Purgatory - a transgender adoption story

Caught and Captured

Three months...

He'd been on the street for three months...

Three long, miserable months...

He'd shoplifted for clothes, food, whatever he needed, and he'd mooched off of townspeople for money. But Adam was tired. Summer was coming to an end and he had to figure out what to do at school. Would he go back? Could he go back? All the kids would know him as Evie. He wouldn't be able to deal with that. Not after his mom. He couldn't be rejected. Not again. Not ever.

But how would he deal with school? He had to go back. His mother could go to jail if he didn't, and then the cops would know he was homeless on the streets. He couldn't have that.

September was quickly approaching, so he'd have to find school supplies. He had his backpack full of clothes and stuff he grabbed on his way out, but he couldn't bring that to school with him, it'd be weird. He had to steal a backpack, some binders, some pencils. Adam had a lot to do before the first of September.

---

Soon enough, Adam was on his way to go buy a backpack from Staples. He could shoplift a box of pencils but a backpack would be dangerous. He bought a regular black bag and slowly gathered other things in the pockets of his hoodie and jacket. It was rather quick. Adam was in and out of isles, avoiding where he thought cameras would be, and he was done quickly. He took his stuff up to the counter, praying that he wasn't caught with full pockets.

"Hey there, Miss, did you find everything alright?" The clerk asked in a fake customer service voice, not noticing when Adam cringed.

"Uhh, yeah. I did."

"Great! Is this all..?"

"Yup." He tried to fake some confidence, trying not to seem suspicious.

"Alright. Your total is 10.99." He looked Adam up and down. It was as if he could tell the boy had stolen several items.

"Uhh... Thanks." Adam handed over the money. A crumpled ten and a few worse for wear ones.

"Great. Now, would you mind emptying you pocket?"

"But I-I didn't steal-- I would never. I, umm--"

"Now, Kid."

Perfect. He'd been caught.

Adam emptied the packs of pencils, pens, the pencil pouch, all of it. All onto the counter in shame, "I'm sorry. P-please, you- you can't call the police. I promise. I-I won't come back again."

"Tough luck, little girl. It doesn't work that way. My manager will deal with you." A button was pushed and a man came out from an office. He was older, with a cheap looking black suit, and a half spot covering more than half of his head. He put a hand on Adam's shoulder and led him to his office.

---

"So, why did you try to steal from my store?" Baldy asked from the other side of a wooden desk, ignoring the police officer standing by the door. Adam on the other hand watched her, panicking a bit. She was going to take him away and put him in the foster system. He'd never be adopted because nobody wants a tranny.

He guessed his silence was seen as defiance because the woman-officer put a hand on his shoulder and asked him again. "Come on, you can tell us. How about your name first."

But Adam couldn't answer that either. Would he tell them his given name or his chosen name? Would they call his mother after he told them?

His breathing picked up. Faster and faster. All of a sudden, it felt like he was underwater. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't escape. They'd send him away to get hurt. They didn't care. Why would they care about him? Nobody cares about him.

"Hey, hey. It's OK." The officer hushed him, rubbing his back as he gasped for air, but he couldn't hear her.

Adam clasped his hands on his chest, gasping. This was how he died. Gasping and crying in the office of a Staples with no family to pay for his funeral.

"Miss, you need to breathe. Come on, just breathe with me." The officer tried again, bending down to make eye contact. She couldn't leave this kid like this. Adam's fear-filled eyes met the woman's, darting in-between her two eyes. "Good, we're going to count in for four, hold for seven and blow out for eight, OK. You've got this."

The pair breathed together, calming down slowly but surely. She smiled at the boy, glad that her calming strategy worked for someone else.

"Ok, Miss. You don't have to say your name, but we have to get in contact with your family so they can pick you up. Otherwise, I'll have to bring you to the station."

Adam shook his head. He had no family, leaving the store manager and the officer to gasp.

"You don't have parents, do you?" The officer was shocked, "that's why you were stealing. Do you have somewhere to live?"

He shook his head again.

"Well, I'm sorry, miss, but I'll have to bring you in now anyway." She pat Adam's back, letting him get up and out the door as she followed.

She led Adam to the car, drove him to the station, gave him a snack once he was there. All that was left was the worst part: CPS.