While Wednesday was slipping by, it did not pass away completely without a call being placed to Frank Adoption. It yielded results consistent with the past. I then hit the website. What’s this, a notice? There have been changes and the contact for Martha was listed. Her name was Michelina, and she was out of North Carolina. North Carolina? Her number was dialed immediately and – I promise you – a nice message was left for Michelina, asking that she call me as soon as possible.
My cell phone rang the next morning a little after eleven o’clock. It was Michelina; she was familiar with our case and, in fact, had our folder. As the conversation from last year is pieced together, the thing to know is she was calling to say Frank Adoption did not currently have an Executive Director licensed in the State of Maryland. My mind raced, and my eyes probably got squinty, but this isn’t exactly recalled. Her next line, however, is remembered: no one was able to authorize/sign-off on a completed home study. (Oh, wait, my eyes did get squinty, a lot like Cool Hand Luke, actually.)
I didn’t bi-locate to NC like St. Paul roaming around in the Acts of the Apostles, but I was beside myself. “When will you be getting a licensed person?” No date. “I mean, are we talking weeks, or months?” Not sure. “Then it’s undefined?” Yes.
You always hear about the devil putting up road blocks in our lives; the Disgrace of Darkness is not one to lift us up. Candidly, however, aside from the frustration with getting the home study visits kicked-off we had felt things were going okay. But this surprise was so over-the-top bad. Nearly two months to the day after officially beginning this journey our home study agency wasn’t able to fulfill its contractual obligations. No home study, no adoption.
Fitting or not, the only person to turn to was the one who was delivering the bad news. What were we to do? Michelina offered to give us a full refund. I’d like to think I was calm throughout the conversation, but not raising my voice doesn’t translate into being calm. Exhibit A: “I know you are going to give us a full refund, but that’s too easy an out. I want you to keep our money right now; Frank Adoption needs to have some skin in the game.”
The business edge of me emerged, as can be seen. While one can argue over the suitable phraseology in that stressful spot, in the front of my mind there must have been a real solution, a solution that Frank Adoption had already considered. This perspective was shared with Michelina. With all due respect to our family, this problem of theirs was much bigger than “The Seeley’s.” We were just one little home study. What about the many others? What about folks using Frank Adoption as a placement agency? “You can’t just leave us all hanging – what is Frank Adoption’s plan?”
They had a potential one, at least for us, and why it only surfaced after pushing was unclear. Regardless, they had informally set up a bridge to an agency called The Datz Foundation, out of Northern Virginia. They apparently were licensed in Maryland and may be able to work with us – a family in limbo – for the home study.
If there was a silver lining coming to light I pretended not to see it. There was much unknown – would any of our documents transfer to this agency, or would all of it need to be re-captured? That said, though guarded, I was appreciative of the lead. Hope can be helpful in a tough hour. Michelina and I ended the call with several agreements, of which the key ones were we would stay under contract with Frank Adoption at least through the New Year; and she would FedEx our complete file to our home by the next day.
Before moving on it’s important to say some words about Frank Adoption. Rose and I were admittedly shocked and disappointed about the lack of communication from Frank Adoption. At the same time, we recognize that all organizations go through transitions, some of them being uncomfortable. While we are not able to personally recommend Frank Adoption, families must choose what is best for them and that could very definitely include working with Frank Adoption (in fact, they had previously been a wonderful partner to our friends, who adopted four or their eight children from Russia). And, specific to Michelina, we are sure she didn’t ask to be put in that spot. For us, she was extremely helpful and unfailingly professional throughout the ordeal, and for that we are thankful.
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