The Right Decision

By Seung Geel Hong

A girl lives in 11 foster care homes until she “ages out” when she turns 18. She injures her back and becomes disabled. She does not want her future child to enter the foster care system, and she goes to an adoption agency and puts her unborn child up for open adoption.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781008941021

Book preview

The Right Decision

First Edition

By Hong, Seung Geel (홍승길)

© 2020 by Hong, Seung Geel (홍승길)

Edited by Maureen J. Silk

All rights reserved

ISBN:  978-1-008-94102-1

Disclaimer

The following story was inspired by true experiences; but the names of persons, organizations, and locations were changed to protect the privacy of everyone involved. Therefore, any similarity between any of the names in this story to any known individual, whether living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Hong, Seung Geel (홍승길)

Introduction

The 911 dispatcher received a call from a young woman who seemed to be cool, calm, and collected. The young woman explained:

Hello, my name is Irma H-----, and I live at 3956 Sugar Maple Road in Black Tree County, about three miles from the county line….

Irma paused for a moment, whereupon the dispatcher prompted:

Yes, please state the nature of your emergency.

Irma resume her explanation:

My baby is asleep in the bedroom, and I need you to come and get her.

The dispatcher asked:

Oh?  What’s wrong with the baby?  Won’t she wake up?

Irma answered:

No, the baby is fine.  It’s ME who’s got the problem….

By now the dispatcher deduced that she needed to keep the caller talking until help could arrive at the caller’s address.  Before Irma could begin her next sentence, the dispatcher asked:

What’s wrong? How can we help?

Irma resumed:

I need you to come and get my baby, because I’m going to be dead in a few minutes.

The dispatcher’s heart rate picked up speed as she blurted out:

No!  Please!  Please don’t do what you’re thinking of doing; your baby NEEDS you.

Irma was determined to carry out her decision.  She calmly said:

No, I’ve already thought it over and I’ve made up my mind.  I can’t take care of my child, so I need you to take her and find a good home for her.

Before the dispatcher could take a breath to begin speaking, the sound of a gunshot flashed through her headset and slammed against her eardrums.

At the Crime Scene

When the police and the paramedics arrived at the suicide crime scene, it was obvious that Irma had killed herself with a .45 caliber handgun.  Therefore the paramedics checked her for a heartbeat and declared her dead.  They quickly left the scene so that the police could begin their investigation.

The police investigators immediately noticed that Irma had tried to muffle the sound of the gunshot by covering the gun with a pillow, very likely to protect the baby’s sensitive hearing.

They then noticed a neatly written suicide note on the kitchen table:

"I have no way of taking care of my child.  Her father was murdered two months ago:  His body was found in the trunk of his car without his head, hands, or feet.

I am physically, mentally, and financially unable to provide for my child –