A heavy silence settled over the room until Albert finally said, “So what do we do?” Eleanor stood up, wiped her eyes, and answered in a voice that was suddenly firm. “I’ve already decided. I’m going there tomorrow and I’m finding out the truth for myself.”
A week later, after making arrangements and gathering what she needed, she stepped off a train in an unfamiliar town and asked for directions to the children’s home. It turned out to be well outside the station area, so she took a cab. During the ride she barely spoke, ignoring the driver’s attempts at small talk and watching the roadside blur past.
Her mind was fixed on one thing only: what waited behind those gates. When she arrived, she learned the director was out of the building. Eleanor got the office number from the receptionist and checked into a cheap motel nearby, where she washed up, lay down for a while, and tried to steady herself.
That evening she called again and was told the director still would not be back until the next morning. So at opening time the following day, she was there. Soon she found herself sitting across from the director in a large office. He was an older man in a worn suit with silver hair and rimmed glasses. He introduced himself as Frank Dawson.
He leafed through a file, looked over the top of his glasses, and said, “Yes, we do have a boy here named Joey. He’s nine years old. But I don’t understand how you know about him, or why you’re asking. What exactly is your relationship to this child?”
Eleanor clasped her handbag and answered carefully, “I believe I may be his grandmother.” The director leaned back. “What does ‘may be’ mean, legally speaking? If you want information, you’ll need to explain how you came to that conclusion.”
He tapped a pencil against the desk. “You understand I can’t release confidential information to someone who walks in off the street. I’m sorry, but that’s the law.” Eleanor swallowed hard. “I’m asking for one thing only. Please let me see him, even from a distance.”
The director shook his head. “Without documentation or a formal request through child services, I can’t do that. You have no paperwork, no proof, and no established legal connection.”
