Friday, February 11, 2011

Week 6 Dominick


I distinctly remember the first time I ever saw Dominick. I was sitting on my couch in my living room on a late winter night. It was sometime close to Christmas, but I cant remember the exact date. It was an unusually late to be receiving a phone call. It was sometime around eleven. When my parents told me that they were going to pick up another foster kid that night I was a little shocked. It had not been long since we had our last foster child, so it was unusual that we were asked to take another one so fast. My parents left me alone on the couch and left into the bitter cold night to go pick up the new boy. I was at the stage of half asleep and half awake. The stage where you are aware of whats around you but you just don't care. The sudden slam of my front door woke me up instantly. I sat up on the couch and waited. The first person to come through the hall into the living room was not my mom or dad it was Dominick. This scene of my life has been a still frame for a very long time now. I see an untidy living room full of Christmas decorations and toys for the new child. I see our old kitchen freshly cleaned. And I see a three year old boy in cut up jeans, worn out t shirt, and a winter coat that is too small. The messy dark hair and the dark eyes that are starring right back into mine. I the worn out blue bag that he is dragging behind him. It seemed like it was just me and him for a while, in pure silence. He didn't say a word to me even after I started talking to him. Well everything happens for a reason and Dominick in now officially apart of the Tschaggeny family. We adopted him about six years ago. It is strange how my mind knew that this was an important time in my life and remembers this very clearly.

3 comments:

  1. I love this. It's great that you have such a clear memory of this huge moment in your life and in the life of your brother. Don't ever forget it! Does he remember that night as vividly as you do? It would be interesting to hear what he was thinking that night, it would be such a scary experience to not have a permanent home as a young child. I respect your family for doing something about it.

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  2. Everything Jessica said I agree completely with. It would be really neat to know his exact thoughts. They might be the same as yours. I admire your family for adopting him and taking care of foster kids. That is such an amazing thing to do and not everyone can. I am really glad that your family has Dominique. I bet you are a great older brother to him!

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  3. That's so cute! You guys are such a cute happy family! Were you an only child before adopting Dominick? (Besides taking care of foster children) If so, that would be so sweet because it's like the sibling-you-always-wanted idea. I like how you described the stage of half-asleep and half-awake as a separate stage from asleep and awake, I could imagine it (and recall when I've felt like that).

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