The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 234 Placement
"Did I cause you any trouble?" Eric turned his gaze from the children who were trying to suppress their excitement and looked at Ray.

He couldn't help but recall the memory of the motel, where the children were like frightened little animals, and any slight movement could cause them to instinctively adopt a defensive or offensive posture.

Lei shook his head and said, "Not at all. They are surprisingly obedient, especially that girl named Zhizhimin. She keeps her younger brothers in line with her. I don't have to worry about them at all."

Eric recalled his earlier memories: when Zhizhimin, the girl, had said to him before he left, "They will be very obedient."

It seems that these children are obediently keeping their promise.

"Their immigration status is the problem, so I contacted a trustworthy lawyer."
He suggested transferring the children to official or semi-official shelters or foster families, but this carries risks. It would be difficult to intervene openly afterward, and no one knows whether those official foster families have problems.

Ray's words brought Eric back to reality. Eric nodded, his brow furrowing slightly:
"So, there's no safer option?"

Lei said, "Yes, we can find a reliable church family that sympathizes with their plight to temporarily house the children under the guise of distant relatives or exchange students."
Then, a petition will be submitted to the juvenile court to change the status of those who took in these children to legal guardians.

Eric raised an eyebrow and said, "So, the key is to find a church that is willing to step forward and has suitable church families to take them in?"

His gaze fell on Lei, and he suddenly remembered Lei's family background.

Ray's family is a devout church family, and family members attend Mass every week.

From this perspective, Lei himself is the key bridge to solving this problem.

Seeing Eric's gaze, Ray understood his thoughts and shrugged, saying:
“There is a way. I know a very kind priest. If we can persuade him to act as a guarantor and mediator in the name of the church, their identity problem will be more than half solved.”

“Thanks, Ray,” Eric said earnestly.

"I will cover all related expenses."

Lei shook his head: "This isn't about money. I'm involved too. And even if I wanted to, with my resources and energy, I could only take care of one child long-term at most."

"Let's go. Although I've spent more time with these kids, I think they like you more."

He said, with a hint of jealousy in his voice, "Is it just because you're more handsome?"

He couldn't answer that. Eric said, "It's probably because I can speak Burmese."

The two walked into the front yard while talking.

Eric beckoned the four Burmese children over.

Upon hearing the sound, the four children immediately put down what they were holding and ran to stand in a row in front of Eric, their bodies taut and their tension visibly palpable, just like when they first met Eric.

Zhizhimin straightened her back, her gaze fixed on Eric, whom she hadn't seen for several days but who was deeply etched in her mind, and her breathing became erratic.

Even after not seeing each other for a few days, the image of the other person in my mind has grown even more impressive.

“Not bad, at least the paint wasn’t completely scratched.” Eric looked at the four nervous children and smiled in Burmese, his eyes gentle.

Zhizhi Min took a deep breath, suppressing her surprise: "We're helping out. Lei said we'll work for dinner."

Eric looked at Ray, who simply shrugged.

“Otherwise, they have nothing to do anyway, so expending some energy will be good for them. I don’t want to deal with four monkeys jumping around.”

Eric chuckled, “That’s fair,” then looked at Zhizhimin and whispered, “Besides washing cars, what else have you learned these past few days?”

Zhizhi Min said softly, "We're learning English. Lei found us some study books and we're going to read English words."

“There are also some rules,” Zhizhimin added, glancing at Lei and then at Eric.

"You can't go out at night, you have to ask who it is when someone knocks on the door, and you have to sort the garbage." She listed these things with a serious expression, as if she were reciting combat regulations.

Eric's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile: "Very good! To live in this country, you must at least learn the language."

The initial fear in Zhizhi Min's eyes had vanished, replaced by a faint glimmer of light characteristic of her age. Zhizhi Min nodded vigorously, and the three boys standing beside her nodded in agreement.

"Are you here to pick us up?" But then, Zhizhimin, as the representative, looked up at Eric and whispered.

Eric paused for a moment, looking at the expectant eyes of the children, and finally shook his head.

"I just came to see you all."

Upon hearing this, Zhizhimin's eyes dimmed, but were rekindled by Eric's next words.

"Because your legal status issue has not been resolved, you will need to stay here for the time being."

Does this mean that once her identity is resolved, she might be able to go with him? A faint hope involuntarily welled up in Zhizhi Min's heart.

“You can tell they rely on you a lot, especially that girl,” Lei said, watching from the side.

Are you sure you don't want to consider doing it yourself?

Eric interrupted him, his voice low: "I can't take care of four children at the same time."

Lei quickly understood: "Okay, then let's assign them. I wonder if they're mentally prepared to be separated. This is actually quite cruel."

Eric paused for a moment, then said finally, "It's the best option for them."

Undocumented immigrants, Burmese, minors—these three words combined are nothing short of a disaster and a source of despair.

Lei sighed, "I was just saying."

Eric nodded and looked at the four bewildered Burmese children: "Before that, I'll take them to buy some clothes and dress them up; that will at least earn them a lot of points."

Lei nodded and said, "OK!"

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So Eric took the four excited Burmese children to the mall and bought them a lot of clothes and toys.

I then took them on a tour of Los Angeles to give them a taste of the city's vibrancy and ease their unease.

In foster care interviews, confidence is often a plus.

They didn't return until the afternoon.

But when Eric returned, he found Zhizhimin sitting in the passenger seat, completely silent.

She would often glance at the car's rearview mirror, and seeing her excited younger brothers reflected in the mirror, the light in her eyes would dim considerably.

Eric sighed and asked directly in English, "Can you understand my conversation with Ray?"

Zhizhimin looked at Eric and finally nodded, saying, "I can understand a little. My brothers and I are going to be separated."

She spoke English, but she spoke haltingly.

Eric asked, "So what are you thinking?"

Zhizhimin was silent for a moment, then said, "As long as they are alright, I can accept it."

“Ray and I will do our best to find kind and reliable foster families for each of you.” Eric turned his head and looked solemnly at Zhizhimin.

"I assure you, they will grow up safely in a warm and secure environment."

(End of this chapter)