‹ Prequel: Escapology
The Road
A New Plan - Part 2 - Gerard's POV
Chapter 3 – A New Plan – Part 2 – Gerard’s POV
She doesn’t seem to be too keen. I think she just wants to get out of here. And I can't really say I blame her much.
I gave her another hug and left the room. Now where did that social worker go?
After about 2 minutes I got fed up of looking.
“Excuse me,” I asked the receptionist. She didn’t look up.
“Excuse me,” I asked again. I looked at her the badge on her desk. “Excuse me Miss Barker, I’m looking for a social worker.”
“You’re too old to need one,” she sneered.
“Excuse me there’s a girl I’d like to foster!” I was starting to get annoyed.
“Her name?” I saw her look me up and down. The judgemental type.
“Erm… Mia…”
“Mia what?”
“Mia… erm… oh look I don’t know. All I know is she's down there with her friend Alicia in that room and she's my friend and I want to get her away from this hell hole!” I ended up yelling at the receptionist. Well there go my chances of fostering.
“Excuse me, Mr Way?” I turned on my heel. Mia’s social worker was standing behind me.
I turned back to the receptionist. “It was her I was looking for anyway!” I know I sounded like a little child. But when people are as condescending as she is, they deserve it.
“Mr Way would you like to come into my office and calm yourself down?” Mia’s social worker asked me.
I didn’t say anything. I just followed her into a tiny box, which I assumed was her office. I slumped into a chair.
She reminded me of my Middle School Principal. I wasn’t the most calm of people in Middle School.
“Mr Way would you like to explain to me why you were looking for me. I am going to assume it has something to do with Mia,” she said.
Social workers have those voices, the ones that make you feel about 3 years old. Friendly but oh-so-annoying.
“Erm… yeah. Mia has asked me to foster her. I am going to assume that I have to talk to you about that,” I replied, to show her that I'm just as grown up as she is.
“Are you patronizing me Mr Way?”
“I assure you I am not,” I answered, in my posh voice. I was beginning to sound like my mother. “I would just like more information on foster care. Because, as I told you before, Mia would like me to foster her.”
“We’ll have to find out some background information about you but I can assure you that I will do my best. I am sure that if Mia has personally asked you if you could foster her that she will be happier with you than with anyone that I could try to choose for her.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself!”
She slid her glasses down her nose a little. She looked down her nose and over her glasses at me and pursed her lips. Another thing I found very familiar to Middle School.
She picked up a file from the desk behind her and began reading a form. She stopped and looked up at me.
“Mr Way,” she paused and carried on reading. I looked around, assuming a bored, 5-year-old image.
“Do you need me here? Or can I go back to the girl I wish to be my daughter in the near future?” I asked her. I get bored very easily.
“I would like you to remain in this office in case I need to make a couple of queries as to your suitability to be a foster parent,” she stated, her eyes not leaving the paper. “Any history of drug abuse, Mr Way? And don’t lie, because I’ll find out.”
“Well, Mrs… Miss? Erm…”
“Miss Ashcroft!”
“Miss Ashcroft, I do dearly regret to inform you that if you take out my records you may find that I was a cocaine addict for a short while in about 2004. I can't really remember exact dates. My memory is a little hazy in that area due to a problem with alcoholism that I wouldn’t really like to go into as it gets me a little depressed. But I have been clean and sober since the 11th of August 2004. And if you don’t believe me it’s on the internet. Or you could ask my brother…” I laughed. Okay so maybe I'm not as grown up as she is. “Anything else?”
“I’ll get back to you Mr Way,” she shut the file and put it back where it was. I can almost guarantee a no.
I walked back into Mia’s room and sat down on the bed. Mia was typing frantically on her desktop and Alicia was staring at her laptop screen looking very confused. She looked up when she heard me sit down.
“And…?”
Mia also turned to face me with the same inquisitive look on her face as Alicia had.
“ ‘I’ll get back to you Mr Way’ ” I imitated Miss Ashcroft. They both laughed. “I have a feeling she won’t!”
She doesn’t seem to be too keen. I think she just wants to get out of here. And I can't really say I blame her much.
I gave her another hug and left the room. Now where did that social worker go?
After about 2 minutes I got fed up of looking.
“Excuse me,” I asked the receptionist. She didn’t look up.
“Excuse me,” I asked again. I looked at her the badge on her desk. “Excuse me Miss Barker, I’m looking for a social worker.”
“You’re too old to need one,” she sneered.
“Excuse me there’s a girl I’d like to foster!” I was starting to get annoyed.
“Her name?” I saw her look me up and down. The judgemental type.
“Erm… Mia…”
“Mia what?”
“Mia… erm… oh look I don’t know. All I know is she's down there with her friend Alicia in that room and she's my friend and I want to get her away from this hell hole!” I ended up yelling at the receptionist. Well there go my chances of fostering.
“Excuse me, Mr Way?” I turned on my heel. Mia’s social worker was standing behind me.
I turned back to the receptionist. “It was her I was looking for anyway!” I know I sounded like a little child. But when people are as condescending as she is, they deserve it.
“Mr Way would you like to come into my office and calm yourself down?” Mia’s social worker asked me.
I didn’t say anything. I just followed her into a tiny box, which I assumed was her office. I slumped into a chair.
She reminded me of my Middle School Principal. I wasn’t the most calm of people in Middle School.
“Mr Way would you like to explain to me why you were looking for me. I am going to assume it has something to do with Mia,” she said.
Social workers have those voices, the ones that make you feel about 3 years old. Friendly but oh-so-annoying.
“Erm… yeah. Mia has asked me to foster her. I am going to assume that I have to talk to you about that,” I replied, to show her that I'm just as grown up as she is.
“Are you patronizing me Mr Way?”
“I assure you I am not,” I answered, in my posh voice. I was beginning to sound like my mother. “I would just like more information on foster care. Because, as I told you before, Mia would like me to foster her.”
“We’ll have to find out some background information about you but I can assure you that I will do my best. I am sure that if Mia has personally asked you if you could foster her that she will be happier with you than with anyone that I could try to choose for her.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself!”
She slid her glasses down her nose a little. She looked down her nose and over her glasses at me and pursed her lips. Another thing I found very familiar to Middle School.
She picked up a file from the desk behind her and began reading a form. She stopped and looked up at me.
“Mr Way,” she paused and carried on reading. I looked around, assuming a bored, 5-year-old image.
“Do you need me here? Or can I go back to the girl I wish to be my daughter in the near future?” I asked her. I get bored very easily.
“I would like you to remain in this office in case I need to make a couple of queries as to your suitability to be a foster parent,” she stated, her eyes not leaving the paper. “Any history of drug abuse, Mr Way? And don’t lie, because I’ll find out.”
“Well, Mrs… Miss? Erm…”
“Miss Ashcroft!”
“Miss Ashcroft, I do dearly regret to inform you that if you take out my records you may find that I was a cocaine addict for a short while in about 2004. I can't really remember exact dates. My memory is a little hazy in that area due to a problem with alcoholism that I wouldn’t really like to go into as it gets me a little depressed. But I have been clean and sober since the 11th of August 2004. And if you don’t believe me it’s on the internet. Or you could ask my brother…” I laughed. Okay so maybe I'm not as grown up as she is. “Anything else?”
“I’ll get back to you Mr Way,” she shut the file and put it back where it was. I can almost guarantee a no.
I walked back into Mia’s room and sat down on the bed. Mia was typing frantically on her desktop and Alicia was staring at her laptop screen looking very confused. She looked up when she heard me sit down.
“And…?”
Mia also turned to face me with the same inquisitive look on her face as Alicia had.
“ ‘I’ll get back to you Mr Way’ ” I imitated Miss Ashcroft. They both laughed. “I have a feeling she won’t!”