It Was For The Best. Chapter One.

*below is a picture of Ian.

     It was her eyes that got me. Blue as the ocean. I never planned on adopting a child. Especially not a daughter. My family was full of boys back home in England. This little girl was all mine now. I couldn't turn her down. She walked up to me in the adoption center and just stood there looking at me, holding her teddy bear. Her black curly hair was shoulder length. She was biracial with caucasian and african american. I examined her , then she spoke. "Are you here to rescue me?" I looked at the adoption worker and then back into her blue eyes. I had no strength to deny her.         "Yes."

***

   My name is Ian Udel Hardy. I grew up in England, but as I got older I realized how much I didn't like it and moved here to the United States of America. I was eight-teen with a piggy bank full of cash . Life savings. I worked pretty hard, so there's about seven thousand dollars in it. I'm a big saver. I bought an apartment, payed my way to go to college as an undecided graduate, and then I found a part time job at an adoption center. I made a few friends in the university I attended , The City College of New York. College was great, but I loved my little job at the adoption center. The children were great, but one struck me in particular. Her name was Aria. She was always quiet, idependent. She never played with the other children, but she'd paint paintings that you wouldn't think a four year old girl could paint. Then one day she finally spoke. It just happened to be me she was talking to and I adopted her .

   The first night I took her to a pizza parlor here in New York for dinner. She would only eat the crust. I looked at her stunned. I'd ask her questions she'd only nod her head. I began to think about what I'd got myself into. I barely manage for myself and now I'm taking care of a little girl. Is all I know about her is that her parents died in a car crash and the word on the street is that they never wanted kids anyway. How could anyway not want this adorable kid, though? I made a decision I would do whatever it takes to give this child a normal american life. 

   Later on that night we arrived at my apartment she stood there while I unlocked the door. She was blowing out air vapor and watching the cold clouds go into the air. She smiled. I unlocked the door. I let her walk in first, so I could lock the door back. She looked around the living room in astonishment. She stood there waiting for instruction, but I was studying what she was wearing. Black rainboots, pink leggings, a small black dress that went to her knees, and a brown raincoat. Although it sounds like a nice outfit her boots were worn out. Her leggings had small holes throughout them and her coat pocket was useless because of a hole.

  "Aria, would you like to go to sleep now?"

            "I have no bed."

        I thought about what she said. I had no bed or clothes for her. I decided to let her sleep in my bed and I'd take the couch..

The first sacrifice I made for my daughter.