Nathan's New Home

An American couple finds hope and happiness in Russia

Out of their control

Now the adoption of Fyodor X was in the hands of Judge Tatiana Gunko. The process could still be halted if his birth parents changed their minds or if a qualified Russian family showed interest in him.

 Back in Texas, the Darrs could only wait. They repeatedly watched videos they had made in the orphanage. They prayed the whole thing wasn't a mirage. "I'll believe it when he's in our arms heading home," said Karen.

 Then Brinkmeyer called with good news. A court date had been set in St. Petersburg for October 27. After weeks of anticipation, the Darrs returned to St. Petersburg only to discover that Fyodor had the chicken pox.

 "He's been sick for a few days," said Natasha Votyakova, the agency's director in Russia. Votyakova put the best possible face on this development, but she and the Darrs knew it might stall the adoption process.

 The Darrs spent a happy 90 minutes playing with Fyodor before returning to the hotel to think. Should they put everything on hold until Fyodor recovered completely? Votyakova made several phone calls to determine whether chicken pox would prevent Fyodor from getting a U.S. visa. The consensus was that the visa process would probably move ahead if he didn't develop new spots. The existing ones were almost dry and wouldn't be contagious for long.

 A few days later, Fyodor's smile seemed brighter. There were no new bumps; his forehead was cool. The illness was not worsening.

 Tensions were high on the night before the court appearance. Karen's stomach was acting up, but she was excited. "Tomorrow, someone will call me Mom," she said, forgetting that Fyodor couldn't talk yet.

Specialized Terms

Birth parents (n pl) 亲生父母 one's biological parents

Mirage (n) 痴心妄想；幻影 a hope or desire that has no chance of being achieved

Chicken pox (n) 水痘 a highly contagious childhood disease characterized by small open sores on the skin and a low-grade fever

Appeal (n) 上诉 a request to a court of law to change a previous decision

Vocabulary Focus

Halt (v) to cause something to stop happening

Put the best face on (idiom) to focus on the best aspects of a difficult situation

Act up (v) to make itself felt as a recurring pain

Discussion Question

"The process could still be halted if his birth parents changed their minds or if a qualified Russian family showed interest in him." So, why not adopt a child from U.S?

Extra Exercise

1. Translate the following sentence into Chinese, ‘Tensions were high on the night before the court appearance.'

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