COUNTING DOWN
COUNTING DOWN
A Memoir of Foster Parenting and Beyond
Deborah Gold
Michael M.
OHIO UNIVERSITY PRESS
ATHENS, OHIO
Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio 45701
© 2018 by Ohio University Press
All rights reserved
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The essays listed below previously appeared in different form in the following publications:
“Cleaning Up for DSS” appeared as “Cleaning Up for D.S.S.” in Water~Stone Review
“Cody” appeared as “Cody, Age 14 (or 15, if you ask him)” in Gargoyle
“DSS: Department of Social Services” appeared as “D.S.S.: Department of Social Services” in Hotel Amerika
“Counting Down: Reunification” appeared as “Counting Down” in Press 53 Open Awards Anthology 2011 and, in abridged form, in Fostering Families Today magazine
“She Said Yes” appeared in Floyd County Moonshine
“Gel Pens” appeared in J Journal, literary journal of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice
“The Pickup Line” appeared in abridged form as “The Pick-Up Line” in Fostering Families Today magazine
All names and place names have been changed, along with many identifying details. This is my own recollection of events, which I’ve related to the best of my knowledge. I am grateful to all the family members and professionals who have supported these children and allowed them to become part of our lives.
Printed in the United States of America
Ohio University Press books are printed on acid-free paper
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017959985
And it seemed as though in a little while the solution would be found, and then a new and glorious life would begin; and it was clear to both of them that the end was still far off, and that what was to be most complicated and difficult for them was only just beginning.
—Anton Chekhov, The Lady with the Pet Dog
Contents
Mine & Yours, poem by Michael, age thirteen
I. A Foster Family’s Initiation
DSS: Department of Social Services
Dry Creek Drive: The Highway to Hell, essay by Michael
The Poem of Hell on Earth, poem by Michael
In a Prison, essay by Michael
What’s in Your Toolbox? poem by Michael
A Fork in the Road, essay by Michael
Shepherd’s Way, essay by Michael
III. Reading around the Curves
The Fast and the Furious, or Other Visions of Cody
IV. Door to Door, House to House
Halloween, essay by Michael
Uncle Jonah, essay by Michael
Make It Stop Now, poem by Michael
