Six months before this story begins, Michael brought home paperwork.
Emergency foster care application.
He put it on the kitchen table and sat down across from me.
He said: I’ve been thinking.
He said: the boys are mostly gone.
He said: the house is big.
He said: and there are children who need somewhere safe tonight and we have somewhere safe.
I looked at the paperwork.
I said: foster care.
He said: emergency foster care. Short-term. When a child needs placement immediately.
I said: that could be an infant.
He said: yes.
He said: it could also be an older child.
He said: it depends on what’s needed.
I said: Michael.
He said: I know.
He said: I’ve thought about it a lot.
He said: Ellen.
He said: we have room.
