Chapter 159

• Uncle Ted was buying them all kinds of toys and taking them places with Mommy. And Mommy was so happy and smiling and laughing all the time. I suffered the torture of a thousand small cuts as I kept smiling for the kids as they innocently told me of all the good things they had done. I reached for the gift bags that I brought back from last month fiasco and waited with expectation to see the smiles on their faces. Steven picked through his and said that Uncle Ted had bought them both iPads and iPods.
• The bottom of my heart dropped out as I realized I could never compete with Ted Jefferson on that level. Still I kept that frozen clown smile on my face as the social worker warned we only had five more minutes. I grabbed them both and held them and kept telling them I loved them, over and over and over until finally it was time for them to leave.
• After they left I noticed Steven hadn't taken his gift bag so I carried it with me. When I got outside I saw Carol's gift bag lying on top of a trash receptacle where Stella had left it. I stared at it. I walked over and put Steven's on top of Carol's and walked to my truck for the drive back.