Chapter 2
Some Decisions are Forever


Jean Francois and Keliani Castillo were born in the Dominican Republic. They met as children and were married when they were just 18. Times were tough and they struggled to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. They eventually found passage to the U.S. on a small skiff, landing near Miami. Things didn't get much better for them there, and it got worse when Keliani gave Jean Francois the news that she was heavy with child. They struggled with this for months, eventually deciding to give the child up for adoption



In Keliani's third trimester she learned she was having twins. The thought of giving them both up at birth was especially hard on her, but she knew Jean Francois couldn't earn enough as a day laborer on the streets to feed them. So she delivered two boys that winter and the Florida Department of Child Services took the boys. One of them was adopted by an Egyptian immigrant family in Phoenix, who named their son Ahmal; the other was adopted by a Puerto Rican family in San Juan, who named their son Juan



Life went on for Jean Francois and Keliani, but they never had another child. It's hard to say if it was the terrible experience Keliani endured, but she was given to long periods of depression every December

Many years later, when her boys were turning 21, Jean Francois and Keliani got a letter in the mail. It was from their boy Juan, who now lived in Chicago. In the letter he told of his love for his mother, and his understanding of why he was given up for adoption. He also included a recent photo of himself. When Keliani read the letter and looked on the photo she broke into tears

"Why do you cry?" asked Jean Francois

"Oh, my precious baby", replied Keliani. "He is so beautiful. I wish now I could see my little baby, Ahmal."

"But my love", Jean Franois explained, "Don't you see? If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."