I didn’t like kids—too loud, too messy. So when an eight-year-old named Maya walked into my office asking me to find her a family, I almost laughed. But something made me let her stay, and that decision changed everything.

Maya explained she was an orphan and needed me to find her a family before she was “too old” for adoption. I didn’t think much of it, dismissing her with a cheap locket she gave me as payment. But when I saw her foster home—a run-down place with over ten kids—I realized her situation was worse than I imagined.

I temporarily took her in, and we visited several families, but none felt right to Maya. Meanwhile, I started to care for her, even though I never thought I would. Eventually, I reached out to friends of mine, Mike and Nancy, who were looking to adopt.

The day I took Maya to them, she begged me to be her dad. It broke my heart, but I knew they could offer her a better life. I watched her run into their arms, feeling the weight of my decision.

As I drove away, I held her locket in my hand, realizing she had trusted me to find her a family, and I had. It hurt, but I knew it was the right thing for her.