Читать книгу Taken: Part 3 of 3 - Rosie Lewis - Страница 7

Veronica called two weeks later to let me know that Francis and Mirella Howard had been approved by the adoption panel as a suitable match for Megan. The news came as no surprise to me – like the panels held every three years to reassess a foster carer’s approval, the outcome was usually a foregone conclusion, the relevant paperwork having been submitted to individual panel members weeks in advance – but when Veronica told me that the prospective adopters wanted to meet me, the full magnitude of what was about to happen really started to hit home.

‘Would next week suit you?’ Veronica asked coolly over the line. Megan clambered for the phone. Clutching rolls of my jumper in her hands, she scaled my shins and tried to get a foothold on my knees.

‘Who dat?’ Megan demanded, releasing one hand and swinging from me as she made a grab for the receiver. ‘Me speak Nanny!’ she shouted.

‘It’s not Nanny, sweetie,’ I whispered.

There was a pained silence at the other end of the line. It seemed Veronica was getting impatient. ‘The beginning of October?’ she prompted. ‘We were thinking the afternoon of the 4th.’

I felt a pang in my heart as I confirmed the time and ended the call. I knelt down and folded Megan into my arms. ‘Love you all much, Mama,’ she said, stretching one of her hands as high as it would go. I smiled. ‘I love you all up too,’ I said, kissing the top of her head. A rush of guilt swept over me. Abandoning my application felt like a betrayal of her, despite my doing it with the best of intentions.

On the morning of 4 October I forced myself to eat some toast while the others tucked into their porridge. Ever since Veronica had called about the meeting with the Howards I hadn’t been able to shake the nauseous, swooping feeling in my stomach. Megan’s adoption suddenly became all the more real.