The World Behind My Wall

Chapter Seventeen: Smiling Faces Children's Home

We met up with Bill's lawyers at some fancy Japanese restaurant for brunch. They had forms for us to fill out, the first step in the adoption process; we left for the children's home once we were finished. There were kids playing on a playground in both the front and back yards. I knew I had to take some of them home with me, that much was clear.

One little girl in particular grabbed my attention. She sat on the ground away from the other children; I pointed her out to Bill and we agreed there was something different about her. Maybe it was the Spider-Man shirt, the pair of too-big jeans, the pair of dark green running shoes. Maybe it was the way her blonde hair had been awkwardly cut short. It looked like she'd cut it herself with a pair of dull scissors. But why? Why did she cut her hair? That's what I wanted to know.

"Why do you want to adopt?" Ms Cole, the woman in charge of the home, asked after introductions had been made and we sat around a table in the conference room.

"I was adopted at a young age, and I've always wanted to give a child a chance, a family, a home where they will be loved and taken care of. Every kid deserves a chance, no matter what issues they may or may not have." I say, and she jots something down in her notebook with a blue pen.

"And you, Mr Kaulitz?" Ms Cole turns to Bill, and we all look at him, waiting for him to respond.

"I want to adopt because there are too many children without a family to care for them or a real home and I believe we can give them just that. I, we, can give them everything they need and more. We won't be perfect parents, no one is perfect. But we will be the best we can be." He then went on to tell her how Simone had been a foster parent when he and Tom were growing up, and she seemed impressed by his knowledge on the behaviours of problematic and abused children. I was impressed, too.

"Good, good." She smiles, shuffling through a stack of papers and once she has found the page she was looking for, she skims down the page and fills out the blanks. She asks more questions, and we answer to the best of our abilities, tell her everything she wants to know. "The adoption journey is often long and difficult. You will need a home evaluation, of course, as well as psych evaluations and at least 36 hours in several different parenting and adoption courses. I'm certain the two of you will do well. Now that the first interview is over and done with, would you like to take a tour? Possibly meet some of the children?"

"That would be great!" Bill exclaimed happily and Ms Cole led is down the hall to the dining area; I spotted the same little girl from before sitting at a table with two boys who resembled her.

"That little girl over there, the one with the Spider-Man shirt - can you tell us anything about her?" I ask curiously.

"That's Andrea, and her brothers Ashley and Aaron. Their parents gave them up three years ago for unknown reasons. Andrea was adopted right away, but the couple ended up bringing her back last month. Andrea has body and gender dysphoria, and that's why her hair looks that way; the former adoptive parents found her in a closet cutting it off. She's been wearing Aaron's clothes and refuses to put on anything even remotely feminine." Ms Cole explained and resumed showing us around. The whole time, my mind was on Andrea, wondering what she and her brothers had gone through, why their parents had given them up. And then I had an idea.

"I was thinking. Do you accept volunteers? To help out with anything, maybe play with the kids?" I asked out of curiosity and Ms Cole nodded.

"We do. All that is required is a background check, which we already have from you." said Ms Cole as we walked out the front entrance and onto the walkway. "Would that be something you're interested in?"

"Yes, absolutely." I reach for Bill's hand, lacing our fingers together.

"Excellent. I have your number, I'll call you within the next week or so and we can set something up." She shook our hands, "It was nice meeting you all."