To Sing Frogs Chapter 37b

The first three days in Utah ran together with friends and relatives rushing in and out of the house with loaded arms and handcarts. Others hurriedly pulled clothes and household items from bins and boxes placing them in closets, drawers, and cupboards. It wasn’t that we were impatient with having the home in order—there really wasn’t much of a choice.

The adoption paperwork for the older girls had been completed in Michigan, with one exception. The Utah agency performing the home studies for Adoption Associates—who was doing them for Adoption Aid International—had to do a study and write a report assuring that the new accommodations were adequate for the addition of the siblings.

We had to have the home ready for inspections, interviews, and reports. They all needed to be completed within a week of our arrival.

Amy and I were both surprised at how quickly the three youngest children took to their new environment. It was amazing how fast their emotional security returned, even surpassing what it had been in Michigan. The quarreling, for the most part, had subsided. The crying stopped and happy giggles, laughs, and pleasant voices soon filled the home.

Amy and I didn’t understand it. Dasha had been lost, the home that welcomed Sarah, Celeste, and Denney was gone. The entire first year of everything experienced in Amérika had been abandoned.

I guess it made sense. Even with such monumental losses, they still had a family. Perhaps it wasn’t a lie after all!

 

 

We were all chewing on nails. The contractor had told us the new home of White Knight would be ready for a move-in that year. It was obvious he was at least nine months behind. Just as we suspected, extended family members in Michigan would be forced to wait another year. The adoption of the older siblings also dragged on. Anya told us she believed we’d be back sixty days after we left. She thought that because these girls were so much older and had absolutely no other hope for a family. Because we already had their sisters it might even progress faster. No such luck.

Two years earlier Amy and I had wanted to be in Russia for Sarah’s birthday. Our failure to arrive before Svieta’s would have irreparable consequences. Every time we contacted Anya she said she thought the wait wouldn’t last much longer. Still, she couldn’t give us any reasons for delays or why they might not continue.

 

 

“Hello?”

“There’s no way we can make court in Vladivostok on Monday!” It was Thursday and I had just dialed the direct number for our contact at Adoption Aid International.

“I’m sorry, who am I talking to?”

“This is John Simmons. We just received an email telling us we have an adoption court date in Vladivostok next Monday. That can’t happen.”

“Oh. Hello Mr. Simmons.”

“…………………” Adoption Aid International was an unbelievably good organization. I shouldn’t have been so harsh. I was, though.

“I know it’s short notice. We don’t have much of a choice. We can’t offend the judge or the Department of Education. They have worked this into their schedules and they expect you to be there.”

“Fine. Our passports are already at the travel agency near the Russian Consulate in Seattle. I don’t mind paying the expedite fees. The agency needs our Invitation to Travel from the Department of Education in Vladivostok before they can apply for visas. If you get it to them today they can get our visas tomorrow. I’ll have them sent by FedEx for Saturday delivery and held at the airport location. Far East Russia is a day ahead of us so we’ll have to leave on Saturday to arrive Monday. We’ll pick up the passports and visas on the way. We can arrive in Seoul on Sunday night and there’s a flight to Vlad on Monday morning. That will put us at the airport early in the afternoon.”

The response I received was silence. My rapidly delivered itinerary was more fantasy than possibility. Come on… Say something. It sounded so easy before you turned your brain on. I paused longer for more effect before continuing. “Since bureaucracy is never a problem in Russia we’ll sail right through customs and immigration. Tell Stass and Anya to pick us up twenty minutes after the flight arrives. Assuming the government will halt all road construction for our arrival, and since there are no traffic delays in the biggest city in the region, we should be able to meet the 3:30 court appointment.” Is the sarcasm thick enough yet? I can continue…

More silence.

“Are you still there?”

“Yessss, Mr. Simmons. I’m still here.”

“Just one little detail you have to make happen on your end. I hope I’m not asking too much.”

“Yes?”

“You have to get the Invitation to Travel to Seattle—today.”

If it was possible to hear someone biting their lip that’s the sound I would have heard. I let her keep chewing. Finally she responded. “Yes. Well, that might be a problem. I haven’t even received the Invitation to Travel yet. Business hours in Far East Russia are over. You might be right. We may need to reschedule.”

            Ya think? “So what do you want me to do?”

“Hold tight. If you don’t hear from me in the next thirty minutes you won’t need to be in Russia on Monday.”

The agent called back. On Wednesday. This time she had the Invitation to Travel in hand and the court date was not until the following Tuesday. Since we had two extra days compared to the previous scenario, our agent was excited to inform us we’d be able to get into Vladivostok on Sunday and visit the children on Monday. That would of course help the court see we really cared enough to come early for visits before the hearing.

 

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