Earlier this year, photographer and filmmaker Robin de Puy's road trip across America concluded in New Orleans. Recently, she returned to the land of great ambitions but even greater division, in search of 'the American.' Episode 11: the neglected toddler who found a new, clean nest.
On March 23, 2022, I receive an email from Amanda in Utah. She and her husband Andy adopted a little boy in 2019 with the uncommon name Leuxian. In search of more information about his name, she comes across photos of a 2-year-old toddler taken by me in 2015. "Do you remember anything about meeting him? We know almost nothing about his history."
Indeed, in 2015, I photographed a boy named Leuxian. At that time, he was living in a run-down motel, surrounded by very little good. I recall him walking outside in his diaper and burning himself on the hot exhaust of my motorcycle. He shows no reaction. Just 2 years old, and already unyielding.
In the years that follow, I return to the motel several times to look for the little boy. I never find him. Until that email last year. As far as Leuxian is concerned, my mother's heart is finally at ease. Nowadays, Leuxian lives in a good, tidy neighborhood in Midvale, Utah, with his adoptive parents and his foster brother. Amanda's New Mexican roots are evident and palpable everywhere. It's a warm, colorful house with dogs, cats, and mountains of toys.
I look at Leuxian. He's almost as tall as his new mother now. Lightfooted, he dances down the street with his basketball. The bouncing of the ball echoes against a large concrete wall that runs through the neighborhood.
"Why is that wall there?" I ask Amanda. Above the wall, a traffic light sways gently, a remnant from a time when towering walls weren't necessary. She tells a story about teenagers in cars blocking driveways and something about a busy road. The wall keeps the danger at bay. As she tells the story, she rolls her eyes.
To conclude the day, we eat large scoops of ice cream. Leuxian's favorite flavor is chocolate. In no time, he devours two ice creams. His face is covered in sticky spots that remind me of the photo from eight years ago. Amanda notices it too. "There is one big difference," Amanda says softly. "He can be dirty now because now he has a mommy that cleans him afterward."
