Staff member: "Both parents need to fill out an adoption application together and the boy needs to consent to the adoption."
George: "The child is given the right to vote? I haven't heard of such a thing. Are there any cases of rejection?"
Staff member: "In a voluntary adoption, consent is required from the adoptee in which they affirm on their own behalf that they are being treated well and are willing to be part of this family."
George and Mariana began to study the application and took turns filling it out. Then they made room for Theodore. He sat down on Mariana's chair and filled out his consent.
Staff member: "Good, now we will have an interview. First with the parents and then with the boy. When interviewing the boy, everyone else will have to leave this office."
The interview with the parents lasted about 20 minutes. Various questions were asked, related to how and under what circumstances the boy came into the family, how he is kept, who and where they work, what the family eats, how the house is kept clean, who the neighbors are, and so on and so forth. Finally, it was Theodore's turn. The Silvers left the office and left the adoptee alone with the municipal worker. He held himself calmly and confidently.
Staff member: "So, Theodore. Your new family. How do you like them in general?"
Ted: "Good, loving and caring. I like living with them very much."
Staff member: "No one is pressuring you? Did you write your consent voluntarily?"
Ted: "Voluntarily."
Staff member: "If there's something bothering you or something you want to talk about that you couldn't voice in front of Silver, now is the time to share it with me."
Ted: "I don't have anything to tell. I have no secrets from my new family. Especially since I'll soon be a part of it too."
Staff member: "You stopped going to school three months ago. That was due to certain circumstances, of course… but still. Basic education, as you know, is compulsory for everyone, because if you don't complete it, you won't get a profession, you won't get a job anywhere and you can't do anything. Have you thought about going back to school again?"
Theodore: "I know, I want to and I have thought about it. As Mariana said, together we've already looked at a boxing school in this town. As soon as I'm officially adopted, I'll enroll there right away."
Staff member: "You can start going to that school now. Why simply waste precious time? Tell me, how is your relationship with your future big brother?"
Ted: "Good, we don't fight, we live as friends."
Staff member: "Now for the unpleasant part. Your real parents have passed away, sadly. But their possessions remain in the form of a modest apartment. Also, your daddy had a car, but the present whereabouts of the car are unknown. I am also aware that you have grandparents on both your mom's and dad's side. They have priority custody because they are blood relatives to you. Why don't you want to live with them?"
Ted: "My grandparents and I have been in a fight for years. They have shown me no attention and have never visited me since I was three years old. They didn't help me and my father in any way and left us to our own devices after my mom died. The Silver's took me in as their own child. I never got the kind of care I got from them, not even from my own parents. I think my grandfathers forgot all about me. Do you want me to go back to people who don't care about me at all?"
