Any Other.

7:00AM. The day started like any other.

Andi wakes up to get breakfast started. She turns over and gives Danny a kiss on the cheek. As she’s getting up, she feels a slight, playful tug on her arm. 

“5 more minutes…stay in bed with me,” Danny smirks with his eyes still closed. 

Andi chuckles. “I have to start on breakfast and wake Jenny up.” 

“Jenny sleeping for 5 more minutes won’t hurt anyone.” He smirks again, pulling his wife deeper into the bed. 

Laughing, she maneuvers his arms off of her and heads to the bathroom. “6 years and you still try the same moves on me mister…keep it up...it just might work one of these days.” The warm sink water is rushing down as Andi brushes her teeth. A few minutes later, the door opens, Jenny wrapping her light-pink silk robe to cover her nightgown. The lights flicker off and she prepares to go to Jenny’s room. 15 steps from the master bedroom lies the guest room, where Jenny is fast asleep. Andi turns the door knob, a slight creak is heard with every inch opened. Her slippers make no noise as she gets closer and closer to the bed. Andi sits on the left side of the twin bed, leans in closer and gently moves Jenny’s hair from her face. “Good morning sweetheart. It’s time to get ready for school.”

As the 8-year-old slightly opens her eyes, she smiles ever so lightly. “Good morning…”, she softly whispers, stretching her entire body on the bed until she has shaken the sleep away. “...what’s for breakfast?”

“Get ready for school and you’ll find out,” Andi chuckles, getting up to leave Jenny alone as she begins to prepare for the day ahead.

8:00AM. Jenny is sitting at the table, salivating at the plate in front of her. Bacon. Scrambled eggs. Chocolate chip pancakes. Home-style potatoes. She reaches for the full bottle of syrup and squirts it on the entire plate, not missing even a centimeter of it. A small drop gets on her light blue uniform shirt, with Jenny pulling the shirt towards her face and licking that same spot. “Thank you Andi. It looks really good…”, she takes a bite, voice muffled says, “and tastes good too!”. 

“Any time, kid.”

“You know I’ve never gotten a breakfast like this until I came here. You’re the only people to ever give me actual food. All breakfast has ever been are pop tarts and cereal, no milk.” Danny enters the room dressed in his suit and tie, ready for a half-day at the office, as Jenny rambles on about breakfast. Andi, cleaning the dishes, faces downward as she hears more stories about Jenny’s life. “But...I’m really happy I’m here. I’m really lucky....OH! Andi! Can Billy Bear come to school with me today? I promised Michelle I would show her my favorite toy.” A smile erupts from her face and she sees Andi turn around and nod her head with a similar expression. 

As he’s reaching for the now ½ full bottle of syrup, Danny mentions, “Don’t forget that we have a visit from Tom later today. He should be here when you get off the school bus Jenny.” 

"Is he going to take me away”, she says with fear in her eyes, remembering being removed from every house she’s been at in the last two years. Jenny has never been in a house longer than 4 months, sometimes less. Being with Andi and Danny for almost 3, she holds onto Billy Bear tightly at the thought of being taken away again. 

“No sweetie. He just wants to see how you’re doing here and if we’re taking good care of you, which we are,” he replies with a reassuring smile. “Everything will be okay.” 

“You promise?”

“We promise,” simultaneously answered by Andi and Danny. They look at Jenny with loving eyes and a reassuring grin. Satisfied at the answer, she pays her attention back to her plate; they look at each other with a worried look. What WILL Tom do today?

Trying to change the subject, Danny confusedly and playfully adds, “Where did all the syrup go? I just bought this yesterday.” An eruption of laughing ensues in the kitchen as his eyes widen at the view of Jenny’s syrup-soaked food.  

3:30PM. A knock on the door alarms Danny as he is sitting in the living room watching the football highlights. “Honey! I think he’s here…”, he yells to wherever Andi is at. “...I’ll get the door!” Danny walks towards the door and stretches his arm to the door knob. Andi comes downstairs, greeting their guest with a smile as he enters their home slowly. “Hi Tom. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Danny. Andi.” A slight head nod. “How are y’all?” The small talk begins. As Danny starts to close the door, he feels a slight pull coming from the other end. A woman they have never seen before. Long, brown hair reaching her elbows. Brown eyes. Her face has a resemblance to someone, but he can’t connect her to anyone. 

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there. How can we help you?” Danny’s happy-go-lucky attitude exuding, unaware of what will occur next. 

Tom clears his throat. “I would like you all to meet Rebecca Cruz, Jenny’s mom.” Their smiles and cheerful attitude disappear at the sound of Tom’s introduction. 

“Oh....hi...I’m Danny, and this is my wife, Andi.” 

“Hi, you can call me Becca” she says unenthusiastically. “Where’s Jenny?” Becca turns her head left and right, expecting for her daughter to show up at any second. As the Cortez’s explain that Jenny takes the bus and is on her way home, the adults silently move to the living room, with small talk being thrown out the window. 

A few moments pass before anyone makes the notion to speak. Tom makes the first move. “Well, let’s get started shall we. Today, we will be doing an evaluation of your treatment towards Jennifer Cruz. Her mother has been given permission to join me in this meeting so she can see her daughter.” The Cortez's nod. Becca looks around, evaluating the home that her daughter has spent time in. Her eyebrows rise and her lips are pursed, unimpressed with the home they have created. “So, how is your relationship with Jenny?” Becca put her focus back on the individuals in front of her. 

“Oh, we absolutely adore Jenny! She's a beautiful child and always has a smile on her face. We have breakfast every morning together, dinner at night, and we take turns tucking her in.” Andi smiles, shrugging her shoulders in excitement at the thought of Jenny, as she looks at Danny for support.

“We definitely bond well with her. We hold conversations with her, teach her small skills like remembering to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and share a love for children tv shows.” Tom and the Cortez’s laugh at the joke, while Becca is on the sideline, waiting for her child to enter. As they continue to talk about Jenny’s transition in the home, the front door opens wide. 

“Andi! Danny! I’m here!” She puts her backpack on the wooden rack and takes her shoes off next to the door. Jenny takes Billy Bear out of her book bag and holds him tight. As she walks into the living room, ready to see Tom for what feels like the millionth time, she freezes at the sight of her mother. “...mommy…” she looks surprised, tears building up in her eyes. Her small feet begin to move in a faster motion as she rushes to Becca, feeling her warm embrace and falling right into place like the final puzzle piece to a set. Tears are streaming down Becca’s face as she hugs her daughter tighter and tighter, never wanting to let her go. “Oh sweetie. My baby. I’ve missed you so much,” Becca chimes. She pulls back to see Jenny from head to toe. “My God. You’ve gotten so much bigger. Oh Jenny! I am so sorry momma’s got you in this mess. Te quiero, mi vida. I love you so much.”

“Then why did you let me go?” The tears are released from her eyes as she thinks about the last time she saw her mom. Tom shuffles in his seat as he remembers the messy apartment and empty bottles of wine on the floor, taking a crying Jenny away from her home while an intoxicated Becca tries to fight back. “Why did you let him take me from you?,” she points at Tom’s direction. “Didn’t you want me?”

“Of course I wanted you. I still want you! I’ve been fighting for two years trying to get you. No one ever let me come near you until today. Oh honey! Trust me when I say I never stopped trying. I have been working hard to get us a nice house. It will have a yard in the front. Your own room. And you can finally have that dog you always wanted. Remember when you said you wanted one? Well you can finally have one once you’re back with me.” Becca desperately smiles towards Jenny as she feels her daughter pulling away from her. 

Jenny mumbles, “But..but...I like it here.” 

“What sweetie?” Becca’s heart begins to race at the thought of her daughter not wanting to be with her. 

A bit louder, “I like it here. Andi and Danny take good care of me. And I already have a house and my own room here. They make me breakfast…” she smiles at the thought of this morning’s eggs and bacon, “and they talk to me. They like me. And I like them. And I want to stay here with them.” Jenny walks towards them and sits in between, feeling the warmth of their comfort and safety. Andi and Danny, side characters in the back-and-forth conversation, try to hide their smirk in front of Becca, whose tears begin to roll down her face. Her hand comes up to wipe the salty drops sliding into her slightly opened mouth. Looking at them, she reminds them, “You said he wouldn’t take me away today. You promised!” They begin to hug her, reassuring that she is not going anywhere just yet. 

“But...Jenny...I’m your mom. I’m not a stranger! It’s me and you against the world, kid. Remember?” Becca tries to connect to the daughter she once had. Jenny does not respond. She looks downward, feeling guilty that she’s betraying her only mother. “You can’t seriously want to stay here. Jenny, look at me. Please.” Her tone begins to shift. She looks at Tom. “Tom, can I please talk to my daughter alone. Just for a few minutes.” Reluctantly, Tom agrees. Becca begins to move closer to Jenny as Danny and Andi lead Tom to the kitchen. 

Whispering, Andi speaks, “Tom, she can’t really take Jenny. Can she? She doesn’t seem fit at all, and I don’t think she’s ready to take care of her daughter just yet. Plus, we love Jenny. We were thinking of possibly adopting her in the future.” Andi smiles at the thought of having a daughter, of having Jenny as their daughter. 

“At the moment, no. She cannot. However, she has been meeting with me regularly lately and does want to be in Jenny’s life. Ultimately, we have to do what is best for the child, and usually the government sides with the biological mother if she is deemed fit.” At the end of that sentence, everyone hears a muffled scream and door creak open. Everyone’s head snaps towards the living room, noticing that no one is there anymore. Running outside, they see Becca turning on her car and rushing out of the driveway. Jenny is in the backseat crying and banging at the window. Muffled sounds coming from inside the car as she drives away. Danny tries to run after the car, but Becca speeds up and is gone in seconds. “JENNY!!! HEY!!! STOP!!!” Heavy tears escape from Andi as she begins to panic. Danny returns to give his wife a warm embrace, as he fears for the worse. Is Jenny going to be okay? How can we get her back? Will we ever see her again?

Tom hurriedly calls 911, explaining the situation. Expecting to come in a few minutes, Tom and Andi begin to wait. Danny, on the other hand, has other plans. He grabs his keys and goes out to look for Becca. “I’m going to drive around and see if I can find them. I can’t just sit here and wait. I’ll be back.” Andi nods her head as she continues to cry and heave for air every few moments. Danny is gone in the distance. 

The police arrived 10 minutes later. Tom begins to explain the entire situation. Becca is Jenny’s biological mother. Andi and Danny are the foster parents. A home visit gone wrong. Kidnapped child. Unknown whereabouts. Andi, unable to answer any questions, sits on the first step of the stairs. She looks at the floor with a blank face, puffy eyes. Furrowing her brows, she looks at Billy Bear a few feet away, laying on the floor without Jenny to hold him. She reaches for the bear and squeezes him tightly. She can no longer hold in her tears and begins to cry again.

5:00PM. The day was supposed to be like any other.