Desaparecido

Any language other than your native language has words that are strange, beautiful, surprising, or confusing.  The Spanish word "desaparecido" is one of those words to me.  It means disappeared but when I see it written or hear it spoken, the first English word that comes to mind is desperate.  I suppose in many cases, to mothers or fathers of lost children there is little difference between desperate and disappeared.  How can you separate them?

I was looking for a reference I had written in an earlier blog and came upon one I wrote last March entitled Loving arms, away from home.  The one picture I included was of Maribel snuggling Fernando.  She is wearing a cross I had given her at her baptism just a little while before that picture was taken.  It seems so long ago.  I must write about the latest in the story about Maribel, Fernando and Amandita. 

My last blog concluded with, "What happens next?  Not sure.  I pray that Maribel will place her fingerprint on the paper giving us custody of the children."   The day after writing the blog, Maribel gave me Amandita's birth certificate and vaccination records and she and Fernando took of for Olancho, a department in HN, for 10 days to visit family.  She told us she would be back next Wednesday  to sign the papers and then head off to Mexico. 

Amandita has attachment issues and last night I had finally gotten her calm and snuggled asleep on my shoulder.  Valjean and I had just returned from picking up Pizza Hut personal pizzas (Valjean's craving, not mine!) when the bell rang.  To my shock, there were Maribel and Fernando.  Both filthy and reeking.  I invited them in and gave them my pizza.  Maribel was charged with excitement. "My mother sent money for me to get to Mexico!!!  I am going tomorrow!!!"  (Maribel was sold by her mother as an infant and has been haunted by this all her life.)  She then gave me Fernando's papers.  I contacted Suzy right away and she got our lawyer, Dony, working on the papers from home.  "Tomorrow!, I thought, Tomorrow the children will be under our care at last!"

She had bathed Fernando but she was still a mess so she asked if she could take a shower.  Of course!  I gave her a towel and asked Fernando if he wanted to watch TV.  He nodded solemnly so I went upstairs to set up a DVD.  When I came back down, just minutes later, the three of them were gone.  Desaparecido.  She had taken just the children as they were - no shoes on Fernando, Amandita in a little onesie (it still gets chilly at night), no bottles or diapers, or anything.  The three of them gone.   I ran through the house desperately searching for them.  No money, no food, no clothes - desperate conditions.   Disappeared.

What happens next?  Not sure. I desperately pray she will bring them back to us.  Until then, instead of loving abuelas caring for a precious baby, we have an empty crib. 

Dear Lord, bring these children back to us.  Heal your child, Maribel.  Please, Lord.