A decision was made between a seventeen year old girl and a married couple in their mid-thirties. They were desperate for a child and she was desperate to be rid of the one that was growing inside of her. She had tried to keep her pregnancy a secret for as long as she could. She thought that if she sustained herself on bananas and iceburg lettuce then she could keep the weight off - it wasn't clear what her intentions were at that point other than to not tell anyone.
The married couple lived 600 miles away and had been married for fifteen years. Their attempts at becoming pregnant had failed and they had no hope of conceiving. Their marriage was rocky on their best days and volatile on their worst. A baby would fix that, the woman thought. And so began their search. Their friend knew of a woman in California whose daughter was currently in a bad way and a meeting was arranged. There were lawyers and applications and interviews. The couple submitted a portfolio of their achievements and conveyed their success by flashing perfect smiles. They did not disclose the time spent in rehab, jail or mental institutions. It was the 80s and a private adoption - no one thought a background check was necessary.
The decision was made. The teenage girl chose the married couple from Oregon to take her baby and raise it as their own. The couple agreed to an open adoption - the mother would be allowed contact twice a year, through letters/cards, until the child was old enough to decide whether or not to pursue a relationship. After t's were crossed and the i's dotted, the couple went back home to await the due date and plan their future. No one knew what that future held, yet the girl would place her hands on her belly and tell the unborn child that everything would be OK.
The married couple lived 600 miles away and had been married for fifteen years. Their attempts at becoming pregnant had failed and they had no hope of conceiving. Their marriage was rocky on their best days and volatile on their worst. A baby would fix that, the woman thought. And so began their search. Their friend knew of a woman in California whose daughter was currently in a bad way and a meeting was arranged. There were lawyers and applications and interviews. The couple submitted a portfolio of their achievements and conveyed their success by flashing perfect smiles. They did not disclose the time spent in rehab, jail or mental institutions. It was the 80s and a private adoption - no one thought a background check was necessary.
The decision was made. The teenage girl chose the married couple from Oregon to take her baby and raise it as their own. The couple agreed to an open adoption - the mother would be allowed contact twice a year, through letters/cards, until the child was old enough to decide whether or not to pursue a relationship. After t's were crossed and the i's dotted, the couple went back home to await the due date and plan their future. No one knew what that future held, yet the girl would place her hands on her belly and tell the unborn child that everything would be OK.