They arrived at Mr. Parker’s two-story brick home to find his wife, Soni assumed, sitting on the front porch. It was dark now and soon as the light of the car hit the driveway she stood up and started down the steps. When she noticed that Mr. Parker wasn’t by himself, she stopped.

Mr. Parker said a few words over the phone about his address and disconnected. “They’re on the way,” he said reassuringly to Soni.

They both stepped from the car and walked up to the porch to Mrs. Parker. Mr. Parker introduced Soni to her and told Soni he could go into the house so he could explain to his wife the current situation.

Soni stepped through Parker’s front door into a lavish living room setting. He could smell the many sweet scents that came from the kitchen and suddenly grew hungry. He could hear the Parkers whispering silently outside of the door.

Soni walked to one of the couches and sat down setting his book bag next to him. A television displayed an action movie he had seen before, about a woman who can be shot and still live. Soni was too shaken to watch television and couldn’t sit still.

A set of car lights turned into Parker’s driveway. Soni couldn’t resist getting off the couch and seeing who had arrived. He thought it may be his grandmother arriving. When he reached the door he stopped and watch as a dark blue Ford Victoria came to stop behind Mr. Parker’s car.

A well-dressed white man in a suit stepped from the car. The Parkers met him in the driveway. The man looked towards the house spotting Soni instantly standing behind the screen door.

Soni steps back and out of the view. His grandmother had warned him before that it wasn’t nice to watch and listen to grown folks talk. He rushed and turned the television down slowly. He wanted to hear what was being said. As soon as he stepped back to the side of the screen door he heard Mr. Parker voices speaking.

“Are you serious? Are you sure you don’t have the wrong woman mixed up here?” Mr. Parker said in a shocked whisper.

A voice that Soni suspected to be nicely dressed man answered, “We retrieved her purse from the wreckage and identified the car as belonging to her also.”

Who? Soni asked himself confused. He was trying to understand their rushed words.

The screen door began to rattle as a swift, cool breeze slide into the house. Everybody outside became quiet. Startled, Soni took a cautious step away from the door waiting from them to continue their conversation.

“When did this happen?” Mr. Parker asked.

“Around three o’clock. That’s the time the station was informed.”

“Jesus,” Mr. Parker said unbelievably. “Soni was sitting out there waiting for her at that time. Was she on her way to the school?” There was a brief of silence.

Soni peeked around the corner to see the dressed up man shaking his head slowly.

“That’s what puzzled us. We didn’t know she had any family until your call came. She was found in another county going in the opposite direction of the school.”

It was Mr. Parker’s turn to shake his head. He looked at his wife with a puzzled expression on his face. “This is not like Tenage. I’ve known her for four years. She’s on the school’s committee program. She hasn’t missed a meeting or not once been late picking Soni up from school.”

Another silence ensued, except this one was much longer.

Something happened Soni concluded after listening. “Something happened to grandma,” he whispered.

From outside the voices continued. “I’ve come to take Soni into the child services custody.” The man said in a regretful tone.

“No, you can’t do that,” Mr. Parker said trying to defend Soni.

“There’s no other choice. We have to place him somewhere until we can find a family member that will accept him.”

Mr. Parker sighed in an aggravated tone. “This will mess him up on the inside. Finding out that his grandmother died today will crush him.”

Soni felt his knees buckle beneath him. The conversation going on outside no longer existed. The thoughts of his grandmother being dead seemed impossible. She can’t be dead, Soni thought to himself. But he knew what they said was true. Tears were already flowing from his face falling from his cheeks to the carpet between his feet. He felt an uncomfortable sob coming from the deepest crevices from his heart. There’s no way this could possibly be true. She said that she would never leave me. She has to be out there somewhere.

Soni didn’t realize that his eyes were closed until he felt a hand on his shoulders. It was a strong firm grip that told Soni that everything was going to be okay. Soni looked up through his tear filled eyes to see Mr. Parker looking down at him with a look of sorrow on his face.

"I'm sorry Soni," he said simply. There was nothing else he could possibly think of that will ease Soni's pain. Sony steps into Mr. Parker's chest hugging him. "Everything's going to be okay."

When Soni awoke the next morning he heard a baby’s cry from another room. His mind was distorted for a moment as he tried to figure out where he was. Then he realized that his grandmother wasn't coming to get him. He didn't remember falling asleep in the queen size bed that he now occupied. Somebody had removed his shoes and tucked him in with his clothes on. Is this an orphanage? He wondered looking around at the plainness of the room.

He stepped from the bed onto the carpet covered floor. He noticed his backpack in the corner and stopped moving when he heard footsteps quickly walking towards the room he was in. He stared at the closed door waiting expectantly for somebody to enter. The footsteps continued on a pass to another room.

The whine coming from the baby got louder when the door down the hall from his open then closed. Soni look around the room observing everything. There was a nightstand beside the bed that held a lamp and an alarm clock. He saw his tennis shoes on the floor beside the stand and wondered if he had taken them off himself. He saw that the clock read at 12:45 in the afternoon.

Soni frowned and looked toward the light that barely crept through the dark blue curtains that covered the window. He walked over and pulled the curtains open. The sun blared into the room blinding Soni for a moment. There was a tree, five feet from the window, that blocked most of the sun rays.

The sound of a door closing brought Soni to a standstill again. He turned when he heard the footsteps coming his way again. His heart started beating faster when he heard the footsteps come to a stop outside of the room he occupied. The doorknob turned slowly and a slow moan escaped from Soni.

He wanted to run but knew that he wouldn't make it far without his shoes. He felt like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming car. The door opened and a woman struck her head in the door. Soni exhaled slowly when he saw Mrs. Parker's face.

She eyed the bed then her eyes darted around the room resting Soni standing by the window staring at her. "OH," she gasps jumping back startle. "Hey, you're up," she says nervously.

He didn't know what to say. He didn't feel comfortable around strangers.

She noticed his hesitation and smiled. "You look a little shaken. I'm sorry about what happened to your grandmother. The man that was here last night was an investigator."

Soni kind of figured that out by the way the man spoke about the situation after receiving the call from Mr. Parker.

"He wanted to take you away and put you in an orphanage until they found a family member that would come get you." Mrs. Parker paused a moment eyeing Soni closely. "We told him that we would keep you until they found any of your family members."

Soni walked back to the bed slowly and sat down. He looked up at Mrs. Parker and smiled slightly. "Thank you," he whispered in his groggy morning breath.

Mrs. Parker sat on the bed and put an around his shoulder. "I know that you're hurting deeply on the inside. I went through the same thing when my grandmother died."

Soni looked up at her and could tell by her facial expression that she was sincere.

"Now go get yourself ready for lunch since you slept through breakfast. We have some new toothbrushes under the sink. We keep them for guest.

Soni got himself squared away and met Mrs. Parker in the kitchen. She explained to him that Mr. Parker still had to work at school. Mr. Parker has to find out what was to happen to Soni, and if it was wise for him to continue going to school while the Parkers kept him.

Soni was famished. He ate everything she offered quickly. Mrs. Parker noticed his appetite and offered more. Soni happily accepted with no shame. The last time food touched his mouth was at lunch yesterday in school. Mrs. Parker then leads Soni into the den and offered Soni a seat in front of what every kid his age is addicted to. The television. Soni sat transfixed watching cartoons, but his mind was elsewhere.

When Mr. Parker arrived home Soni knew instantly that something troubles him.

Mr. Parker sat next to Soni. "How's it going, Soni? Are you going to make it?" he asked patting Soni's back.

Soni smiled slightly, "yes sir. I'm trying to," he admitted holding onto his composure. “What's going to happen to me?"

Mr. Parker was shocked that Soni was intuitive about his situation. He glanced at the cartoons on the television recognizing the cartoon. He turned his attention back to Soni.

"We're trying to make the path of your life a lot more comforting, Soni. I'm serious when I say this. I checked the files at school for any known relatives, but couldn't find any. Are there any that we don't know about? It would help us a lot if we did"

Soni lowered his head slowly shaking it. "I don't know of anybody else. Honestly, I don't," he admitted.

Mr. Parker put a hand on Soni's shoulder. "I believe you," he said sighing. "But you must understand that Mrs. Parker and I wish we could adopt you. But our financial situation won't permit it. We have two kids and are expecting." Mr. Parker grinned proudly when his wife stepped into the den.

She looked at him hopefully. "Anything good?" She said.

They both shook their heads.

Soni felt empty inside. He asked God over and over why him. From the teachings he had learned in Sunday school, he had gotten the impression that God serves everyone well. There may be a time of pain and a time of suffering. But must one go through what I've gone through, Soni had asked struggling to search for answers. He said a prayer to the stars in the clouded sky every night, until of the day came for the Parkers to deliver him to an orphanage that they had chosen from a list they had investigated themselves.

They parted ways but before Sony left, Mr. Parker gave him a business card. “If you're having any problems, contact us. You've been through enough and don't need any more problems on your shoulders. And nine-year-old can only take so much.” Sony hugged Mr. Parker for the last time and shove the car quickly into his pocket before he dropped, or lost it as he carried his belongings.