There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. “Now we have to go into some not-so-fun business. The house rules.” Mr. Robinson said, looking around the table. He got a chart from the wall behind him. “So we have the basics…no smoking, no drinking, no being disrespectful…”
Tara zoned out at that point. All the foster families that she had lived with had similar rules. Most of which she had broken. This is one of the nicest houses I’ve seen. She thought. The Robinsons lived in a small community in the suburbs. Their red brick house seemed old-timey but very welcoming. Looking around, Tara saw that the living room was white with many colorful couches and pillows. The kitchen was tiled and had both a wood stove and an electric stove. Maybe living here won’t be so bad. “Alright. That’s it. Sheba can show you to your rooms. We will call you at dinner time.”
Mr. Robinson scraped his chair back and nodded to his youngest daughter. She jumped up. “Follow me,” she said as she skipped ahead, her short wavy bob bouncing. She sprinted up the stairs. Tara and Theo lagged. “So…what do you think?” Tara whispered. “They remind me of the James family,” Theo whispered. “Yeah. I thought so too. Do you think…” “Hey. Come on slowpokes!” Sheba giggled from the top of the stairs.
Theo grinned and bounded up the stairs. He found himself in a carpeted hall with cheerful pictures and rooms on both sides of the hall. “This is your room,” Sheba said pointing at the first door on the right. “And that one is your sister’s.” she pointed at the third door on the right. “And the room in the middle is your bathroom that you share with Tara. My dad said you both have to clean it once a week.” Theo peeked into his room. It had a large window, a loft bed with a study space underneath, a beanbag, a few bookshelves, and a closet. Not bad. he thought.
He noticed that Sheba was still chattering outside his door. “Would you like to see my room? I sleep in the loft,” she asked eagerly. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be, kiddo?” he said. Sheba sighed and dropped her head. “Sorry. I’m a bit tired now, but I can look at your room later if you like,” She flashed a dazzling smile and then skipped downstairs.
“Whew!” Theo quickly emptied his suitcase, stuffed some clothes in his closet, and chucked some in the draws that the loft stairs made. He finished by shoving his suitcase in the closet. “There. Unpacking is done. What do I do until dinner time?” He considered climbing out of the window and exploring the neighborhood. “Nah! Last time I did that the family thought I had been kidnapped and called the police. I’d rather not be threatened with Juvie on my first day here.” “Theo?” he heard his sister’s voice. “Yeah?”
He went into her room. It had yellow walls and a poster bed with a flowery bedspread. He grinned. His sister would cover the walls with sports posters and change the bedspread as soon as possible. “Aren’t you going to unpack?’ he frowned. “Nah. Doesn’t make sense to unpack when we won’t be here long.” “Don’t be so pessimistic.” he playfully punched her shoulder. “So, what’s your estimate?” Ever since their fourth foster home, they began to make estimates on how long a family would keep them. “Four months. Tops.” Theo raised his eyebrows. “I bet ten dollars that it’ll be six months.” Tara grinned. “Prepare to lose little bro.” “Hey! You’re the one going to lose.” Theo protested. Tara got serious. “I think they are… Christians.” she choked on the word. “How do you know?’ “Which other parents would name their child ‘pledged to God.” And I searched up the names Caleb and Elisha. They mean faithful and God is my salvation. Caleb is a Hebrew name too.” Theo sobered. “Okay. So they’re Christian. What do we do?” “Don’t let them brainwash us. Remember Pastor James and Mrs. James? How did God even help them, huh? She grimaced and pressed her hands to her forehead to keep back the awful memories. Too late. A tear trailed its way down her cheek. She bit her lip so hard that blood leaked out. She couldn’t cry. If she started, then she’d never stop. “Tara. Are you okay?” Her brother’s voice broke through the haze of sorrow. He gently wiped away the lonely tear with his thumb. “Of course I’m fine! Just leave me alone! Okay!” She yelled. “Alright. Alright!” Theo quickly retreated. Thankfully, just then, Elisha came to call them to dinner. She really could use a distraction.
