tagged: Marco, with Maine Office of Child & Family Services NPC, Loren Abbott
location: Marco’s house
what: In the middle of prepping for the long weekend, Marco gets an unexpected phone call
when: Sunday, July 3rd, 2022 @ 11:45am
tw: drug abuse (non-explicit and mentioned in passing)
Marco wasn’t exactly the type for a normal 9-to-5 office job, but he had to admit, getting long weekends for federal holidays was one of the upsides of a career in construction. No one wanted a whole-ass construction crew renovating their basement on a holiday, so at the very least he could count on the downtime.
He hadn’t even settled on his plans for the Fourth yet, to be honest — one of the guys on his crew had invited him around to a late afternoon barbecue, and he had half a mind to throw together a batch of his abuela’s cornbread and take him up on it, and there was always fireworks up at the pier once it got dark, but he hadn’t gotten as far as doing anything about it just yet. It wasn’t like he had a significant other to plan around, and the rest of his family was thousands of miles away, so winging it sounded like as good a plan as any.
He’d barely started throwing together a sandwich for lunch before his phone started to ring on the kitchen counter. With a frown, Marco licked mustard off his thumb and reached for his cell. Screening unfamiliar calls wasn’t exactly an option in his line of work — one missed call could be a lost job or disgruntled client, and while he made decent money, ignoring work wasn’t really good for business.
Not to mention it could always be someone else calling…
Marco thumbed the screen of his phone to answer the call, managing a gruff “Garcia,” as he put it on speaker and went back to making his sandwich.
“Morning, Mr. Garcia Diaz,” a tired voice echoed over the connection. “I hope this isn’t a bad time?”
Marco stood a little bit straighter; Loren Abbott was one of the nicer social workers he’d been in contact with over the course of working through his certification as a resource parent, and the fact that she was calling on a Sunday morning probably meant this wasn’t about his paperwork.
“Ms. Abbott,” he replied, leaning against his elbows over his phone. “This isn’t a social call, is it?”
“Afraid not. Will you be home this afternoon? I think we might have a placement for you, if you’re free in the next few hours.”
He’d been planning for it, training for it, even expecting it, but Marco’s throat seemed to lock up for a moment. “I’ll be here. You need me to get anything ready?”
“Not just yet,” Loren hedged, still sounding tired, but maybe a little bit less discouraged. “We’ll make sure you have the basics, at least, and I’ll be on call for anything else. Just — keep an open mind, yeah?”
“I can do that,” Marco answered. He hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over his phone. “Hey — if I’m allowed to ask — boy, girl, or sibling group?”
There was a moment of hesitation on the other end of the call, before Loren finally answered, a hint of a smile in her voice. “Girl, this time. Her name is Mia.”
****
An hour later, Marco was pretty sure he was being punked.
“That’s a baby,” he said, staring blankly at the little bundle of pink blankets and dark hair in Loren Abbott’s arms.
“Technically she’s an infant, but we’re not splitting hairs,” Loren answered. She turned slightly so the baby girl in her arms could see Marco over one shoulder. “Mr. Garcia Diaz, this is Mia Lynn Reyes. Her mother was hospitalized last night for an overdose, with no other family in the area that we can locate. CPS got involved after the living conditions were deemed unsuitable, and Mia’s to be placed in temporary resource care while her mom recovers.” Loren glanced up at him seriously. “Assuming there’s no further medical complications, we’re probably looking at court-mandated rehab and home assessments, so estimated six months minimum.”
“She’s a baby,” Marco echoed, maybe only semi-hysterically.
“According to the records we have, she’s about six months old, so teething and about to start solid foods, actually.” Marco was pretty sure Loren was laughing at him at least a little bit, at this point. “We packed up what we could, so you don’t have to start from scratch — formula, diapers, car seat and stroller, pack-and-play, some changes of clothes and basic supplies. If the placement is formalized like we expect it to be, you can make more permanent arrangements for a crib or changing table, but the pack-and-play should work for the first few days.”
“…Why me?” Marco was very aware that he sounded a little lost and probably looked more than a little shell-shocked, but he couldn’t quite comprehend why anyone, especially an intelligent social services professional, would be handing a six-month-old baby girl over to him.
Loren hesitated for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure quite how truthful to be. “Because you’re bilingual, honestly,” she answered finally. “We don’t have any information on Mia’s father, but her mom’s family was Puerto Rican. Anything familiar could help, especially if it could ease the transition for her.”
As if he could say no to that. Hesitantly, Marco held out his hands, and Loren transferred the little girl into them with only a little awkwardness. He’d had infant classes as part of his resource training, and he’d held his own nieces and nephews when they were small, but he hadn’t ever expected to have an actual infant placed in his care. He’d been expecting an older kid, maybe ten or eleven with a smart mouth and sullen attitude, or maybe a sibling group that didn’t want to be separated — but not this.
Marco tucked one hand behind her dark curls self-consciously, trying to remember everything he’d ever been told about supporting a baby’s head and how to not accidentally break her. There was so much pink, and she was so tiny, and he’d never been fully aware of how big and rough and calloused his hands were until he tried not to flinch at one thumb brushing the little girl’s cheek. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes, too bright and intelligent to not see immediately how far out of his depth he was.
With one last mildly panicked look at Loren, he started to murmur into her hair in a low stream of barely coherent Spanish — half nonsense, half introduction to the infant that she was probably too young to understand in the first place, but it gave him something to focus on, at least. The only response he got was a little burble of curiosity, and a tiny hand tugging at the patchy scruff on his cheek.
What kind of phone do they have? An older Samsung Galaxy
When did they get the phone? 5-ish years ago, and he’s way overdue for an upgrade.
Is the phone damaged in anyway? One corner of the glass screen protector is cracked, but he can’t be bothered to replace it yet.
What is their lock and home screen? Is it the same image? Lock screen is the full family photo that was taken the last time he visited the rest of the Garcia Diaz clan back in Texas. His home screen is plain black.
Do they have any alarms? What do they sound like? What are they for? Just the morning wake-up alarm, and it’s set to the default trill, because he can’t be bothered to find a new one.
Last phone call? Maine CPS, finalizing his certification as a resource parent.
Last message received and / or sent? A string of incomprehensible emojis from his oldest niece (he’s pretty sure she’s doing it to tease him for having to look some of them up, and he may threaten to screenshot for her mother if ever a peach or eggplant crosses her screen).
Most used app? A measurement app, for when he doesn’t have an actual tape measure on him (which is more often than it should be -- because he has an app for that). Followed closely by his text app, mostly for the group chat he has with all his siblings.
If any of the other muses are on their phone, what is their contact name and photo? All of his contacts are listed by full name, because he’s not creative enough to come up with fun contact names and wouldn’t trust himself to remember what he chose anyway. The only contact photos he has are his siblings, because his youngest sister took pity on him and added all of them the last time he was home.
Any phone accessories? The most obnoxiously heavy duty OtterBox case he could find at the time, with a belt clip. He works on a construction site, it’s a miracle that only the screen protector is cracked.
i am over 5’5 // i wear glasses/contacts // i have blonde hair // i prefer loose clothing over tight clothing // i have one or more piercings // i have at least one tattoo // i have blue eyes // i have dyed or highlighted my hair // i have gotten plastic surgery // i have or had braces // i sunburn easily // i have freckles // i paint my nails // i typically wear makeup // i don’t often smile // i am pleased with how i look // i prefer nike to adidas // i wear baseball caps backwards
hobbies and interests
i play a sport // i can play an instrument // i am artistic // i know more than one language // i have won a trophy in some sort of competition // i can cook or bake without a recipe // i know how to swim // i enjoy writing // i can do origami // i prefer movies to tv shows // i can execute a perfect somersault // i enjoy singing // i could survive in the wild on my own // i have read a new book series this year // i enjoy spending time with my friends // i travel during school or work breaks // i can do a handstand
relationships
i am in a relationship // i have been single for over a year // i have a crush // i have a best friend i have known for ten years // my parents are together // i have hooked up with my best friend // i am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // i have had a long-distance relationship // i am an only child // i give advice to my friends // i have made an online friend // i met up with someone i have met online
aesthetics
i have heard the ocean in a conch shell // i have watched the sunrise // i enjoy rainy days // i have slept under the stars // i meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // i enjoy the smell of the beach // i know what snow tastes like // i listen to music to fall asleep // i enjoy thunderstorms // i enjoy cloud watching // i have attended a bonfire // i pay close attention to colours // i find mystery in the ocean // i enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favourite season
miscellaneous
i can fall asleep in moving vehicles // i am the mom dad friend // i live by a certain quote(s) // i like the smell of sharpies // i am involved in extracurricular activities // i enjoy mexican food // i can drive a stick-shift // i believe in true love // i make up scenarios to fall asleep // i sing in the shower // i wish i lived in a video game // i have a canopy above my bed // i am multiracial // i am a redhead // i own at least 3 dogs
If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently…When you look into infinity, you realize that there are more important things than what people do all day.
Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
(via wordsnquotes)
