The big station wagon packed with small children stopped along the side of a country road.
A loud and ruthless voice yells, “Out you go all of you. This time make damn sure you pee. I don’t want to waste precious time.”
A bunch of children jumped out of the wagon, running like mice through the bushes looking for cover. The oldest was nine; her name was Margareth.
She was limping due to spina bifida; a congenital disability with which she was born. “Let’s go, lazy one; I don’t have all day.” yells the big woman. “You are always the laziest of them all, aren’t you, Margaret?”
It was not true at all. Margareth could hardly walk; that harsh and loud voice made it so much worse for her. The other children were quick and took the bushes closer to the road, Margareth tripped on a tree root along the ground. Limping more, she found a bunch of bushes further into the woods.
She had just squatted down to pee when she heard her name called again.
“Margareth! Margareth! Damn you.” The big woman shouted again.
Terrified she lost control of her urine and dribbled all over her legs and stockings. Not quite finished she pulled up her panties and her stockings dirty from the fall and, limping, ran towards the station wagon.
“You are going to cost me my job, you dumb girl. You will never be adopted. You have dirtied yourself.” With anger, Mrs. Luis grabbed Margareth’s tiny frame with the back of her dress and threw her in the car.
The big woman, Mrs. Luis, was the driver for an independent foster home located a few hours away from the main orphanage. Today was a big day for the children. The lucky ones would be adopted, the not so fortunate, well, God has their destiny in his hands.
The heated station wagon began to smell of urine. The rest of the children made fun of her.
“Mrs. Luis, she smells. She smells.”
“She is gross.” yelled Mrs. Luis.
Mrs. Luis had taken a dislike to Margareth because of her disability, and perhaps she had no patience to be kind or courteous to people in general, or specifically, to Margareth.
Arriving at the orphanage, Mrs. Luis lined up all the children putting the older children at the back. People had come from all over the state, moms and dads with the desire to be parents to an unfortunate child.
Each set of parents approached a child with caution and love and they began to talk to the kids. A young couple, married for a few years, noticed a beautiful girl with long blond hair, sea-blue eyes and the skin of a porcelain doll standing alone against the wall.
“What is your name, Gorgeous?” the woman asked.
“Margareth, maam.”
“You are so beautiful.”
“Thank you, maam.”
They talked for a while and Margareth explained her disability to the couple. Meanwhile Mrs., Luis was busy interacting with the management of the orphanage.
Spotting the young couple walking towards the office holding hands with Margareth, she went after them.
“What are you doing?”
“We are going to adopt Margareth, aren’t we sweetie?”
“You can’t do that. She is stupid. See the way she walks. Do you want to adopt a handicapped child?”
The adopting mother-to-be looked at Mrs. Luis in repulsion
“I don’t see any disabilities. Do you, hon?” Looking straight at her spouse, “I see a beautiful and intelligent young girl that explained to us the reason she was born this way. Do you know what causes spina bifida?” Her sharp eyes focused on Mrs. Luis’s.
Mrs. Luis mumbles a bit, “Mmm, mm, no,”
“Don’t you dare call Margareth dummy? You should love every child the same, no matter the colour, disabilities, religion, or country.”
The rest of the parents intrigued by the argument, gathered around, curious. As the conversation came to an end, they clapped for Margareth’s protector.
Mrs. Luis lost her job – divine retribution. The only job she could find was scooping dog poop at a kennel. The majority of dogs didn’t like her either. They were always growling and barking at her, the same treatment she gave to young Margareth.
