It was raining most of the day, but I wasn't overly concerned. Even though Emily is still unable to drive Ticker*, I was looking forward to seeing the kids. I had a couple bags full of activities, paper and coloring pencils, odds and sods for making stuff, a pack of Harry Potter playing cards and Frustration! Also, I had another bag with two sets of Christmas PJs that sadly did not arrive for the last visit (thanks, Mom!), a carton of strawberry milk, chocolate chip cookies and Marshmallow Peeps. I ordered a taxi and arrived fifteen minutes before the kids arrived and only a few minutes before the new social worker. We went through to the meeting room where I was going to see the kids and we spent a few moments shifting the table and chairs aside to allow a bit more space. And then, strangely, the social worker actually decided to socialise with me!!!
Yes, dear reader, the new social worker actually decided to sit down and have a pleasant chat with me, the terrible, awful, monstrous creature that caused the lunatic to go mad and the children into foster care (that's me I'm describing, not her). We had a chat about Christmas and other sundry subjects while we sat and kept an eye out for the kids' taxi. It was then that she told me she'd had a call from the foster carer. Caleb had not been to school today because he'd said he was ill, so he might not be attending the visit. I was quite concerned that he was okay, and a little sad that I might miss seeing him. She did say that if Caleb perked up in the afternoon, the foster carer would bring him to contact and, sure enough, as Rhiannon's taxi arrived, so too did the foster carer's car bearing a surprisingly well-looking Caleb (I'd insert a emote with a suspicious raised eyebrow). Again surprises abounded as the social worker asked if I'd like to go meet them, while she stayed behind and watched from the main door! Rhiannon bounded over and slipped her pink gloved hand into mine and we all walked into the room for our time together. As usual, Rhiannon was none-too-forthcoming with how things were going at school (gotta love that location appropriate conversation that comes with her autism...), but I did find out that she's doing well in her school subjects and, although the library isn't properly open at school, she's still reading like books are going out of fashion. She also told me about Groundswatch or somesuch, a group of conservationists trying to save the British wildlife or green areas or something. She didn't go into that so much, because she'd been hauled out to go do her 'intervention work' with her personal tutor.
Caleb was a bit cagey when it came to explaining why he was too poorly to go to school, but suddenly well enough to come see me. Well, whatever. Secretly, I'm glad he wasn't so ill that I'd miss seeing his cheeky face. He went to telling me about his favorite car that is 'faster than a Ferrari' and 'twice as big too'. I asked if it was a Bugatti Veyron, a car that I secretly have yearnings for and he replied that it was 'a green supercar'. So anything from the Aston Martin DBS to the Pagani Zonda.... They were both impressed when I told them that I was doing my driving lessons, Caleb asked if I'd passed yet and I said, "not yet, but on the upside I've not crashed yet". Rhiannon thought this was a very good thing. I gave them their Christmas PJs, saying that they were supposed to be for opening their presents in on Christmas Day, but they'd not arrived in time. Mom, I don't know how, but you guessed their sizes exactly. No doubt, they'll not fit in a year's time, but that's kids for you! At this point, Caleb asked if I had the pictures. I thought he was referring to the two rather wistful framed photos I'd gotten as a Christmas present from them, so I said that I had them safe at home. He told me "no, not those ones" and produced a packet of photographs from Rhiannon's school bag. Lo and behold! photos of the kids from Christmas and Rhiannon's birthday! We went through them and I felt, not for the first time, just how much I was missing their lives. Oh, my darling children, one day we'll be together again....
Caleb then started rattling on about a variety of subjects in his own inimitable fashion and Rhiannon decided to dive into her favorite thing, books. I turned to drink. Strawberry milk, choc chip cookies and Marshmallow Peeps. The kids decided to do impersonations of bath drains by slurping their milk, which made us all giggle and since we were all doing a little bit of everything and nothing, I decided I'd take the bull by the horns and made some suggestions.
"Do you want us all to do drawing and coloring, playing a game or something else?"
Rhiannon said, "Something else."
"Like what?", I replied.
"Like reading?", she replied, a hopeful smile and sidelong glance toward the book she'd just been browsing on her face.
"Well,", I replied, "we don't have long and you can read at any time. Wouldn't it be nicer to do stuff together?"
No answer but her definitive nod made my day. So we settled down to play Frustration! A great game, full of highs, lows and me whining and moaning every time my pieces got sent 'home'. In the end we had to cut it short because our time was up, but the kids had managed to get a draw. We packed away and Caleb tried to escape with my backpack, but at the door he handed it back, took his spoils (a couple of the cookies and what was left of the strawberry milk). They headed out, but then both came back to give me a huge hug and Rhiannon went away waving and blowing kisses.
Once they were in their taxi and gone, the social worker came back and said that she'd had no problems or concerns and felt that the visit had been as natural as if she'd not been there. Maybe this is a sign of good things in the future.
Let's hope and pray it's so.
*Ticker is our Hyundai Lantra with the dodgy driver's side window.
