The Andersons:
Chapter 5
During her time on the various Guatemalan Internet news and email groups, Vickie Anderson was referred to a knowledgeable Source who could help with understanding the Guatemalan process. The individual who referred the Source to Vickie was sincere; it highlights the fact how important it is to establish Internet connections when adopting.
This Internet Source was to be invaluable in the months to come.
Through the Source Vickie learned that as late as Dec. 21, it hadn’t been re-submitted to PGN.
Desperate for answers (or even a response) the Andersons left messages at BBAS offices and on Denise’s cell phone for a solid week. They needed to know if Audrey’s paperwork was back in PGN. PGN was saying their file wasn’t in, yet Denise claimed it was.
They learned through another BBAS Guatemala client that Denise was going on vacation for Christmas. Denise had not informed them of this. For all intents and purposes, BBAS was closed for the holidays. Like us, they were finding out critical information about the agency through another client.
Here is where Denise Hubbard failed the Andersons trust, moving them from hopeful to dissatisfied. Her lack of communication, cruelty and blatant misrepresentations appeared.
On Jan. 6, 2004, Gina called again and (unbelievably) 20 minutes later, Denise called her back.
The lies began immediately with Denise giving them the same excuses she had given the Corrigans in February 2001 about returning telephone calls.
Gina asked Denise why their telephone calls had not been returned prior to January. Denise claimed she had left messages and them called them from her cell phone. Gina called Denise on this. “We have caller ID” Gina informed her. “There weren’t any messages from you or any calls from your cell phone.”
When Gina asked the questions she needed to know the answer to, namely what was going on with PGN, Denise decided to play Cover Her Big Fat Butt. She pulled one of tried and true excuses out of her Rule Book of Excuses and Damnation. Why was Audrey Pearl’s paperwork pulled out of PGN and not resubmitted? Simple! PGN was under investigation! She could not get any straight answers from her “reps” in Guatemala as to the status.
She suggested that they travel down to Guatemala themselves to see the baby. Denise said that since Andrew’s parents were helping pay for some of the adoption expenses, it wouldn’t be too much of a burden for them to choke up the funds for a quick trip down to Guatemala. Certainly they wanted Gina to be happy. And certainly Denise Hubbard could have paid their airfare, considering the importance of seeing the joy it would bring the Andersons to finally hold Audrey.
Like everybody had nearly a thousand dollars laying around after Christmas to hop on a plane and travel to Guatemala. Gina was incensed by the suggestion. She informed Denise she and Andrew could pay for the airfare; they would do absolutely anything for their daughter. Flying down to see her was not a hardship. It was an honor.