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She was a foster kid.

She grew up in a group home, a place where you basically lived in a bunk.

And if you were lucky, you got to shower before the other kids drained the hot water tank.

Christmas time was especially difficult, because everyone else had families.

Meantime, you got various dollar tree toys and food served on paper plates.

Well, our story takes place when she was 14 years old.

She was tall and gangly, brunette hair, bad teeth.

Her mom and dad were incarcerated, and neither family wanted her.

As it happens, 14-year-old foster kids are not easily adopted. Potential parents would visit her home, and they'd meet the kids, and never even asked her name. The men wanted sons, and women wanted babies to cuddle, someone to call them mommy.

A 14-year-old girl was like a geriatric dog at the shelter.

It was one December when she was taking an after-school class that life changed.

She was in Spanish club.

She was pretty good at languages, but really, Spanish club was just a way to prevent herself from going back to

the group home for a few hours each week.

...