Little sleep – irritated gums. Headache. Coffee without sugar. F. comes to pick us up – destination Isatu’s office. Appointment at 11:00. Building that houses the Methodist church administration. The elevator has been out of order, seemingly forever. F. accompanies us to the top floor – armed guard next to a large air conditioning unit – rustic charm with wood-covered walls – we wait in a boudoir. I. receives us in a room full of wood. She explains the procedures and the remaining steps – time matters to us. One week, two weeks, then we can apply for her passport. We’ll see with F. Appointment at the court tomorrow at 10:30. I., our lawyer, a representative from the orphanage, the biological parents, the nanny M. with our daughter, and us. We need to exchange money – some leons. Go to the supermarket. Get a Leonean SIM card. Then go meet E.. M. lives on a hill. The neighborhoods are like villages. The houses are shacks made of fiber cement panels, otherwise known as asbestos. Our driver handles the off-road terrain well; his Toyota is powerful enough. The rain has eroded the dirt roads. M. greets us in front of her home. It’s us and N. – the children are taking their nap. We settle in the central room, which serves as a common space, with another room where the children sleep on a large double bed, and another where M.’s sister lives. She is not here at the moment.
We discuss arrangements for the court: 200 leons for the keke. For the round trip to the court. The court is near the Cotton Tree. The children are still sleeping. E. is a Temne, while M. is a Limba.
When E. wakes up, she is grumpy and goes to M. We start unpacking the toys to regain her attention. M. stays nearby. A man named B. appears. M. introduces him as her fiancé. We give them their gifts as well. They are clearly disappointed. They set them aside—a Casio watch for the fiancé and two french perfumes for M.
We play with the children, but it’s clear that B. and M.’s presence captures their attention. Undoubtedly, we feel like strangers in their home. M. hasn’t prepared the situation at all. She calls E. by her birth name and refers to herself as “Mommy” when she calls out, “Come to Mommy.
At 6:30 PM, it’s time to return to the hotel. Mixed feelings. Disagreements about how we will handle E.’s transition. We go over our plan for the court hearing tomorrow. We’ve decided to let E. stay one more night with M. after the hearing, and then we’ll see how things go.
Fusées Léonaises - Leonean Rockets 