We thought we were doing the right thing by offering our in-laws a place to stay while they got back on their feet. But the next morning, one look inside the guest room made clear that we had made a huge mistake. Mark and I always wanted kids.
We dreamed of tiny shoes by the door, bedtime stories, and little voices calling us Mom and Dad. But after years of trying and heartbreak, we had to accept the truth. It wasn’t going to happen for us.
Still, the ache in our hearts didn’t go away. That’s when we decided to foster. Our state’s foster system was overwhelmed.
Too many children needed homes, and too few families were stepping up. We knew we couldn’t help them all, but we could help some. So we turned our guest room into a safe space for kids who needed emergency placements.
We picked out two sturdy twin beds, each covered with soft quilts and a pile of pillows. Beneath them, pull-out trundles offered extra sleeping space. We lined the shelves with books and stuffed animals, added a nightlight in the corner, and made sure the room felt warm and welcoming.
It could hold up to four kids at a time. It wasn’t much, but to a scared child in the middle of the night, it was everything. Then Greg and Laura needed a place to stay.
Greg was Mark’s older brother. He had always been the kind of person who coasted through life, getting by on charm, luck, and favors. Laura wasn’t much different.
They had just lost their apartment after Greg was laid off, and Laura’s part-time job wasn’t enough to cover rent. With nowhere else to go, they turned to us. Mark didn’t hesitate.
“They can stay here for a little while, Sarah,” he said. “Just until they get back on their feet.”
I hesitated. Greg and Laura had a habit of overstaying their welcome.
They borrowed money and conveniently forgot to pay it back. They took advantage of kindness. I worried they’d do the same to us.
But I wanted to support Mark, and this was family. “Okay,” I agreed. “But only for a little while.”
The night Greg and Laura arrived, I regretted my decision almost immediately.
Greg stepped into the guest room and snorted. “Seriously? Twin beds?”
Laura sighed.
“This feels like a daycare.”
I forced a smile. “This room is for our foster kids. We set it up to be a safe space for them.”
Greg dropped onto one of the beds and sprawled out dramatically.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
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