The Baby Boy No One Wanted

 

Nobody wanted him. He needed special care. Adopting a child who had a stroke when he was born, leaving him without movement of the right arm is a challenge itself, let alone knowing what other health issues he could have due to the fact that his mother was addicted to drugs during the time she was pregnant.

On a rainy afternoon he was found on the steps of the orphanage wrapped in a dirty blanket. It seems as if his mother had given birth to him on the streets. She was under no condition to raise this child. The effects of the drugs that she had been using would not allow her to figure out whether or not she could do so. Therefore, her companions took the baby while she was tripping and left him there.

As soon as the head caretaker found the baby, she took him to the nearest hospital to see how severely injured the child was. This little guy appeared to be tremendously cherubic, his cry was very faint, and no one thought he would make it without medical care.

Since this date, a year and a half has gone by. If one day you decide to visit the orphanage, you will see this bright little child smile as he walks around the back yard chasing a soccer ball. Who knows, perhaps Santa will answer his wishes and a loving family will fall in love with him.

 

Written: December 12, 2024

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The Frightened Two-year-old

 

Off the airplane she came wearing a simple light blue dress, pigtails fastened with white ribbons, holding on tightly to the hands of a woman she had met a week ago. Fear was the look on her precious little face. Although she had been born in this country, she was found near her mother's body in the woods of a small city in Panama. How she survived the two nights alone - no one will ever know. Why whoever murdered her mom did not murder the daughter too- we will never know. If she saw how her mother was murdered, we will never know.  Simply because she is only two years old.

The woman holding onto her hand, which she never let go of, works for the Brazilian government located in Panama. Whoever found the girl and the mother's body also found their documents on her that was written that she was born in Sao Paulo. However, her mother, to be more exact her mother and her were escaping and trying to cross the border into the US for a better life perhaps to live the American dream. No one knows the accurate reasons for the young girl cannot say, not that she cannot talk, in fact she speaks Portuguese with a Spanish accent. Perhaps, she is traumatized by what happened.

As they are in the cab riding to the foster home where she will stay until they find her father or her grandparents, who allegedly live in Sao Paulo, the government worker informs the foster mother that is going to stay with her for a few days so that she doesn't feel totally abandoned again twice in the same month. For, in a few days, the hand - that – she – held – tightly - to would be going back to Panama.

What's to become of this young girl's life? Only the future will tell. If they find her father or the alleged father, they will have to do a DNA test to confirm the information and see whether or not he can afford to raise this child as his own; if he wants to; if he doesn’t, they'll ask the grandparents the same thing. If they do not want to raise her or cannot afford to do so, then she will be put up for adoption. All of this could have traumatized this little two-year-old. So much pain and suffering at such an early age. One thing is for sure, all of this will make her stronger and survive the times.

Written: December 6, 2024

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An End to Another Year

 

Lately I´ve been questioning why on Earth are people in such a hurry these days. It seems like they are running wild across the clock. Crazy people stuck in traffic jams, driving wild and causing accidents, being trapped at the exit of malls due to Christmas shopping. It is total madness. It´s as if the world is coming to an end and no stone should be left unturned because you won´t have the time to do it in 2025.

As you may well know from previous texts, I am a high school teacher and here in Brazil the school year starts in February and ends in December. Therefore, my colleagues and I are struggling to finish grading papers, closing grades and just getting class plans done each day. (reminder: students are tired too and dealing with a tired adolescent is not an easy task). Not to mention the evening presentations which shorten our sleep and recharging time.

I must stop here and write about the cases of burnout which hit teachers around the end of October. I have been hit. I´ve been dealing with leg issues and cannot climb up or down the stairs, nor drive (my car is not automatic). Taking a cab to and from work every day can be expensive. Getting up from a chair is an activity within itself. All due to the fact that, I ´ve been trying to get all my dues in and have left out the most important thing: exercise and sleep.

Money and exhaustion are the downsides. The good aspects are that I have been asking a cab driver I know to become my personal driver, and we have been bonding. (He is the best friend of my “son” – a close friend´s son whom I consider as my son). I’ve known this driver for the past 12 years, however, now we talk all the way to and from places. It makes being stuck in traffic easier to bear. I help him financially and he helps me by having someone I can trust pick me up at odd hours and feel safe.

Not only do I teach. I have also joined a few groups of writers. They keep me occupied with meetings, contests, reading and writing. Gatherings for book launching or debates. It is a lot of work that brings me pleasure, nonetheless.

This month I´ll be launching two new books for children in Portuguese. I will also be part of a collection of poetry. To be honest, not just one, around five of them. I have also been interviewed by a journalist from the South of Brazil which can be viewed on YouTube. It was a wonderful experience and am proud of everything I have accomplished in the world of writing. The interview lasted around 90 minutes. Rewatching it, I thought that it was natural, as if I were talking to a friend about the literary side of me.

Some stress throughout the year, has come from other people. People who you depend on to get the work done, mostly from the groups I belong to. If everyone did their part, it would be smooth sailing. But I guess that life is full of obstacles that you need to face. Life carries on.

It thrills me to be counting down for the first day of vacation. I feel like a child waiting for Christmas morning to look under the tree and see what Santa has left me. So, as of now, 13 days to go and counting to slowing down and recharging my battery.

 

Written: December 5, 2024

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