Serendipity at JFK

I just bumped into a woman named Larissa reading the "Departures" board next to me at JFK. We struck up a conversation and quickly discovered that we are both in the adoption process. I'm on my way back to Russia to complete a required medical exam to satisfy a judge in Murmansk who has the power to grant or deny me the parental rights to 3-year-old Daniil. Larissa is on her way back to Kiev to adopt her 3rd child from Ukraine, a 15 year old girl named Svetlana. Svetlana stole Larissa's heart one year ago when she and her husband were in Kiev adopting another girl, 9, and her younger brother. As Larissa and her family left the orphanage, Svetlana kissed her on the cheek and thanked her for sharing special treats with all of the children. Larissa hasn't been able to get Svetlana off her her mind since and now is heading to Kiev to get the teenager registered with the U.S. Embassy before she turns 16 and is too old to qualify for adoption.

The twists and turns of the human heart and lives hanging in the balance...