"I'm telling you Kim, they said yes." While Mr. and Mrs. McPherson were at Madam Dew Foster Home, Starla remained seated in the car. She was glad that she brought her phone along, because for the past thirty minutes she hadn't seen a single soul escape the door's to the hopeless, except the cleaners, and the cook, who entered with two bags of groceries from the local store.

"They hadn't even put their minds before yours? Wow, Star! You scored this time."

Starla laughed. "I guess... sorry that I couldn't go to the movies today, I know you wanted..."

"Girl, you have important things on your mind right now, and that's more important." Kim sighed. "Hell, I still can't believe they said yes, I tell you Star, it's going to rain kittens and puppies because of their change of scenery." Starla laughed, still looking at the bronze coated wooden door, with the huge handles and hinges – Those days are over – She reminded herself.

"Mrs. Stephens will be with you shortly." The secretary at Madam Dew Foster Home said, as she straightened her black suit, and picked up the clipboard containing the McPherson's personal information and their file when they adopted Starla. Mrs. McPherson gripped her husband's hand tight.

"Damn Rebecca, if you're going to crush my hand, are you really going to let me suffer?" Mr McPherson joked, his whole mouth curled.

"Conrad, is that a smile I'm seeing?" He pressured the smile away, to bring the same abstract expression, but only for a few seconds. "I knew it." Mrs. McPherson let go of her husband's hand and softly hit the varnished oak table in front of her.

"What?" Her husband asked.

"You like the idea of having a new pair of feet in the house, after all, a son."

"You know me too good." Mr. McPherson brought his wife into a hug and kissed her forehead. "I guess I was also too hard on the little girl."

Mrs. McPherson pulled herself away from her husband, and took his hands. "I told you that, but you wouldn't listen. I'm glad you have come to your senses." She winked.

The door to the office opened to reveal the same secretary, carrying a silver stray with a tea pot, three cups and a few other things. "Mrs. Stephens is coming, only another difficult cliental." She put the tray on the desk, next to the paper pad and pen. "Please, make yourself at home, here are some tea, but if you want coffee there is a pot, just behind you." She smiled.

"Thank you Patricia." Mr. McPherson said, as he hugged his wife.

"I don't want to intrude, but is there a problem with the Starla child?" The secretary asked, because she was the same secretary there was when Starla got adopted.

"No..." Mrs. McPherson chocked as she poured the herbal tea, almost tipping the tea cup over. "We love her very much."

"Rebecca still won't conceive, that's why we're here to adopt another youngling."

"Aww, that's so sweet... you know many of these children won't be so lucky, but you're going to make another child see their future in a whole brighter light." The McPhersons smiled, amused. "You two are gifts straight from heaven." With that she turned around and went back to the lobby.

Mr. McPherson went about and poured himself a cup of coffee. "I think it's time for an upgrade." He said to himself, and nodded.

"What now?" Mrs. McPherson said, eating the cookie Patricia brought a few moments ago.

"The poor Starla lived for three years in the basement, Rebecca, she's not an animal, or a house pet."

Mrs. McPherson grunted with a smirk spreading over her face. "What happened to you, Conrad? I barely know my husband." She joked.

"Rebecca, I also have something else to confess." He took a sip of his coffee, and frowned. Instant coffee. The fake coffee humanity had created, he hated the cheap taste of it, but still he continued to drink it. "I couldn't accept the fact that you couldn't conceive anymore, and then I held my frustrations out on the poor little girl. I'm sorry."

Mrs. McPherson put the empty tea cup on the tray, and wiped her mouth clean. "It's not me you should apologize too, there is a thirteen year old girl out there, sitting in the car with her phone. She's the one you should be apologizing too."

"Wise words, Ms. McPherson." Mr. McPherson joked, a smile on his face.

"That's why you married me." They both laughed.

"Sorry I'm late." Mrs. Stephens entered the office and closed the door. She wore a bright red dress with a white silk scarf around her neck.

"So I see you are back again?" Mrs. Stephens said, as she paged through the family's file. "How is my little Starla? Is she here?"

Mr. McPherson nodded. "Yes, she's waiting in the car. You know how thirteen year olds are nowadays... they have their own minds and everything."

"Mhh... I see, by the way, I also noticed that you had put in the adoption notice, four weeks ago. Right on time if you ask me." Mrs. Stephens opened a drawer, and pulled out another file. "This is the file where all the children who don't have homes, are written up. It immensely grew since your last visit." She took off her thin glasses and said. "The page number grew to a total of seventy children, were currently housing here at Madam Dew. If I weren't mistaken, it was only over thirty young beautiful children, when you were here to adopt Starla."

"That's a lot of children." Mrs. McPherson said, and nodded, as she looked at her husband.

"Okay, let's talk child business." Mrs. Stephens said, stopping at a page with some words scribbled on, accompanied by a photo. "This is Alexandr Foster." She slid the paper out of the plastic bag, and put it in front of the two parents. "He's ten years old, and has a heart of gold. Only one problem with him."

"And what's that?"

Mrs. Stephens Closed the file and placed it back in to the drawer. "It's not like Starla who was sexually abused by her father. It's different with this one." She sighed. "His mother died at his birth, after pregnancy spasms, huge internal bleeding. His father didn't want him, so he gave the child to his sister, but she only cared for him till he was three years old, because she started with her own family as well." She opened the paper pad and took out three papers. "He doesn't know how it goes in a family where there is a mother and father and now, a sister."

"So, what you're saying is, is that we need to give extra attention to the new little one, but not to forget about Starla?" Mrs. McPherson asked, shifting in her seat, as she looked at the ten year old's face, his brown hair neatly combed, with his dark brown eyes, almost similar to a buck's young.

"Precisely, what I'm going to give you, once you sign the contract to say that you are seen by the law as his 'natural' parents, you'll also receive his birth certificate. Are you ready?"

Mrs. McPherson grabbed her husband's hand, and pressed it tight. "Yes..." She said, in a softly manner.

After Mrs. Stephens dialed on her office phone to say that the social worker should bring the boy in, the McPhersons signed the contract to adopt the new child.

"Hello, Alexandr." Mrs. McPherson said, her arms wide open, waiting for him to come to her, but he moved behind the social worker and closed his eyes.

"Alexandr." The Foster Mother said. "Those are your new parents, and they have another child, Starla."

"But you are my mother, Mrs. Stephens." He said in his soft, calm voice.

Mrs Stephens gave a laugh. "Oh Alexandr." She bent down to face him. "These two wonderful people, can't have children, so they adopted you." She stood up, taking his hand from the social worker, who also signed the contract as a witness. "Come."

"Can my friends come too?" Alexandr asked, looking back towards the door.

"No Alexandr, unfortunately not." She let go of his hand and he stood in front of Mr. McPherson.

 "Don't worry about any of those, you'll have many more friends when you go to school and meet your sister."

"She's three years older than you." Mrs. McPherson interjected.

"Really?" Alexandr asked with eyes full of hope.

"Absolutely." Mr. McPherson nodded.

"Alright. Stephanie Smith will come by next week to see how he's holdin up." Mrs. Stephens said as the four of them stood outside of the Foster Home.

Starla saw them, and she huddled over towards Mrs. Stephens to give her a big hug. "Oh, Starla!" She laughed. "You got so big, what have they been feeding you?" Starla wanted to say that she was most of the time hungry, but it would curse the day she finally met her new brother.

"Lots and lots of vegetables." Mr. McPherson joked.

"I have to get back to work." Mrs. Stephens said. "It was nice seeing you my Starla, stay so sweet and remember: Focus on your school work." She winked as she started towards the bronze wooden door. Starla nodded. When Mrs. Stephens entered the Foster Home, with the big door slamming after her, the family of four started towards their car.

"Starla." Mr. McPherson said.

"Mhh?" She replied and then remembered her respect. "Uh... I mean... yes?"

Mr. and Mrs McPherson laughed. "Oh Starla, forget about those rules and respect. We start anew, from today onwards." Was she hearing correctly? What happened inside of the Foster Home? "And forget about going down to your room again." Mrs. McPherson added, holding Alexandr's hand. "You and your brother will get your own rooms when we get back home." She winked, and patted, with her other free hand on Starla's back.