At the end of the dock, there’s a ginormous boat anchored in the marina. It must be his—it’s the only big one here.
“Is my brother on the boat?”
“He sure is.” He smiles wider. “Would you like to meet him?”
For the first time, a burst of excitement zips through me, and I practically jump right out of my purple sandal. “Yes, please!”
“Okay then.” Social Worker Sophia claps her hands. “I have a full schedule today and need to get back on the road. Noah, sweetie, congratulations on your adoption.” She gives me a friendly handshake. Mrs. Delgado would have given me a hug.
“Mr. Jarrell,” she says, straightening up and grabbing her briefcase.
Jarrell.
Wow.
My name will be Noah Jarrell.
I repeat it a million times in my head as they keep talking.
“I’ll swing by the office later and get those papers signed. Mrs. Delgado will email you the copies. Will that be alright?”
“Sure will, Sophia. She has my email, and I also included it on the paperwork you have there.”
I really need to pee, so I hope we get on the boat soon. Plus, I want to meet my brother. I’ll pee first, then meet him. Maybe we’ll share a bedroom. Maybe even have bunk beds like the ones at the orphanage! I’m going to sleep on top. Or maybe the bottom. I’ll sleep where he sleeps.
I wonder if he has purple sandals? If he needs another one, I could give him mine.
“Thank you, Mr. Jarrell. Enjoy your new adventures as a family.” Social Worker Sophia waves over her shoulder as she walks away.
Dad swoops me up high in the air, making me giggle hysterically as I fall against his chest and wrap my arms around his neck.
“Is that our boat?” I ask, swinging my legs and pointing to the largest boat I’ve ever seen. “It’s the biggest boat ever!”
“It’s called a yacht,” he says, walking toward the massive boat.
“A yacht!” I exclaim. So much excitement rushes through me, I can’t stop wiggling around like an animal in his arms. Plus, I really have to pee. Like really bad. Then after that, I’ll go find my brother. Alex. Alex and Noah—we’re going to make a great team! This is thebestday of my life!
Dad puts me down, and I skip and spin on my tiptoes the rest of the way up the dock. My purple sandal slips off, but Dad quickly scoops it up before it falls into the water. My hero!
“Bonjour, Mr. Valentino,” the man in the captain’s hat says to Dad. “Welcome aboard, sir. Mrs. Valentino and Erica have already made their way inside.”
Erica? I thought her name was Teya? And why is he calling my dad Mr. Valentino? Social Worker Sophia called him Mr. Jarrell.
“Will we be headed back to France, sir?”
“Oui, Christophe,” Dad answers in that funny language again.
Suddenly, I stop dancing and spinning and look up at my dad. “France? I thought I was going to America?”
He scoops me up and carries me down two extra-wide steps before setting me back down. The metal bridgeway connecting our boat to the dock starts to retract. The captain pulls the metal slab toward him and clicks it into place. Waves lap softly around the boat’s edges.
I tug on Dad’s shorts. “Where’s my brother?”
This time, he doesn’t answer. He just turns and disappears down a long, narrow hallway, leaving me standing alone. His smile disappears with him.
“Am I going to America?” I call after him. “Where’s my brother?”
My arms start to tingle—especially my right one. It feels strange, like a buzzing I’ve never felt before. I shake it out. I wipe away a tear from my cheek and cough because my chest feels tight, like I can’t breathe.
