Reassemble

This morning, a father of many children was tried for not only adopting children for the benefits, but also forcing them to work in the heat on a farm that supported his family. The eldest daughter, fifteen-year-old Mary, was able to notify the police of her situation, and they came to pay an uninvited visit, but it was too late for the girl: the angry father, seeing what his new daughter had done, punished her very severely. The girl did not live to see the end of the day and died in the nearest hospital from a cerebral hemorrhage. The younger children with abrasions, hematomas and wounds were removed, many were placed in hospitals, but some were sent back to the guardianship system. Many of the children, especially the first adopted ones, were diagnosed with malnutrition, but are now under observation. The father, by decision of this court, was imprisoned. This was the Columbia news channel, good evening.

      Neil, who had accidentally switched the sports channel to the news, sighed loudly:       — I can’t believe that people like that exist. – Andrew peeked out from behind the kitchen arch, his lip twitching slightly in disgust.       — People like them only want money, there’s no love for children there, – he snorted, coming closer to the sofa.       — How do they even give them children? – Neil was indignant.       Andrew clicked his tongue:       — You know what flattering words you can use to appease the guardianship guy.       — Well, so many children, they were so hoping that they would finally end up in a good family, but they never get any love or care. Okay, they don’t even get to see food, and then they wonder why the children grow up so cruel. – Neil was getting more and more heated. In fact, since he had survived by a lucky chance, had he become too sentimental or something? And especially to children, although his own godchildren may have contributed to this, softening his character.       — We could. – Andrew responded.       — What? – Neil did not understand. Andrew rolled his eyes and explained with a theatrical sigh:       — We could take the child. – Before the dumbfounded Neil could say anything in response, Andrew continued:       — Of course, he will not get love and tenderness from us, but we can show him what a normal life is, outside of an orphanage and violence.       — Just giving good living conditions is not all that is required of parents, Andrew. – Neil became serious. Andrew nodded heavily:       — We can study. However, we will definitely teach him to stand up for himself. – Neil looked a little absent-minded and uncertain.       — Yes or no, Neil? – Neil immediately looked straight at Andrew and nodded cheerfully:       — Yes. ***       None of them were going to give in to impulse or rush to get a child. For many months they sat down with literature and the nuances of the guardianship system, and the first thing they had to decide was: what kind of child were they ready for?       Children under ten were immediately excluded, because, despite their athletic past, both considered their age unsuitable for small children. But the oldest children also had questions: often they had suffered the most, and they already had their own vision of the world, which could not be changed by comfort, much less by imaginary "parental love".       In the end, they agreed on the age category from eleven to fifteen years.       They decided on the gender of the child even faster: a boy. Neither of them had ever encountered women's problems and had not met girls in their teenage years, and raising a boy seemed like an easier task.       That was all they were interested in in a child, so the list was short, and they couldn't figure out whether it was good or bad, but in any case, they moved on to the next step: a room.       Space was not an issue, considering that they lived in a private house. The two rooms that used to belong to Nicky and Aaron had long been empty, and even apart from them there was a guest room, which could easily be converted into a nursery. Although in fact they decided not to change anything: the basic furniture in the form of a bed, a wardrobe and a table looked good for letting a child live here for a trial period, however, if everything goes well, then the child himself will choose new furniture for the room, there is no point in changing it now. ***       Well, the last seven months have had their results: Neil and Andrew have read an uninhabitable amount of books and watched a shit ton of videos about teenagers. They have tidied up the empty rooms and even revised their diet, perhaps.       So, there was less than an hour left before departure, and Neil was sitting on pins and needles: he was spinning from side to side and imagining all the possible problems. Andrew squinted affectionately at this and ran his fingers over the top of his head, winding the stiff strands around his fingers, it helped quite a bit.       The journey took no more than two hours, but it seemed to both men that it was five. At the threshold, in front of the huge oak doors, they were met by the director - a plump, strict woman in a suit, with whom they had a conversation long before the meeting. She promised to show all the children who met their criteria.