Eighteen Years Seth: Growing up in Foster Care

By Brad Heyen

We all look at people and think we know them, but it sure would help us truly understand them if we could go back and see their life at different points of times so we can see what they have been through: their joys, their struggles, what made them who they are. In Eighteen Years: Seth, you will be immersed into the life of a foster kid named Seth. The story is arranged so you, as a reader, can jump to different times of Seth’s life so you can build upon your knowledge of what Seth has been through as well as glimpses into the paths Seth still has to endure. You will know what Seth has been through in his life and how it shaped who he was, and who he is.

You will be on an emotional roller coaster as you live Seth’s life as a foster kid. You will experience the hopelessness and drain of not having his own family, his real mom; followed by friendships and caregivers that give him hope. You will see the beauty of people in Seth’s life that give him love and support, but then you will see the reality of abuse and extreme loneliness as well. All lives are tough, but wait until you learn about Seth’s and what he overcomes and what he becomes!

We all have a story—a complex story. I hope that as you read Seth’s story, you will look at each character and ask yourself, “I wonder what has made them who they are.” It is an exercise I believe we all should learn to do in real life. There is so much that makes each of us who we are. The people and their own stories, our environment and circumstances, and the influences are endless. Get to know people, invest in their stories, and understand their stories. Hopefully, that may change your story!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662447693

Book preview

Year 13

Seth stared at the blank ceiling as he lay in bed. He was starting eighth grade today. He knew he should have some emotion, but none were present. He was not excited; he was not afraid. Starting school was an exercise he knew well. It may be the start of his eighth grade, but it seemed like about the twentieth time he had started a new school. Seth knew the routine. His teacher would be especially nice to him, probably because they had seen his records. The other kids would ignore him…hopefully. It could also begin with a fight; he had been in a few. How he wished Brian or Lee—for that matter, anyone—was around so he could share the day with them. Instead, he was alone.

Seth pulled on his old jeans to go with the t-shirt he had slept in. Quietly, he strolled into the kitchen and prepared himself a bowl of cereal. The house was quiet and dark, the sun barely coming up. No television, no music, no conversation. His mind went to what might have been—a mom fixing his breakfast, the smell of bacon, lots of questions about his plans for the day, his classes, his friends. He would have new clothes, a backpack. His dad would come in and pat him on the shoulder and give an encouraging word. He rarely let himself think of things such as this, but here he was this morning daring to think of such outlandish things. Seth sat quietly and slurped up the milk, finishing his bowl.

The house was quiet. Debbie, his foster mom was still in bed. Seth went into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror, trying to figure himself out. He looked at himself and saw his scraggly, wavy, dirty blond hair. He looked at his skinny face, dotted with freckles. He looked at his eyes, were they brown or were they green? He was never quite sure, mostly they just seemed dark. Seth thought to himself, This is what everyone sees when they see me, but if only they knew. Seth finished getting ready and was off, Debbie was still not up as he left.

As Seth walked to school, he thought about what had led him to this new part of town, this new school. What was the name of this school again? Oh yeah, Mayberry Middle School. Last year at Clark Middle, it had started poorly, but then he had found his friend Sam. He was sure going to miss Sam. Seth did not have many friends, so losing one was hard. Unfortunately, he was used to it. After Sam had moved into Clark Middle’s school district, they had been inseparable; they both needed each other. Sam had many of the same challenges as Seth—he had been in foster care as well. They had met a couple of years prior at the children’s home before Sam had been placed with a great new family and moved out. The loss of Sam at that time had been hard and Seth could not believe the good fortune when Sam and he had connected again last year. But then, it was Seth’s turn to move away again. It got old. Why did he have to get to a new school and try to find new friends again? Seth began to feel resentment and anger burn brighter the closer he got to Mayberry.

Seth walked into his homeroom and…great…assigned seats. He couldn’t pick the back of the room in which to hide, he couldn’t pick the front to be more visible. His seat was right in the middle; he did not want to be the center of attention with kids all around. Seth had learned that not garnering attention was good to start the school year. Seth looked around, and to no surprise, he did not see anyone he knew. He felt alone, like he had most of his life. All the other kids seemed to have it perfectly, friends, family, stability; it just didn’t seem fair. Seth took his seat.

It started with a flick on the back of his head. Seth turned around. The boy behind him, not sure of his name at this point, was glaring at him. Seth turned back around but quickly felt another flick on the back of his head. Seth thought before turning around, Why? He knew how this was going to turn out. Seth turned around anyway, Would you please stop? he asked the boy behind him. The boy just glared at him and told him to turn back around. Seth complied. The next thump came soon after, Seth turned, arose from his desk, pushed the boy, and was on top of him in a matter of seconds. Arms flailing as he punished the other boy for messing with him. Seth may have been skinny, but he was tough; he had to be. The teacher came and separated Seth and the other boy. They were off to the principal’s office, on his first day. Great.

Seth sat outside the vice principal’s office; the other boy had been taken in first. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Seth was not nervous. Seth had been through enough in his young life. He had learned not to get too worked up about much. He was not a troublemaker, he thought to himself. But it sure seems to find me. Seth thought about the other boy. I bet he has a nice family, a mom, a dad, maybe even some brothers and sisters. He probably gets to play ball, has good meals, has family gatherings. I bet he has no idea how good he has it. If only he knew, Seth thought. Maybe then he would be happy and nice. Maybe he would try to understand what all I have been through? Would he still pick on me? Seth’s mind wandered to so many times and places as he sat waiting for his time to tell his story. If only they knew his story.

Seth left the vice principal’s office somewhat surprised. He had not even got into trouble. Mr. Shephard had been nice and compassionate. He had believed Seth’s version of what had happened. That did not always happen; sometimes they just assumed he was a troublemaker. Maybe it was because he was new, maybe it was because he looked a little rough, maybe they looked at how many schools he had attended and just assumed it was because he caused trouble. This time he did not even get a call to his house, that was a big relief!

As Seth walked home from school that first day, he knew how his year was going to go. Now that he had the fight with one of the in boys he would be labeled as an outcast. The teachers would see him as a troublemaker. There would be other fights. His guess is he would get to know Vice Principal Shephard pretty well. But at least that was a small bright spot, he had seemed nice and understanding, maybe he would be on his side? He seemed to at least trust his version of the events that occurred today. Seth liked that he had believed him.

Seth went to his room and plopped onto his bed. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. So many thoughts ran through his head, but none had answers. He thought about going in to talk with Debbie and tell her of the incident but decided against it.

I doubt she really cares, he thought. His eyes scanned his room. Was it really his room? There were no posters, no pictures—the walls were bare. There were a few clothes in the closet, but not many. There was a dresser, but not much in it or on it. The trophy, as he scanned the room, it was really the only thing that was his. So many rooms but very few real homes, he felt alone. He fell asleep.

Debbie actually woke Seth up early the next morning. That Debbie woke him up surprised Seth as she rarely had made an appearance in his room, especially after Steven had left. She told Seth she was meeting someone and was leaving early. She asked if he wanted her to fix him some breakfast before she left.

That’s odd, Seth thought to himself. She never has done that.

No, he answered. I can get my own.

Seth laid there a while longer and thought about Debbie. She was the right age, midthirties, she did not work so she was home during the day, at least when she wasn’t getting together with her girlfriends. She was blonde and skinny; she could actually pass for his mom. Yet she just did not seem like she wanted to be around Seth. She had been okay before Steven had left. Since then she had shown she really did not want him around though. Seth remembered how he had a little hope that this would work out with Steven and Debbie, but he laughed at himself at the thought. When are you going to learn, Seth?

The school year progressed, and Seth found ways to make himself invisible for the most part. It was better that way. When no one noticed him, he was not ridiculed or picked on. Surprisingly, Seth stayed out of trouble. Seth thought to himself, It would be nice to have bigger goals and dreams for school other than not being noticed and staying out of trouble.

The days started getting colder. Seth did not wear his coat very often. He had grown quite a bit since last year, so the coat kind of made him look a little awkward and he didn’t need any more help in that area. He did not want to ask for a new coat; it was enough just having a roof over his head. It would be nice if Debbie just noticed that he needed a new coat, but he did not hold out much hope for that. He did not need much anyway; it was easier to move when he didn’t have much.

The invisible life of Seth would continue throughout the school year. The routine was much the same every day. Get up, go down for a bowl of cereal, leave for school, try to make it through the day without any issues, go home to his room. It was not a great routine, but Seth appreciated the fact it was any kind of a routine. He knew worse. At least the home was nice and in a good neighborhood.

At night, Seth would often think about how much he missed his friend from last year. Sam had become a friend when he really needed one. Sam had helped Seth get over the loss of his friends, brothers, whatever they were, Brian and Lee. He still missed them. Seth hoped he would find a new friend this year at Mayberry Middle, but it had not been meant to be. He had moments of extreme sadness; he knew how much he needed a friend. Most nights, however, Seth would just block out those feelings of sadness. It would not change anything.

It was April of his eighth-grade year, As Seth’s years had been, a mundane boring year with little excitement. But then one evening the doorbell rang. Seth was in his room like usual. Not many people came to his house, so the sound of the doorbell was startling. He heard Debbie answer the door.

Oh, she is actually home, Seth thought. Seth could not hear who was at the door but soon there was a knock on his bedroom door. He was being summoned.

Seth knew from experience something was about to change. He did not get visitors. The pit of his stomach began to flutter as he got up from his bed. What would it be this time? He kind of felt like just running. Should he build up some anger in self-defense of what was coming? With a blank stare, Seth decided to just walk on out and see what the visit was all about.

As Seth walked into the living room, he saw Mrs. Hunt and Miss Bennett. He liked them but always hated to see them. They represented change and upheaval. As child protection workers for Social Services, they both knew Seth well. Mrs. Hunt had been in his life since he was three. She was a large woman with brown hair and glasses, and wavy red hair. She always wore dresses with tiny flowers and was great at giving hugs. Miss Bennett, he had just known the last two years or so. Seth liked Miss Bennett a lot. She was younger than Mrs. Hunt; Seth thought midtwenties. She had straight brown hair, a slender build, and about his height, and there was something about her eyes. It was like she smiled at Seth with her eyes, it made him feel good. Seth knew Mrs. Hunt cared for him, but Miss Bennett was just different, there was sincerity, compassion. Still, Seth was not thrilled to see them. What would it be this time?

Seth thought it funny that Debbie left the room. Mrs. Hunt seemed to glare at her as she walked away. Mrs. Hunt turned to Seth.

Seth, I will get right to the point. Debbie has decided that she cannot wait until Steven’s job brings him home. She wants to move to the coast and be with Steven. She is terminating her job as a foster parent.

Seth was quiet. He was not surprised. Debbie paid him very little