1 The Beach House

As summer vacation almost comes to a close, Hampton Bays, New York, continues to be flooded with visitors in town and at the beach. The residential streets are filled with children riding their bikes and skateboarding around the block, or families riding their bikes to the beach. One of the houses that is near the water with a view of the beach belongs to the Josie family from White Plains, New York. Chris Josie drives the car with his wife Jill in the passenger seat. Their children, Tyler and Emma, sit in the back staring at their screens, watching movies, or playing games with their headphones on.

“If anyone can hear me, we're almost at the house,” Chris says. “And don’t forget to take your bikes into the shed.”

Tyler takes off his headphones and turns off his Ipad. He leans over his mother’s seat.

“Mom, when we get there, am I old enough to go?” he asks.

“Yes, you can take your bike down the pathway to the beach, this time without us, as long as you’re with somebody,” Jill says.

“Yes!” Tyler shouts. “Finally I can go on my own.” Tyler is fourteen and starting eighth grade in the fall. He’s at the age where he doesn’t want his family to go everywhere he goes. Mostly, not wanting his little sister to follow him around, even with friends.

Emma takes her headphones off to listen. “Then I’m going too,” she says.

“You’re not going alone,” Chris says. Tyler leans back at his seat, pounding his hands on his lap.

“But that means I have to…”. Tyler leans back at his seat, pounding his hands on his lap.

“I’m sorry Tyler,” Jill says. “But if Emma is going, you need to watch her if we don’t go with you.”

“Great, the first time I can go without parents, I have to babysit,” Tyler says. He leans back, disappointed.

“You shouldn’t think of it that way,” Emma says. “Think of me as just tagging along.” Tyler slaps his hand on his forehead.

“What a waste of the last days of summer,” he says. “I have to bring my little sister wherever I go.”

The Josie's arrive at their house next to Wells Creek with a view of the beach. Tyler and Emma get out of the car to take the boogie boards and bicycles out with their bags. The Josie’s have owned the house since the children were little, and they always come up during holidays, and some weekends after school ends and before school starts again. Tyler has memories of skateboarding and bike riding with Emma, along with the other neighbor kids. The family would bike down the path to the beach and go boogie boarding. But this summer is different since there is a basketball hoop at the next-door neighbor’s house that Tyler has never seen before. Tyler then sees a boy his age coming outside bouncing a basketball on the driveway. He walks up to the boy as the boy shoots hoops into the basket. A few feet away, the boy looks back and sees Tyler.

“Oh, hi,” the boy says, looking at Tyler.

“Hi, and who are you?” Tyler asks.

“I’m Calem,” Calem says. “I’m new here.” Tyler is confused. He looks at the car which looks like the one that’s usually there, but he’s never seen Calem around. “Want to shoot some hoops?” He bounces the ball with Tyler’s eyes following the ball.

“I thought this was the Blaze’s beach house,” Tyler says. The Blaze’s have had the house for ten years while living in Yonkers, New York, the town about a half an hour away from White Plains.

“They do,” Calem says. “I’m Calem Blaze. Their foster son.”

“A foster kid?” Tyler asks. “How old are you?”

“I’m fourteen,” Calem says. “I’ll be going into the eighth grade.”

“So am I,” Tyler says. “I have a sister who’s ten, and going into the fifth grade.”

“I just moved in with them in June,” Calem says. “I would say in my entire life, this is the first time I’ve ever been to the beach or on any vacation.” Calem has had it rough. He was placed in foster care at the age of two and bounced back and forth from one home to another. He has never lived in a good stable home and has been turned down for adoption numerous times. Over the summer before school let out, the Blaze’s, who spent years struggling to have children, decided to become foster parents. After a year of going to meetings, filling out applications, and going through inspections and background checks, they qualified to foster a child. They both fell in love with Calem after meeting him at a group home and decided to take him in. Calem is navigating the typical daily life as a foster child, struggling, in the beginning, to readjust, meeting other family members, and trying to figure out where he fits in.

“Tyler, Mom said you have to help her unpack the car,” Emma says. She runs over to Tyler when she notices Calem. “Hi.”

“Hi, I’m Calem,” he says. “I'm your neighbors’ new foster son.”

“I’m Emma, Tyler’s sister,” Emma says.

“We should go help our parents, but I’ll see you later, maybe at the beach?”

“Sure,” Calem says. He throws the ball into the basket when he hears a voice coming from his house.

“Calem, it’s time for lunch,” Mrs. Blaze says.

“I’ll catch you guys later,” he says. Calem goes back inside. Tyler and Emma walk back to the car to take more bags out.

Chris and Jill come from inside. “Who were you talking to?” Jill asks. Tyler takes his boogie board and bag to bring inside.

“The Blaze’s have a new son, Calem, and he’s my age,” Tyler says. He walks inside the house with Emma walking behind him. She carries in her boogie board and bag and stands next to her mother.

“Mom, the Blaze’s son is in foster care,” Emma says. “Does that mean they adopted him?”

“Not yet because foster care is temporary, but many foster parents end up adopting,” Jill says.

“Will they do that for Calem?” Emma asks.

“That would be wonderful,” Jill says. “The Blazes are wonderful people. I do feel bad for them not being able to have children from the beginning.” Tyler returns to take his bike off the back of the car.

“How come?” Emma asks.

“It’s because when people make babies…” Tyler says.

“They do something that will be a discussion when you are older,” Jill says to Emma, interrupting Tyler from talking. Tyler and Emma grew up in a good home. Chris and Jill have always been great parents. However, they have difficulties watching their son grow up and wanting to do more things on his own when he's still just a kid. Emma always likes to go with Tyler and his friends because she and her friends like to hang out with the older kids. It usually annoys Tyler, since he would rather be just with his friends. Emma is ready to show everyone that she is not a little girl anymore, and also wants to do the same things Tyler gets to do, even though he is older.

Tyler and Emma take their stuff up to their rooms. Each of them has a view of the beach. Tyler’s room has a staircase that leads to a window where he can see the ocean. There’s a small basketball hoop next to the window. The walls have posters of sports and surfers on the beach. Tyler also has pictures of his favorite athletes and beach genre films. The bedroom at times can be messy with Tyler leaving his clothes around. Emma is in her room with another good view of the beach. She doesn't have a staircase in her bedroom but has a sitting area where the window is. Her room is more of a beach paradise theme with aqua-colored furniture.