this doll when out near my work place. I washed him up so a new baby can play with him. I figured you’re the one who can treasure it. It looks like you might be here for awhile.” He took something grey out of his jacket.

I picked my hands out and noticed it was Spencer. I smield brightly and grabbed Spencer from the man. The man smiled at me and turned around to the door. I heard the door clipped shut when it closed.  I wondered why he was interested in me. Maybe it was because my mother was a dancer and most guys are always interested in something like that. I hugged Spencer tightly and kissed him.

“Do you know that man?” I asked Spencer.

Spencer shook his head but in his eyes, he gleamed that he really liked the man. He had a nice house and a wife but his wife could not have a baby so they went here. Sepncer’s eyes shown hie missed me so much and that he was afraid for me. Spencer smiled at me and in his eyes; they questioned why I was here.

I shook my head. I wasn’t sure why I was here. “Mommy was taken away by the police and I was bought here. I don’t like it very much here. I have plenty of books to read from but it isn’t the same without mommy. She would be the one who would give me a bath and read me to bed when she was home. Here, the three ladies had to watch all ten of us. The girls weren’t nice either. Some tugged on each other’s hair or they fought over a toy. I decided to be here, away from them. I don’t want to be in that mess.”

Spencer’s eyes looked dim when I told him about the events.

I wondered if I ever will see mommy again. I wanted her and I missed her.

~

The next day, a lady came in to check on me. “Come on, Vivian. You have to play outside at least once. We cannot keep you coup up in here. Let’s go sweetie.” She said.

I frowned and clutched the table I sat on to draw.

The lady scooped me up and brought me outside with the other kids. I saw them all. All of them were wearing the plain grey jacket. The only thing that separated them was the hair color. Mine was brunette and I always had it in a ponytail with my bangs around my cheeks.  I saw them playing tag with each other. Some were playing hopscotch and the others relaxed in the sun. Most of them were older than me and they were able to understand everything the nurse told them to do.

I was only three so the nurse laid me in the sand box. She begged me to play with the sand. I stared at bucket and frowned. This wasn’t what I use to do with mommy. Mommy will let me ride the bouncy rides. I stared at the rides and they were taken by the bigger kids. I frowned and started wailing.

“oh dear! Vivian!” The first nurse yelled as she got to pick me up. “What is wrong, sweetie?

I frowned and pointed to the sandbox and mumbled.

“What is it, honey? I don’t understand you.” She said.

Of course you cannot! You are not my mother! I thought to myself.  I pointed to the bouncy rides and cried.

“Do you want to go on those?” The nurse asked.

I nodded. The nurse brought me to the bouncy rides. The moment when nurse bought me over, all the older kids dispersed into different directions.  She placed me onto the one that was shaped like a bumble bee but it was falling apart. The music came on and I was playing happy when the ride moved back and forth. I held on tight to the bars and smiled at the nurse. She giggled and clapped her hands. When the ride was over, she told me to get off. I shook my head. I just had the best time of my life here for the first time ever! I didn’t want to go! I growled at her as she picked me out forcefully.

“Vivian! It’s time for lunch. Aren’t you hungry? I know I am!” She said.

“No.” I whispered.

The nurse shook her head and walked me towards the main house. She placed me inside the toddler feeding room. I saw the other toddlers eating their applesauce, tuna salad on wheat bread and some juice box.

I sat down in the table and looked at the bland food in front of me. At home, mom always made mac n cheese, tuna salad, or she would bring me out to eat. Sometimes the good guys would come over and bring me something to eat from the high end restaurants.

“Yuck.” I said after I had bite of the sandwich.

“Hey, Vivian! This is lunch and this is all the state can afford for you. Maybe one day, when your mom is free, she will give you good food.” Some plump nurse said as she tried to feed me a spoonful of apple sauce.

I growled and continued eating the crust of the wheat bread.

“Yeah right, Sue! Her mother is never coming out of prison! She is a prostitute’s daughter! And you know what is worse?” The red-haired lady asked.

“What?” The plump nurse, Sue, remarked.

“We will be stuck with this brat forever until she is a teenager.” The other answered.

They both laughed hysterically. Then Sue said, “maybe when she is a teen, she will get married at 16 and then the burden is off our shoulders!”

The red-haired then laughed, “Or maybe she will end up prostituting like her mother at fourteen! And end up in juvenile hall!”

Sue clapped her hands and bit her apple. “Definitely! You know whore’s children can’t be far from their roots!”

I growled and slammed my plate onto the floor. “I want room! Now!” I yelled.

“Oh did we make you mad?” Sue giggled.

I cried and spit my applesauce at her. 

“Fucking cunt!” the red-haired said as she picked me up and threw me into my room.

I cried when I was inside. I held Spencer and hugged him tightly. I wanted to go home or far from here. I do not belong here.