I Am Not Your Master; I Am Your Partner: A (Neko) Dan and (Human) Phil Series

Love, Katia

She never expected to see so much progress in so little time. Already, funds had been coming in from third-party sponsors and from anonymous donors directly through Freedom Works.

What surprised her even more than the speed at which improvements were being made, was the newest email in her inbox.

Hearts United, an English adoption agency,
worked directly with the Cornwall Home for Neko Boys. The headmistress worked regularly with the various liaisons to assist potential adoptive parents with finding the right fit for each family. Given her history, this was, without a doubt, the most satisfying aspect of her job.

It was not uncommon for her incoming mail to be full of requests, updates, and other correspondence from the agency.
She scrolled through, and her heart fluttered when she saw the newest request.

There, at the top of her listing, was an application for consideration for open adoption for Misters Philip and Daniel Lester.

* * *

Dan and Phil started with their loyal and devoted audience. They committed to a total of three live events to raise money before the end of the year. Phil prepared a presentation, and together they participated in a Q & A. They did two events in London, and there would be one more in Manchester just before Christmas. This worked out perfectly with their holiday trip north. The first two events raised more than £8,500.

Dan was thrilled, but not at all
surprised, that Phil was able to put something together in such a short amount of time. This was just the beginning. The goal was to get extra funds into the home before the holidays.

Many viewers sent donations, some rather significant, in support regardless of their ability to attend. Some people even raised money on their own, forwarding the total amount to Freedom Works. Phil was so touched by the outpouring of support, both financial and emotional. He read endless messages of encouragement and thanks every day; his heart was full.

Dan, who could not believe that so many people cared about the future of Nekos, cried. Every now and then, Phil would have call Dan in the office to read him one of the more moving messages. It was important for Dan to know that there were people fighting for Nekos on his behalf.

"Dan? Can you come in here for a minute?" Phil called excitedly.

Dan popped in, surprisingly chipper for having been dragging their old Christmas tree box in from storage. "What's up my love?"

Phil held out his arms, opening and closing his hands, impatiently waiting for his husband to crawl into his lap. Dan giggled at his obnoxiousness and obliged.

"You have to see this Dan." Phil hugged him from behind, pushing his nose into the warm collar of Dan's jumper. It smelled just like him.

Dan wiggled a bit and focused his eyes on the text:

Dear Dan and Phil,

My name is Katia, and I am fourteen years old. I love you both so much, and I have been watching your videos for two years now.

My best friend, Peter, is a Neko just like Dan. He lives with his mom and dad, who adopted him when he was ten. We learned about what used to happen to kids like him in school. I told my teacher about your videos, and we watched some of them in class.

My friends and I love that you guys are helping the Neko boys living in Cornwall (where Peter used to live), so we wanted to send you some money.

We did different things to raise money. My friend Justine makes jewelry, and her older sister knits. They made stuff to sell. My friend Mark is really smart and tutored students in Geography and French. Peter gave guitar
lessons. I am an aspiring photographer, and I sold prints from my trip to America.