Dad and Granddad were drying a black calf with an old towel.
“One of the cows got killed during the storm, but we were able to save her little calf,” Dad said.
“I think we should call him Stormy,” Lisa said. “Will we have to feed him with a bottle?”
“We could, but I think I have a better idea,” Granddad replied. He went into another pen and led in a light brown cow.
“This is Jewel,” Granddad said. “I think she’d like to raise this calf.”
He tied Jewel to a post and then went to get the calf. He carried the little calf to Jewel and put him down by her side. After a little coaxing, the calf started to drink. Jewel turned and looked at her new calf and sniffed of him, then she went back to chewing her cud.
“She’s adopted him. She’ll treat him just like her own calf now,” Dad said.
When little Stormy had finished drinking his milk, Granddad turned Jewel back into the pasture. The little calf trotted beside his new mother.
“He’s had his breakfast,” Granddad said. “Now it’s time for us to go and get ours.”
3. The Memory Book
After breakfast, Lisa and Billy told Mom and Grandma all about how Jewel had adopted little Stormy.
Grandma smiled. “You know,” she said. “I had a dog once that adopted some baby rabbits. They would come up and snuggle against her, and she treated them just like her own puppies.”
Lisa laughed.
“I think I have a picture of her in my photo album,” Grandma said. “Come into the living room and see.” She went to the bookshelf and took out an old green album. “Here she is.” She showed the picture to the children.
Lisa and Billy enjoyed looking at the photo albums and scrapbooks. Among them they found their memory book, which told the story of their adoption.
“That’s our adoption announcement,” Lisa said. “Mommy showed me it to before.”
“And here is a picture of us on the plane coming home,” Billy said. Then he looked at a piece of paper written in another language. “What is this?”
“That’s where the judge made you my grandchildren!” Grandma said, and hugged them. “That’s the adoption decree.”
The egg timer went off and Grandma had to go and check the bread she was making, and the children went to check on Stormy and Jewel.
“Are we adopted, just like Stormy?” Billy asked his sister as they lay in their beds that night.
“I don’t know,” Lisa said. “I’ve never thought about it before.”
The next day, the two went back to the living room and took out their memory book.
“What are you two doing in here?” Mom asked.
“Where did we come from?” Billy asked. “Did we have another mom?”
Mom sat down on the sofa beside them and took the book. “Yes, you did in a way,” she said. “You know that human babies grow inside their mothers’ bodies, don’t you?”
“Like Calico’s kittens!” Lisa said.
“That’s right. Usually the mother and father raise their children, care for them and teach them.” Mom said. “But sometimes other things happen.”
“What kinds of things?” Billy asked.
“Well, sometimes a birth-mother and father can’t care for their children. Sometimes the parents are sick, or they're very young.”
“Who was our birth-mother?” Lisa asked.
Mom told them a name. Lisa and Billy had never heard it before.
“You know that you two were born in another country,” Mom said. “We don’t know a lot about your birth-mother except that she was very young and didn't have a lot of money. You two were very small and sick when you were born and she took you to a hospital and left you there to be cared for.”
“Then we went to another place?” Lisa said.
“Yes, you lived in a children’s home for several years before we adopted you,” Mom replied. “You’ve seen the picture of the children's home in your memory book.”
The kids nodded.
“Do you have any other questions?” Mom asked.
They shook their heads and put the book away.
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