Chapter 2

In the meantime, the Department of Social Services was hard at work screening several likely candidates for the adoption of John Stevens. After an extensive background check, one couple stood out as the perfect couple for the adoption. Robert and Joan Strong were in their early thirties, both had good jobs, and the potential mother worked out of the house, therefore there would be no need for day care. They appeared to be model citizens and were extremely desirous of adopting a child. It seemed that the husband could not provide them with children because of a childhood disease that caused him to be sterile.

For once the wheels of bureaucracy turned quickly, and within two months of his birth John Stevens became John Stevens Strong. At the time of the adoption the social worker, seeing that it would serve no purpose to hide the child's ancestry from his new parents, provided them with the limited information that she had.

After a brief discussion, the parents decided that they would provide this information to their new son if he ever requested it. They agreed that they would be completely honest with him as to his adoption and who his birth parents were.

One of Robert's pastimes was investigating his and his wife's ancestry; he had built an elaborate family tree going back some ten generations. He wanted to include their son's background as well, so he started his search into the parents' history. He was shocked to learn that John had a lost sister; they had not been given that information. So, along with the other documents that they had received, he placed an abbreviated version of John's family tree, noting that Mary Stevens, his sister, had been one year old at the time of his birth. They also included a copy of the newspaper article that had been written about the accident, noting that Mary had apparently been abducted by someone and was missing.

"I don't know why he would ever need this information or what possible use it could be to him, since in all likelihood she will never be found again, but I'll include it anyway."