“Mrs. Gonzalez, your daughter’s foster mother, is the one who brought her. Her husband is at work, so he can’t be here today. She is going to be around as you spend time with your daughter, just in case. There is a park outside if you want to play with her. Please don’t overwhelm her. Give her time to adjust to the faces. Remember, you’re strangers to her,” Dr. Mendoza told us as we walked together.

She stopped in front of a wide door and opened it.

“Enjoy your time with your daughter. Mrs. Gonzalez has to leave here by three,” Dr. Mendoza said and walked away.

Tristan walked into the room first while I forced my feet to move. I tried to get myself together as I stepped into the room to meet Kayla. Her foster mom smiled warmly at us. Tristan gave her a hug and told her how thankful he was.

I watched him as he walked up to Kayla, who was sitting on the alphabet and numbers mat, playing with the toys around her.

“Hey, princess,” Tristan said, squatting in front of her.

She looked up at his face.

“What a pretty doll you got here. What’s her name?” he said, touching her small doll.

Kayla just stared at him, not saying anything. She looked away and continued playing with her doll.

“I love your shoes,” Tristan said, but she didn’t look his way.

“No habla mucho. Es muy callada. Ella solo ha dicho una palabra desde que la traimos a la casa,” Mrs. Gonzalez told us. “El doctor dijo que es normal y que no todos los niños suelen ser ruidosos y bruscos a esta edad. Ella es tranquila y callada,” she added with a smile.

Tristan turned to me for a translation.

“She is just explaining that Kayla doesn’t talk much and the doctor said it’s normal for her age.”

He looked concerned as he nodded at my words.

Kayla looked up at Tristan and raised her doll to him. He took it from her and gave her a smile.

“Thank you. Does she have a name?” Tristan asked Kayla.

She was quiet and reached for his hand.

“She wants you to carry her,” I said, recognizing the gesture.

“Sure, baby,” Tristan said and picked her up in his arms.

She clung to him, placing her head on his chest.

“I love you,” Tristan whispered, and he placed a kiss on her head and held her close to him.

“Ella es una replica tuya,” Mrs. Gonzalez said to Tristan, and he smiled, as he’d understood what she said.

I was at the doorway, not sure of what to do. I felt guilt wash over me. I’d left her here. I hadn’t been around when she needed me, and now, I was a stranger to her.

How could Tristan handle it so well? I was too scared to see her reaction. She wouldn’t even recognize me. What if she hated me?

“Chloe,” Tristan called, walking to where I was standing.

He brought Kayla closer for me to see, and she had her thumb in her mouth as she sucked on it.

“Hi, Kay,” I said to her with a soft smile, but she looked away and snuggled closer to Tristan’s chest. “She hates me.” I frowned.

“Don’t say that. We are like strangers to her. It’s gonna take a while,” Tristan assured me.

Mrs. Gonzalez was a nice woman. She had other foster kids, too, and had two children of her own. She told us everything we needed to know about Kayla. Kayla had a fluffy dog she always had by her side. Mrs. Gonzalez said she’d cried the whole ride to the agency because they had left her dog behind since no pets were allowed here.

After a while, I took Kayla from Tristan’s arms, and she stared at me like I was a complete stranger and looked around the room. I remembered how tiny she had been. She’d cried a lot and enjoyed being carried. If you had tried to put her down, even while she was sleeping, she would cry until she was sure she was still being held before she stopped.