We watch Hudson open the envelope, pulling out a stack of papers. His eyebrows wrinkle when he sees the Superior Court of the District of Columbia’s logo at the top of the page. “What is this?” he asks me, and I nudge his knee. “Read it,” I say. His mouth moves as he reads the first couple of sentences, and I see the moment understanding dawns. The papers fall from his shaky hands and land in his lap. He looks up at us with wide eyes. “It’s an adoption petition,” he says slowly, signing at the same time.
