“Three transport vans are scheduled for Friday. The children will be sent to three different counties.”
I set the folder of receipts on the table, but my hand did not want to release it.
Five days. That was all they were giving me.
“Diane, tell me the truth. What are my chances in there?”
“Honestly? They are slim. The judge does not usually approve single applicants, especially young applicants with no parenting experience.”
Before I could respond, the door opened, and Beverly, the senior caseworker, stepped inside with a clipboard.
“Carter, may I sit down?”
“Please.”
She sat and folded her hands in the practiced manner that social workers often used.
I had seen that same posture across a desk many years earlier, and my stomach tightened before I could stop it.