-Rhea-
"Okay Rhea, c'mon." Sarah waves for me from the waiting room of the police station. No, I'm not some juvenile delinquent. I am here because my last foster parent couldn't take care of me. His mother died and he needed space to recover. So, in a desperate hurry and need to get rid of me,he dropped me off here, the police station.
I've been in foster care for sixteen years. I am sixteen currently. So if you do the math, I've been in this system all of my life. I was told that there was complications while my mother was giving birth to me. Somehow I survived, but she didn't. I guess that makes me a murderer if you think about it.
I follow Sarah out of the police station. Sarah has known me my entire life. Shes my social worker, and she can be kind of a bitch. Sometimes I think she puts me in the worst foster home, just for her amusement.
She leads me to the parking lot, and I notice a soft faced women stands next to a small blue buggy. I knew that in ten minutes I would be riding in that small crampy looking buggy, to another house, to another home, to another family.
"Well Rhea," Sarah motions toward the girl with the blue car. "I would like you to meet your new foster parent."
The woman eagerly walks up to us and juts her hand out for me to shake. I take it.
"Hello Rhea! My name is Bethany. I am so excited to get to know you" She continues to shake my hand for an overwhelmingly long amount of time. She has very warm and soft palms. Everything about her seems very warm. It's unnatural how friendly and cuddly she is presenting herself.
Bethany gestures towards the car. I get in, roll down the window of the passenger seat.
"You be good now, okay?" Sarah tells me from outside the car.
"I will." I smile.
"And remember you can call me anytime , Bethany has my number if you don't have it memorized by now" she sighs with hint of 'good riddance' in her eyes.
And with that, Bethany starts the car, and we drive off.
While we are driving, Bethany and I discuss rules. It's a repetitive cycle. I've been in so many foster homes so I know all of the procedures that come along with each transition. But in two more years, I'll be eighteen. I will have to find my own place to live. I get kicked out of the system. I will be alone.
"So Rhea, When we get home, I have a bedroom setup for you downstairs," Bethany starts. "but before we go home, I was thinking that we could get something to eat. It's up to you though." She turns her head to give me a smile.
"Ummmm," I start. I usually never get asked to pick anything. Sometimes foster homes make me buy and make my own food. So I really don't know many places. "How 'bout Dairy Queen" I ask, since ice cream has always been a favorite of mine."
"Okay." She giggles childishly "Ice Cream it is."
Bethany is a happy person. I can tell by the skip in her step as she opens the door to Dairy Queen, and the way she giggles for everything.
"What would you like, my dear." she asks me in between giggles.
"Uh, um." I start nervously. I don't know what I am allowed to have. Some of my old foster families would be very strict about what I eat, and how much money they would spend on me. But with the way she is giggling to herself, I am going to make an assumption she doesn't care, either because she is a decent person, or she's high as fuck.
"Can I please have a burger, with a strawberry blizzard?" I ask quietly.
"Oooh, yes, you may. And I think I will have the same thing." She smiles again at me.
After a while our food is ready and we go sit in a booth. I sit down and reach for my food. But Bethany reaches across and puts my hand in hers before I can grab anything.
"Rhea," she looks at me. Her face becomes very serious. " I just want to say, that I am so sorry. No one should ever grow up without a family. I know how bad the foster system can be, but I promise I will love you and treat you like family. Simply because you are my family now." She stares at me for a while before letting go of my hands.
I start to seriously think that shes off her rockers. No one has ever gotten that emotional towards me before. It's actually terrifying.
"Well what are you waiting for! Eat my dear!" She breaks the awkwardness floating in the air.
🔹🔹🔹
Bethany's house is gorgeous. It's not big, but homey. The walls are nice and brightly colored. She has a cat named Gish-Gish. And my room is magnificent. The walls are a nice blue, and the bed is white. The dresser is white. The desk is white. If it's not the walls, it's white. It's so elegant.
Inside the closet, there are clothes upon clothes. The most stylish of shirts, and dresses. I start to wonder if these clothes might be for me.
There's no way that she would've gotten these clothes for me.
I take a look at the size. It's my size. It's probably just a coincidence, but when I look on the desk, I see a pink sticky note that reads, all the clothes are for you my dear Rhea, and I question Bethany's sanity a little bit more.
I rummage through the closet and find a cute black skater skirt. After a little while of more searching, I find a blue tank top to wear with it.
After I am dressed, I go upstairs and showed Bethany my outfit. She is sitting on the couch reading a book when I get upstairs. It takes her a while to realize I am standing in front of her, but when she does, her face lights up as soon as she sees me.
"Oh my darling." She gasps. "You are just ravishing!"
"Thank you." I gushed. I don't really know how to take compliments, so I just awkwardly stare at the floor until she runs up to me and wraps her arms around me. It takes me by surprise. I don't know what to do in all honesty, so I just except her embrace.
"My dear Rhea," She says into my ear. "You are my everything from now on. I can't wait to start a life together."
I hope she is right.
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