Act 3: Yes! We’re very nearly there!

Back in May in the period immediately following Approval I compared the adoption process to a play in various acts.

Act 1 told two separate stories. Firstly – the story of a child, their birth family; and the social workers and courts involved in deciding what was best for this unique and special individual. And secondly the story of a couple going through the process of being approved to be adoptive parents. Both of these stories ended Act 1 at the same point – heading towards adoption – only to diverge again in Act 2. Although now swimming in the same pool these hitherto separate stories still had to wend their way towards each other through due process and good old fashioned patience. And finally the curtains fell on Act 2 – the inevitability of the intertwining of these stories crystal clear to the audience, but still tantalisingly outside the experience or knowledge of the principle actors.

And now the orchestra has started to play again, the audience have retaken their seats and the curtain rises on Act 3 in an atmosphere of delightful anticipation. The scene is set in the house of the prospective adopters. ‘Mum’ is knitting in the baby’s room with a sense of excitement that she has no foundation for other than the more hopeful / expectant tone of their last meeting with their social worker and… ? well let’s call it intuition (always easy with hindsight!). The doorbell goes and Mum heads down the stairs while Dad goes to the door. Hot drinks are initiated, small talk performed…. and then – off the usual script – the social worker asks: “Are you expecting anyone home soon?” “No”, she is assured, in fact there are after school clubs etc so we have a good amount of time available…And so it is that seated in their usual seats in the sitting room the prospective adopters finally hear the words they have been hoping for: “So there is news….. ” and the audience breathe a sigh of relief as the two stories they have followed for two Acts now collide for the very first time.