these conversations keep happening

I posted a long post on our private blog about what exactly we were doing Friday last night, but I thought that part of the night deserved to be put on the adoption blog ... more as a forwarning to those waiting parents that crazy things do happen to us adoptive parents.

Here is the horrifically funny [looking back], yet frustrating, story of the night. While I was walking with some people back to the condo, Lyle and Mikiyas walked to our car parked on the street by the park three blocks away [where we were for the evening]. Lyle just buckled Mikiyas into the car when two African ladies accosted him! In their very limited English they made it clear Lyle was not to get in that car. One lady was staying with Mikiyas and one was taking Lyle to the building manager’s office. Lyle quickly figured out what was going on, and after they kept repeating that Mikiyas would be safe, he relented and went with the one lady to the office. I, not knowing what was happening, kept receiving phone calls on my cell phone from some lady who didn’t really speak English. I couldn’t understand anything. Then my phone went dead. I had no idea it was Lyle [sort of] calling. They were trying to get confirmation that this white man was Mikiyas’ father and he was allowed to take this child away.

While waiting in the condo for everyone to come, I noticed a group of people gathered around our car on the street 3 blocks away. [We have such a great view!!] I phoned Lyle’s cell to see what was going on and this same woman answered. WHAT? She tried speaking to me and I’m thinking the worst in my head that something has happened to Lyle and Mikiyas. I didn’t understand and I hear Lyle in the background saying “it’s my wife calling”. They finally let him on the phone and he reassured me that things were now okay but there was concern that he was kidnapping a child that wasn’t his.

You know, I remember posting a couple of years ago on here that I always wondered if something like that would ever happen. You know, you lose a child in a store and you go to claim the child and the manager is like “ya right”. Or you cross the border to go the states. Or you pick your child up from something and people think “that’s not your kid!”. But I hadn’t heard of it actually happening to anyone I know.... until now!

While the firetrucks were at our building [full story on the private blog, but short version is something somewhere in our building set the fire alarm off], Lyle, Mikiyas, the cats and I went back to the playground just to chill out and wait. I was cleaning up a few paper plates and cups that were missed [again, full story on the private blog] and one of the older boys started swearing away. Since they know me a little now, I asked him if he could keep it down because I didn’t need my young son learning to swear. “Where’s your son?”. “Over there on the swing.” “The black kid?!” “Yes.” With that, I walked away and told Lyle I really needed to just go home.