Forever, or a Long, Long Time: Chapter 18–Theory #0

by Caela Carter
Fourth-grader Flora and her younger brother Julian believe they were never born because they have bounced around different homes and cannot believe that they will ever have a family whom they can live with and love forever.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Theory #1–Chapter 7, Chapter 8–Theory #742, Chapter 18–Theory #0
35 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dribble
    let or cause to fall in drops
    I reach over and dribble a handful of sand onto Person's foot so that I don't have to look at her face and see her reaction to all those real words.
  2. acquire
    come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
    "You see, they are two children. They had acquired a lot of stuff. I'm afraid I'm not sure. I donated most of it."
  3. determined
    characterized by great firmness of purpose
    Person sounds determined. It's like she wants to know what we want to know. It's like she'll say our words for us even if she doesn't want them said.
  4. endure
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    I don't want Person to endure any more of this sixth-grade mean-girl-ness.
  5. transition
    a change from one place or state or subject to another
    "So yes, you were with me for a while. I can't believe you don't remember anything I did for—well, anyway, we did the proper slow transition that the experts recommend. So first you came for a weekend. Then a week."
  6. specifically
    in distinction from others
    Well, you see, I didn't realize I would be adopting a disabled child. In fact, I specifically requested healthy children.
  7. trample
    tread or stomp heavily or roughly
    We jump out of the car and throw the presents on the ground. We jump on them. We kick them. We pound and break and trample them.
  8. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    I glare at him. I don't understand how he lies like that.
  9. tinny
    thin, metallic, and displeasing in sound
    "Just wanted to say good morning and I love you," Dad's voice comes, tinny through the phone.
  10. eventually
    after an unspecified period of time or a long delay
    "But he got in the water eventually," Vanessa says. "We got this little one swimming."
  11. vague
    lacking clarity or distinctness
    A vague memory comes over me of a person helping me learn how to shape my mouth for certain words and letters.
  12. idyllic
    excellent and delightful in all respects
    "We're making it sound pretty idyllic, I'm afraid,” Vanessa says. "We had our rough moments."
  13. regression
    returning to a former state
    We had regression and behaviors and tantrums and all of that.
  14. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    "The official story from the state is that our house was deemed inappropriate," Vanessa says.
  15. discriminate
    treat differently on the basis of race, sex, religion, etc.
    "We'll never know. We can't prove it. But it felt..."
    "Discriminatory," Vanessa finishes.
    "Discriminatory?" I say.
    Person takes my hand and looks right at me. "Because they're both moms," she says.
  16. practical
    having or put to an actual purpose or use
    But even if it doesn't matter in any sort of practical way and even if everyone can still be happy...it matters to me.
  17. evaluation
    the act of ascertaining or judging the quality of
    There's evaluations from my speech therapist.
  18. mode
    a particular functioning condition or arrangement
    Person shakes her head and seems to snap back into mom- mode again.
  19. rummage
    search haphazardly
    He tosses his bathing suit back into our suitcase and starts rummaging through it for shorts or something.
  20. impression
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    I have cloudy memories of being in a car with her as she talked in a soothing voice and I got the impression that what she was saying was really important but I couldn't make myself focus on the words.
  21. significant
    important in effect or meaning
    Explain how their files were lost, making it so I was informed that they had no significant attachments when clearly they did.
  22. attachment
    a feeling of affection for a person or an institution
    Explain how their files were lost, making it so I was informed that they had no significant attachments when clearly they did.
  23. embrace
    include in scope
    You, as a parent, need to embrace their past. You can't run away from it or be threatened by it.
  24. utensil
    an implement for practical use
    The other diners are loud with their voices and their clinking utensils.
  25. gradual
    proceeding in small stages
    "I know we should have done this more slowly. More gradually."
  26. savior
    a person who rescues you from harm or danger
    I wonder if this was Kelly's job with us. She came and made the moms less mad. It was something like that. Something that made her seem like a savior, with limits.
  27. coordinator
    someone whose task is to see that work goes harmoniously
    I know for sure I gave them to your adoptive placement coordinator.
  28. capacity
    a specified function
    All I can tell you is that when Julian and Flora became free for adoption, the judge determined that their house was not appropriate for these two in a permanent capacity.
  29. advocate
    speak, plead, or argue in favor of
    "But it's your job to advocate for them,” Person says.
  30. certify
    guarantee as meeting a certain standard
    I talked with the adoption caseworker about getting Margie and Vanessa certified for adoption and that looked possible for a while...
  31. ultimately
    as the end result of a succession or process
    "You're already a great sister to Julian. And now there will be three of you. It'll be hard sometimes but ultimately love grows if you try even a little bit."
  32. slather
    spread thickly
    We quick-quick change into our bathing suits and slather on the sunblock that Person always makes us wear even though she’s the only one who gets sunburned.
  33. dollop
    a soft lump or portion of something, especially food
    One dollop of cooked carrots. One dollop of mac and cheese. That doesn't seem like enough lunch for that kid.
  34. maintain
    keep in a certain state, position, or activity
    "I keep children when the state cannot find anywhere else. I must maintain a clear structure or else I would not be able to handle it."
  35. neglect
    lack of attention and due care
    It was a case of neglect, which means wherever they were before, they were not getting proper care in terms of food or supervision or some such.
Created on Mon Sep 26 11:31:33 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Jul 31 16:56:50 EDT 2023)

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