“WE MUST RETURN HIM!” my husband yelled as he ran out of the restroom. I was taken aback. My mind was racing with a million ideas, and my heart fell. In just one minute, what could have gone so wrong?
With a towel in his hand, our adorable child with blue eyes waited silently at the bathroom door. His small face seemed apprehensive and bewildered, as if he had already learnt to anticipate rejection.
Without hesitation, I lowered myself to Sam’s level and held his small hands tenderly. “Sam, would you mind taking a quick trip to your room, my love? Daddy and Mommy should have a conversation.
Sam moved away after nodding, his gaze darting tensely between us. Fire flaming in my chest, I turned to my husband as soon as he was out of earshot. “But what the devil is wrong with you?”
With a pale face and a shaking hand, my spouse gestured toward the restroom. He said, “Go look.” “Just… take a look.”
Still seething, I stormed into the bathroom. At first, nothing looked out of place—until I discovered something in the tub. My breath caught. What appeared to be a patch of hair—no, it wasn’t hair—**a wig** floated there in the water.
I took it in my hands and flipped it over. It wasn’t just ordinary wig, either; it was hauntingly accurate and made to resemble natural hair growth. With my head whirling, I held it and walked back out. “What is this?” My voice trembled as I asked.
My spouse cried, “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” As I began to shampoo his hair, it simply fell out! He’s bald—bald all over!
For a brief moment, we stood in startled silence, and then I recalled something I had quickly glanced over in the excitement of bringing Sam home, hidden deep in his adoption dossier. “Oh God,” I muttered. “Alopecia is the cause.”
“What?”
I clarified, “Sam has alopecia areata.” Hair loss is a symptom of an autoimmune disease. The documents contained it. I suppose I was unaware of how serious it was.
My husband gave me a disbelieving look. “You mean you were aware of this?”
“It wasn’t a huge deal to me!” I fired back. It’s only hair, and he’s a kid. Why is it important?
“You didn’t tell me, so it matters!”
A tiny voice cut us off just as I was about to continue our argument. “Mom? “Daddy?”
Sam was standing in the corridor with his small hands clutching the wall’s edge when we both turned around. Tears filled his large, blue eyes. “Are you returning me?”
My heart broke into a million fragments. I hurried to embrace him and embraced him. My voice broke as I answered, “No, sweetheart.” “You won’t be sent back. You will always be with us.
With a look of remorse on his face, my spouse stood still. He approached us slowly and knelt next to us. “I apologize, Sam,” he murmured quietly. “I was just… taken aback.” But no, you won’t be sent back. We adore you, and you are now our son.
Sam looked up at him and sniffed. “Really?”
My spouse softly ruffled Sam’s head and whispered, “Really.”
As I put Sam to bed that evening, I saw my husband hovering at the door, observing us. He later said that he was embarrassed by his response. “I simply wasn’t ready,” he admitted. But when I saw how terrified he was and how strongly he believed we didn’t want him, I saw how mistaken I was. I’ll perform better. I *aspire* to perform better.
And he did. My husband became Sam’s strongest supporter throughout the months, learning as much as he could about alopecia. To boost Sam’s confidence, he even began donning a matching bald cap on “no hair, don’t care” days.
Despite his lack of hair, Sam filled our lives with so much love and fun that we couldn’t picture our family without him. Even if they are the ones who cause your heart to develop the most, the nicest surprises can also come with difficulties.