Before I had time to think, I heard myself speak.
“Can I take her home tonight? Just until you figure it out.”
The caseworker looked me over carefully. I was young. Single. Working rotating shifts.
One night became a week.
A week became months filled with home visits, parenting classes squeezed between overnight shifts, and late-night searches on how to braid hair without making a mess of it. I learned how to pack lunches. How to calm nightmares. How to function on less sleep than I ever thought possible.
Continued on the next page
