As of March 29th we are still waiting for the social welfare office to publicize the abandonment decree in the local newspaper. Now the tricky thing is that the presiding judge over the case wants to send the file to La Ceiba, a town on the north coast of Honduras because Margarita is from Roatan, but there is no Family Court in Roatan, just a general court. The judge named Ruben, was a colleague of my lawyer Oscar. I have asked Oscar to BEG him not to send our case there. After the announcement is placed in the newspaper then the social welfare lawyer takes it to the judge to have him issue the sentence, after the sentence is issued then the decree is issued.
Here’s another problem. The social welfare office has not paid their outstanding bill at the newspaper therefore they cannot place any more announcements! Yes, I will be going to the newspaper to offer a “donation” for the social welfare office outstanding bill, well actually Chris will go because I shouldn’t been seen involving myself in the matter. Chris also went to the social welfare office for me to ask when they were going to publicize it and the woman very nicely said, “Oh yes, the little black girl. Her file is right here. As soon as we get our bill paid we can place the announcement.”
I tried really hard to hold back my tears when Oscar asked me what I thought of all this and I said the “system” does not look out for the welfare of the Honduran children. This judge wants to send a perfectly complete open and shut case of abandonment to another city just because Margarita wasn’t born in either of them. She has been and currently lives in the jurisdiction of Tegucigalpa!
On April 20th, Margarita’s birth mother died in the public hospital in Roatan of HIV related causes, including tuberculosis. She was 41 years old. I went to the island a few days later to get the death certificate. It was not easy! I had to wait at the hospital to get the attending doctor who pronounced her dead to fill out a death sentence form and then take that to the registry. Hours waiting at both of these places. The hospital was filled with crying babies and people waiting on wooden benches. Dogs walking in and out with no one concerned about it. Luckily Nora’s daughter Teshanna helped me find Margarita’s oldest brother Kenny to be witness at the registry. It’s a miracle that it all worked out.
Margarita has two other brothers whom I got to visit with. One is doing well, he is 8 and lives with a woman and attends a good bilingual school. The other one who is 11, has failed first grade 3 times so they didn’t send him back. He runs in the streets all day. Supposedly his father and or step mother are caring for him after Nora died, but he looks bad.It was sad to see this and know there is nothing I can do to help him. He’s lost.
Skz came to visit in April for 8 days. We had a great time and went to Copan Ruins, a town by the Guatemala border with Mayan Ruins. We stayed at a bed and breakfast and also went to a bird sanctuary and a coffee plantation/farm, where we went horseback riding and went to the hot springs. Margarita and Skz continue to develop their relationship and it’s wonderful to see them together. Margarita asks about people in the states all the time and what everyone’s name is. Also if they like certain food like, “does Polly (my mom) like pancakes?” or “do they have ice cream cones in the states?” She also says a lot of funny things like after mass she said, “the whole world loves Jesus, right?”
So the good news is that I will be in Phoenix July 5th through the 12th! Margarita will stay in town with Chris and her son, so I know she is in good hands.
I hope to see all of you then.
Take care and send me an email when you get a chance,
Love,
Monica
