Chapter OneNews!
As soon as mom walks in the door, the phone rings. and#8220;Yes, I see, how wonderful!and#8221; Mom holds the phone with her shoulder so she can put Kaylee into her booster seat and pour Ken a glass of milk. and#8220;We are very happy. Congratulations!and#8221; She sounds distracted and then hands the phone to me.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Great news!and#8221; Ms. Sylvesterand#8217;s voice is loud. and#8220;Weand#8217;ve finally been approved!and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Finallyand#8221; is right. Last February, Ms. Sylvester and her husband came to our house to talk about adopting a baby from China. Everyone was so excited, and Mom said that maybe she and I could go with them to help. The Sylvesters even offered to pay for my ticket. But the process took forever.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Ms. Sylvester is talking fast. and#8220;The babyand#8217;s name is Jing and we are hoping that you and your mom can go to China with us to pick her up over winter break.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;I hope so,and#8221; I tell her. Silently, I think that Jing Sylvester sounds funny, but then I realize that itand#8217;s no different from Anna with Wang.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;How do you like middle school so far?and#8221; Ms. Sylvester asks.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Iand#8217;m not sure what to say. The cafeteria is really crowded, and now that Laura is going to Our Lady of Angels, Camille is my only friend. But I canand#8217;t explain all that on the phone. and#8220;Fine,and#8221; I mumble.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Okay, Anna, Iand#8217;m sure Iand#8217;ll see you soon.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;I hang up the phone. February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September. Iand#8217;ve been waiting to hear this news for eight months, but now that itand#8217;s real, my stomach feels tight. What will it be like to visit a place where almost everyone is Chinese? And what if I hate the food? Mom says Chinese food in America is completely different from Chinese food in China.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Ken takes his glass to the sink and runs out the door. Kaylee is eating Cheerios by the handful. and#8220;Can we go with the Sylvesters to get their baby?and#8221; I ask.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;The tickets are very expensive now,and#8221; Mom says. She pours milk into a sippy cup for Kaylee. and#8220;I know that the Sylvesters said they will pay for you, but we still have to buy my ticket.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;Maybe I can earn some money by babysitting,and#8221; I say.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Mom looks out the window above the kitchen sink. and#8220;First we can go to Beijing to help the Sylvesters and see Kayleeand#8217;s orphanage, and from there we can go to Shanghai to visit my family.and#8221; Momand#8217;s eyes have a faraway look. and#8220;But that would take much longer than two weeks. Even one month would be too short.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;I really want my mother to come with me to China. Thatand#8217;s been our plan all along. and#8220;How about three weeks?and#8221; I suggest.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Mom wipes Kayleeand#8217;s face with a washcloth. and#8220;Just today two of the nurses on my floor asked for time off before the holidays. I am new. I cannot ask for so much vacation.and#8221; Mom closes her eyes. and#8220;Maybe in a couple of years, we can plan a longer trip.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;So we canand#8217;t go?and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;Mom takes a deep breath. and#8220;This is not a good time for me, Anna.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;I canand#8217;t believe that the Sylvesters finally got approved and now Mom says we canand#8217;t go! Who knows what could happen in a couple of years? By then Iand#8217;ll be in high school. and#8220;Can I go to China without you?and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I feel unsure. How would it feel to go so far away without anyone in my family? I know Ms. Sylvester because she was my teacher for two years, but sheand#8217;s not like an aunt or someone Iand#8217;ve known forever. And Iand#8217;ve only met her husband once.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Mom fingers the buttons on her sweater. and#8220;You never stayed away from home before.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;Mom is right. I only spent the night at Camilleand#8217;s once, and in the middle of the night I missed home so much that Camilleand#8217;s mother called Dad to come and pick me up. and#8220;This is different from a sleepover,and#8221; I say. Mom bends down to clean up the Cheerios that landed on the floor. and#8220;I donand#8217;t know, Anna. You are only eleven years old. And two weeks is a long time.and#8221; She takes Kaylee out of her seat and sets her on the floor.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;But the decision is for you.and#8221;
and#160;and#160;and#160;Kaylee runs over and hugs me around my legs. and#8220;Play with me,and#8221; she says.
and#160;and#160;and#160;Two weeks would be a long time without Kaylee and Mom and Dad and Ken and our cat Maow Maow. But a couple of years is too long to wait.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#8220;I want to go,and#8221; I whisper.