Chapter Text
“That should be everything.” He said as he pulled the car’s trunk shut. Mabel watched the man as he stretched from all the back and forth he’d been doing to make sure Mabel’s things were all set. He then patted the top of the car and gestured to the backseat’s door.
“Ready to go, Mabel?”
Mabel nodded silently.
“Awesome. Time for a fresh start.”
To any other kid, this would be a delight. She was being adopted. She is going to have a family! Live in a happy home with a father that loves her. But, for Mabel, she wasn’t happy at all. It had barely been a year since she lost her grandmother. She could barely remember her parents but her grandma, she was her only stability. Her only family. Now she was gone. And now this random man thinks he can just walk into her life and claim to be her new father?
For the weeks leading up to finishing the legal stuff for the adoption, Mabel got to know about him more. His name was Jerry, he had a mother he cares for, he works in city hall doing things that Mabel didn’t understand, he loved cooking and emphasized that he’d cook her dinner almost every day and make her pancakes some mornings. When he tried to get to know her more, she didn’t say much. He knew she was selective mute, as the woman who owned the adoption home explained, and it was extra difficult for her to talk to strangers. Understanding that, he reassured her it was okay if she didn’t want to answer any of his questions. He did learn about her a little by looking at the many nature-related books she had and the oversized jacket she held onto like a safety blanket. When he asked about the jacket, he was told that Mabel had lost her Grandmother who was the only one raising her. Only thing he had left of her was the jacket.
Mabel really had no choice when she was told she’d be getting adopted. The orphanage said Jerry was a good fit to be her father. The owner of the orphanage said she was excited for Mabel to go to a loving home. So she had to go with it. Go with him.
She crawled into the backseat and Jerry buckled her small body in. “Let’s get this show on the road!” He tried to say in an upbeat manner but Mabel’s pout as she looked away from him made him drop the facade.
“… Hey… I-I know it’s scary, okay? Truth is… I lost someone I loved a lot, too. It hurts, I know it does. But I promise, I won’t try to replace anyone you love. But I will do my best to make sure you’re safe and happy. Okay?”
Mabel’s face softened only a little. She tugged her jacket closer and sniffled. Jerry didn’t say anything. He simply shut the door, sat in the driver’s seat, and the car got moving.
The drive was quiet. Very quiet. Mabel stared out the window, blankly watching the trees speeding past. Jerry peaked over at her through the rear view window a few times, wanting to say something but being unable to find anything. He didn’t know what to say to ease her.
They arrived at a big house in a clean, bright suburb. Neighbors were outside either talking, doing lawn work, taking walks, or ready to head to work. Jerry parked and stepped out of the car and opened the back door for Mabel. Mabel stared at him for a moment. She’d much rather stay in this car and pray that she will fade form reality but she knew Jerry wouldn’t let that happen even if that was possible. So she unbuckled herself and carefully hopped out of the car.
“Here it is. Your new home. At least, I hope you’ll come to see it as home.” Jerry looked down at her with a gently smile. “I really hope you’ll like it here.”
He lead her inside. She felt the cool conditioned air the moment the front door opened and her eyes scanned the area around her. It was very clean, almost too clean. There was the typical things a house had. A living room, a kitchen, a dining room table, photos and small decorations to make the place look nice. Nothing too special.
Jerry introduced her to his mother, who was, admittedly, very sweet. But she insisted on Mabel calling her ‘Grandma’ which Mabel felt a pit in her stomach just hearing that. She didn’t want to call anyone else Grandma. She had a Grandma. This wasn’t her Grandma.
… She wanted her Grandmother.
Jerry then took her upstairs and showed her to her new room. It was so much bigger than her previous room. Her Grandma lived in a small house and Mabel had her own small, cozy room. This room was intimidatingly big. There was a big bed with a pink canopy, a small vanity for her to sit in, a small pink table that sat beside a bin of toys all on top of a mat to play on. The white walls were decorated in flower stickers with butterflies and bees and other cute animals. She liked that part but everything else seemed a tad too… girly.
“You like it?”
Mabel nodded silently. She didn’t hate it at all. It just wasn’t exactly her. It wasn’t Mabel.
“Perfect! You can get settled in and I will get all your things from the car.”
That night, after all the fuss was over and done with, after Jerry made dinner that Mabel barely made a dent in, after she took a bath with Jerry stood in the hall just beside the open bathroom door just in case she needed help, and after she put on her oversized pajama shirt, Mabel finally went to bed. Her room was quiet and dark aside from a small nightlight that gave her corner of the room a warm glow.
She stared at the wall, curled up and hugging her Grandmother’s jacket.
Mabel buried her face into it, shutting her eyes. It was almost like her Grandma was there with her. Mabel then hiccuped and weeped into the jacket. She hadn’t realized how long she hadn’t cried until now. Her tiny little body shook with every shaky sob. Her little lungs could barely take in a breath. It hurt so much. She missed her so much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Days to weeks to months passed. Mabel got older, she became more vocal. Every birthday, Jerry baked a cake, got her gifts, and took her to the glade because that’s all she asked for. He didn’t know why, he didn’t understand it, but he took her anyways.
Jerry giving her the time needed as the months passed worked like a charm and she spoke to him more often. It started off with saying “yes/no/I dunno” to him, then it got to her asking him for things like some juice or her favorite food for dinner, then it developed quickly from there. She began to make small comments here and there, asks questions about something so Jerry could explain it to her, and compliment him when he’d get all dressed up for a grown-up party.
He loved when she’d sometimes sit on his bed while he was finishing getting ready for work or a party. It showed she wanted to be around him. She’d either be reading one of her nature books or watching him as he did his tie. When he’d be getting ready for work, he’d put on a cool colored tie before asking her what she wanted for breakfast.
”Pancakes.” She’s say softly.
”My specialty.” He grins. Mabel smiles back.
Jerry was beyond happy when he’d ask her something involving school or her nature books and she’d excitedly go on and on about it all. He admittedly didn’t understand most of what she was telling him but he was happy to listen to her anyway because she never talked this much.
The night that things began to finally change, Jerry woke up to a teary eyed, red faced Mabel asking to sleep next to him for the night. She was shy and quiet, expecting him to simply pat her on the head and send her back to her room. He was so shocked that he almost didn’t answer right away. When he snapped out of it, Jerry happily pulled back the sheets and scooped her up (as she was still too small to get up herself). Mabel had the best sleep of her life since… she couldn’t remember when.
Jerry couldn’t stop smiling, he almost couldn’t sleep with how happy he was. How proud he was of her!
Things were going to be easier from now on. He knew it…
… Little did he know that this was not the end of their problems. FAR from it.