http://www.happyherald.com/palmbeach/articles.sec-8493-1-chicken-soup-for-the-soul.html He never tried to hide his disappointment from me. He was brutally honest. I guess I understood his feelings, living on a small farm in Iowa. He hoped a boy would help him with the farm and eventually step into his shoes. But a girl … I tried to do everything just to please Daddy.]]> At the carnival they had all kinds of booths. I was drawn to one in particular because of all the children that had gathered there. At this booth, anyone who wanted to could paint a square. ]]> He applied to 14 colleges. He was accepted to all but one, the one he wanted, Brown University. ]]> As I sat in the chair by the window and felt the warm June sunshine on my arm, I had to remind myself where I was. It was hard to believe that behind the nicely finished oak cabinets hid various medical equipment, and that in a moment's notice the ceiling tiles could be removed to reveal surgical lights.]]> I'd been living in foster care since I was two. My real mom couldn't give my five sisters and me the care we needed. Since we didn't have a dad or anyone else to care for us, we were put in different foster homes. I felt lonely and confused. I didn't know how to tell people that I hurt inside.]]> That is how it all began, or I guess, ended. The months the two of us had shared were some of the happiest, hardest and most educational months I ever experienced. It seemed impossible that this was the last conversation we would have as Ben and Lia, the couple.]]>