Jay furiously and swiftly stormed away from us. I figured we’d meet him back at the car. I felt no need to chase him down or keep my gait even with his. He needed some space. I could understand that.

Part: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

So I walked with Dan, Kathy, Jimmy and Craig in a more leisurely pace. As we rounded the corner of the block and could see the parking area where we left the car, I noticed Jay was absent.

Still I wasn’t worried. He was probably sulking nearby and waiting for us to get there. After we got closer I scanned the area and saw that Jay was sitting in the parking lot’s attached park. He was resting against the chain-linked fence by the batting area.

The panic that had started to regurgitate subsided. Jay was there and he was safe. I just had to call him over. So I waved my hand at him, motioning to join us.

He didn’t move. Not even slightly to let me know he saw my signal. Maybe he didn’t see me? I cupped my mouth with my hands and yelled, “Jay.” I repeated that a few times and finally he looked at me. He was too far away for me to make out his facial expression but I could see he was shaking his head. I yelled again, “Come on, we’re leaving. Let’s go.”

He shook his head again. It was probably more my imagination than anything, but I could swear he got smaller. It was like he was trying to disappear or slink away.

I turned to Jimmy, who was strapping Craig into his car seat, and said, “I’ve got to go get him.”

“Okay. We’ll wait here.” Dan and Kathy* had already gone to their car and were waiting.

When Jay saw that I was walking closer, got up and stomped further away.


Check the 'Raising Jay' category for more in this series.

*Dan and Kathy are my son Craig's grandfather and aunt on his birth dad's side. Their names have been changed to protect their privacy.

*Baby-in-laws is how we refer to being family to one another through open adoption. One day I told Dan that he feels like my in-law but wasn’t sure how that worked since he wasn’t Jimmy’s dad. He said we’re baby-in-laws! The name has stuck.

You can email me at specialkidsblogger@adoptionmail.com

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