Lost Then Found

Sister Mary Kathryn asked us to all be seated and then proceeded to ask the girls what they thought about being adopted by Susan and me.

Sima asked what did adoption meant.

It means that you would legally become their daughters and your last name would become Martin she was told.

"Does that mean they would become our mommy and daddy?" Azra asked.

"Yes, Azra." Sister Mary Kathryn answered, smiling.

Both girls squealed with joy. "I told you, didn't I? If we prayed to Jesus hard enough last night he would make this happen," Azra said to Sima, "and he did. He answered our prayers."

The following Wednesday the four of us were on a flight headed back to Jacksonville. This time each girl had a seat by the window.

I sat next to Sima and holding my hand tightly she looked at me and said. "I'm not scared anymore, daddy." My heart melted with those words.

******************

Susan had called Uncle Mike and Aunt Barbara Sunday afternoon told them of our plans to adopt two little girls. She asked her aunt for a favor and was assured everything would be taken care of before our return.

The day before we left I informed Uncle Mike of our travel plans and asked him to meet us at the airport. Both he and Aunt Barbara were there to greet us. Placing the girls into two brand new booster seats the six of us left for home.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Barbara soon fell under the spell of these two wonderful little girls. As Uncle Mike and I were unloading the luggage from the car Barbara and Susan took the girls inside to see their new rooms. Both of the girls' rooms were decorated fit for a princess. They were left speechless. But only momentarily as they scampered downstairs shouting for me to come see their new bedrooms.

For a few days Azra and Sima explored their new home inside and out. Every few minutes they came back to hug Susan and me before racing off on another journey of discovery.

When they asked Susan when they could use the big bathtub on the screened porch we couldn't help but laugh as we explained that it was a swimming pool.

"Go upstairs, find your swim suits, change and come right back down. I'll go, change into mine and meet you out by the pool," Susan told them.

Five minutes later the three of them were splashing in the pool. Since they didn't know how to swim we impressed upon them that they couldn't go near the pool unless one of us was with them. I hired a young girl from the local college who was a life guard to teach Azra and Sima how to swim. They both learned quickly, but they never went near the pool unless Susan or I were present.

By the end of August Susan and I began thinking about school for the girls. We never really knew exactly how old the girls were, but guessed that Azra was now close to eight and Sima five. Susan, using her educational training, suggested we place Azra into the third grade and Sima into kindergarten.

On the first day of school I didn't know who was more nervous, Susan or me. Neither of the girls thought anything about it other than it was a new adventure for them. Since Susan worked at the same school she was able to keep an eye out on them. We needn't have worried. Both girls did just fine.

One evening as I was putting Azra to bed I sat and listened to her as she said her prayers.

"God Bless Sister Agnes, God Bless Sister Mary Katherine, God Bless my little sister Sima, God Bless my brother Thamil in heaven and most of all God Bless Mommy and especially God Bless my Daddy. I love them so very, very much. Amen."

Before she got up from her knees she went on saying, "and Jesus if it's not too much trouble could you send a baby brother for Sima and me. We miss our brother and would like to have another one to love. Amen"

When Susan and I went to bed that night I recounted Azra's prayer for a baby brother. She told me that Sima had been asking for the same thing in her prayers as well.

In late September I received a telephone call from Sister Mary Kathryn. She and Sister Agnes had been sent to Saint Augustine to start a shelter for unwed mothers and their children.

"That is just a short drive from where we live." I told her. "Why don't you come and visit us? I know the girls would love to see you."

Arrangements were made for them to come and visit the following weekend.

"You might as well stay with us Friday and Saturday night if you have the time," I offered.

She accepted and said to me. "There will be three of us. Are you sure you have the room?"

"Not a problem," I replied. Sima can move into Azra's room and that will free up three additional bedrooms. So we will expect you sometime Friday afternoon. Okay?"

Susan and the girls had come home from school a little after two and were changing out of their school clothes so I went out to sit on the front porch. Thirty minutes later a car pulled into my driveway. I could see that Mary Kathryn was driving and Sister Agnes occupied the front passenger seat.

Sticking my head inside the front door I yelled, "they're here."

Stepping from the porch onto the walkway I greeted the two Sisters. Azra and Sima came running out of the house shouting their hellos and hugging the two nuns. Susan appeared by my side and echoed our two daughter's greetings.

Sister Agnes untangled herself from Sima's embrace and opened the rear door to the car. Leaning inside she helped unstrapped a youngster from his car seat.

"Azra, Sima, this is Thomas. Thomas, these are the two girls we told you about and this is Mr. and Mrs. Martin, their mother and father," she said introducing us.

I collected their overnight bags from the trunk of the car and followed all of them into the house. The girls were not shy and soon had Thomas chattering away with them. The four adults sat on the patio with some glasses of ice tea as we watched the children play with a soccer ball in the backyard.

Sister Mary Kathryn told Susan and me about Thomas. He was seven years old and had lived all his life with his grandmother as his mother had died during child birth. His father had abandoned the family before he was born and was no where to be found.

His grandmother had brought him to the shelter in Saint Augustine just a few days ago. She had received a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease and realized she would no longer be able to care for him. Rather than putting him in the hands of the Department of Children and Families where he would be just another child amongst thousands of other children she came to the church for help.

Sister Agnes had located a distant cousin living in Lake City. When the woman was contacted she agreed to provide a home for Thomas.

"I did a cursory background check and found out she was a licensed foster care parent with two teenage boys currently staying with her." She said. "I called her and made

arrangements for Mary Kathryn and me to bring Thomas to her home this Sunday."

"I do have some reservations though. When I spoke with her she didn't ask any questions about Thomas but seemed to be more concerned about how much money the state would be currently paying her to provide for his care."

Susan glanced over at me and gave me the 'we'll talk about this later look'.

Just then the three kids ran up to us and announced that they were STARVING and how long until supper.

"I'll start the grill right now. Are hotdogs and hamburgers okay with everyone?" I inquired.

After being assured that it was fine with everybody I got up to start preparing supper.

As Susan began helping me in the kitchen she said. "I don't like the idea of putting that little boy in the hands of the cousin, even if she is the next of kin. Something just doesn't sound right."

"Susan, I agree. But there's not much we can do about it. I'll talk with Mary Kathryn later and see what she thinks. I know she won't place that little boy in harms way."

All day Saturday was spent watching and playing with the kids. I must have spent three hours in the pool playing with them.

After dinner on Saturday I loaned my GPS to the Sisters in order for them to easily find their way to the home of Thomas's cousin in Lake City. Mary Kathryn said that she would return the GPS to me on their way back to Saint Augustine.

We all went to early Mass on Sunday and the three of them left for the drive to Lake City. There were a lot of tears shed when Azra, Sima and Thomas said good-bye. On our ride back to the house the girls were inordinately quiet.

When we arrived home the girls went upstairs to change out of their church clothes. Thirty minutes later they still hadn't returned downstairs so Susan went up to check on them.

"Scott, come upstairs, please," she called to me. "We're in Azra's room."

I found the three of them sitting on the bed. The two little ones were clutching Susan and crying their eyes out.

"Daddy, why did he have to leave?" Azra asked me. "We prayed all night that he would stay and become our brother. Why didn't Jesus answer us?"

That was one of the hardest questions I have ever had to answer. Somehow I managed to give them an explanation they could understand and accept. It must have worked for that night, as they said their bedtime prayers, there was a new inclusion to all the other requests.

"God Bless Thomas and Jesus please bring him happiness and someone to love him."

Late that night I received a text message from Mary Kathryn. It simply stated . . . . . 'unforeseen development . . . . return delayed'.

On Monday Susan and the girls went to school and I went over to the trucking company office to see how things were going. I was back home by noon. Over the course of the week things slowly returned to normal and by Thursday the girls were back to their happy and playful nature.

Friday afternoon, a little after one o'clock, I heard car doors closing from the front of the house. Checking my watch I saw that Susan and the girls wouldn't be home for at least another hour. As I walked to the front door the bell rang followed by a soft knock.

"Hello Scott," Mary Kathryn said to me as I opened the door. "May we come in?"

As they entered another voice piped up. "Hello Mister Martin. How are you?"

It was Thomas. "I'm fine, Thomas. How are you?" I replied with all sorts of questions racing through my mind.

Walking back toward the family room I inquired if they had lunch yet. Mary Kathryn indicated that they had not so I offered to fix them some sandwiches with sweetened ice tea for them along with a glass of milk for Thomas.

While they were eating Mary Kathryn began telling me what had transpired once they reached Lake City the previous Sunday.

"We arrive just after eleven and found the address without any trouble. It was in a mobile home park. The cousin's home was a double wide trailer and it looked as if there had been an explosion and fire. The entire area was draped with yellow tape proclaiming that it was a crime scene. There were several police officers standing around and one walked over to our car."

"I asked what what had happened. Before he answered my question he wanted to know who we were and why were we there. I explain everything to him and showed him our credentials."

"The officer then told me that someone had been 'cooking meth' the night before when there was an explosion. Two of the three occupants were dead and the third, a woman, was in the hospital but wasn't expected to survive."

"Then another officer came over and the two conversed briefly. The first police officer then asked us to accompany him to the police station and give a written statement relating any knowledge we might have concerning Thomas's cousin."

Sister Agnes then continue the narration. "By the time we were finished it was too late to return home so we elected to stay the night. Monday morning we went to the hospital and explained the relationship of Thomas to the woman in ICU."

"Since we are both Catholic Nuns we were permitted to see the patient. I went in first while Mary Kathryn stayed outside in the waiting room with Thomas. The woman was unconscious and hooked up to all sorts of machines. It was obvious, even to me, that it was just a matter of time. I prayed over her for several minutes and then went back out."

Mary Kathryn then resumed the story. "When I entered the room I observed what Sister Agnes related. The woman was covered in bandages but I was able to see some signs of severe burns. Her breathing was labored even with the aid of an oxygen mask on her face."

"I sat and prayed. I asked God to forgive this lost soul and ease her suffering. Sister Agnes and I alternated watching Thomas and sitting by her bedside praying for the remainder of that afternoon and early evening."

"It was difficult for Thomas having to wait there with us but he understood that it was our responsibility to provide spiritual support for her."

"When we returned Tuesday morning we were informed she died early that morning. Sister Agnes and I decided to stay until after her funeral Thursday afternoon."

Before Mary Kathryn could continue Susan and the girls arrived home from school. Seeing Azra and Sima, Thomas immediately jumped up from the table and raced to greet them. The girls lost no time in taking Thomas outside to play.

Susan sat with us and was quickly brought up to date with what had occurred.

Mary Kathryn then continued explaining what had happened.

"We met with the police Wednesday afternoon and were given some very disturbing news. According to their investigation it was Thomas's cousin who was actually preparing the drugs when the explosion occurred. The two boys were heavily involved in the sale and distribution of methamphetamine."

"When we heard this information we realized how close we had become to exposing Thomas to this way of life. We thanked God for saving this poor little boy from that kind of existence. We stayed for the funeral Thursday afternoon and elected to return today."

"What will happen with Thomas now?" Susan wanted to know.

"We'll be looking for another family who will be willing to take him in with them." Sister Agnes answered.

"Look no further!!" Susan exclaimed. Looking at me she said. "We want him to stay with us."

Six months later the adoption was finalized. In the end Azra and Sima's prayers were answered. They got their brother and Thomas did find happiness and someone to love him.

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Epilogue

Two years later what I thought I had irretrievably lost I realized I'd found. A wife who intensely loves me and I her, a new career and a loving family.

Jake Rivers married the girl in the office that had first welcomed him back. For a wedding present Susan and I gave them a forty percent ownership in the company renaming it to 'Martin and Rivers Logistics'.

Maureen met a widower living in the same condo and they

got married. I wish her well. She moved out and I sold the apartment, placing the money in a trust fund for our three children.

The girls are absolutely thrilled to have a brother. They spoil him even more than Susan and I. Thomas is equally happy to have two sisters even though sometimes he is reluctant to admit it.

Yes, I did eventually find out what 'Usafas' meant. One day as the five of us were sitting on the patio Azra turned to me and said. 'Usafas', daddy, 'Usafas'.

I finally asked her what did 'Usafas' mean. She looked at me, smiled and said. "Daddy, before I learned any English I thought I was saying, 'You saved us'."

Taking Susan and my three children into my arms I replied.

"No, sweetheart. It was all of you that saved me."