Girl performs song at talent show asking stepdad to adopt her


Hailey Quinones, 12, stunned the audience at her school's talent show when she sang a song she wrote for her stepfather, Juan Gamez, asking him to adopt her.
In front of 150 people in Stockton, California, Quinones performed her original song, which included the lyrics "I love you my Juany and there's no more I can say, I smile every time I see your face," and "I would be so pleased if you would adopt me." Quinones even came armed with the paperwork necessary to start the adoption process. Both Quinones and Gamez were in tears, and Gamez, who has been in Quinones' life for 10 years, happily agreed to formally adopt her.
Gamez was "in shock," Quinones' mom, Alishea Conroy, told Inside Edition. Quinones doesn't like to let people know when she is feeling sad or sentimental, so the public request came as a huge surprise, Conroy added. "She is one of a kind." Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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