Shane asked as she and her mother stepped through the entrance, “Mom, what are human services?”

Her mother didn’t answer. Instead she stopped next to some chairs and said, “Wait here, Shane.”

Shane took a seat in one of the chairs as she watched her mother walk up to a big desk and spoke to a receptionist there. Then she started writing on some papers on a clipboard that the receptionist handed her. After a while, her mother handed the clipboard back to the receptionist who looked through it. Once she had finished looking through it, she glanced at Shane and smiled. Shane returned the warm gesture.

Then the receptionist walked up to her, and asked, “You’re Shane, right?”

Shane nodded. The receptionist then looked to the side as a woman walked up to them. The woman bent down to Shane’s level and introduced herself, “Hello Shane, my name is Cindy and I will be your social worker from now on. I promise I will try my best to find you a good family.” Shane, realizing what was happening, looked around the room for her mother frantically, but she wasn’t in the room. She was gone.

Just like everyone else.

As Shane felt her eyes brimming with tears, she had another flashback

Shane was grieving over Danas passing, sitting on the steps of the porch with her head in her hands. She could hear Carmen working in the garden not a few feet in front of her. She forced herself to look up at her, and she stared intently at her, pondering over all of the predicaments that had happened. From Shane cheating on her, with Cherie to Danas failing health and worst of all was Danas passing. Shane kept looking at Carmen, and she thought of all the times Carmen could have walked out on her, just like her mother, her father, and the countless others that sought to leave her behind.

The thing was though, Carmen never did. Even through all the grief over Dana’s death, and the heartache and pain over their failing relationship, and all the built up anger and frustration she never once left her behind. And it was that feeling that sparked her next few words which would render Carmen both speechless and motionless.