The Start of Something Great-part 2
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Cal and I had a wonderful weekend for our honeymoon. The weather was perfect and Jake was in very good hands during the daytime. He had Dean and Harry, Tom and Bill, and Joe around the house during the day, and he told us about his adventures with them every night, much to our amusement.
We had foregone any semblance of a honeymoon as we knew the fall would have plenty of chances for travel for both of us. Between Jean(my agent) and Bryan(my publisher) we were already booked for 7 trips to promote my new book, coming out in September. These trips were scheduled for weekends so we three could travel as a family. The week after our wedding Jean called, letting me know that the film studio had offered 3.5 million for the film rights and we had accepted. That money had been turned over to Harold right away so he could get to work on that right away.
Cal and I had noticed that with the overnight guests for the wedding the house seemed odd, with two of the downstairs rooms converted to make-shift bedrooms, so we decided that we would finish off the basement, and have an addition added to the right side of the house that would have a "granny suite" on the first floor and three more bedrooms and baths on the second. At the time I had no specific reason for this set up, but Cal teased me that as we aged we could just walk down a hall and walk into a self contained unit with bedroom, bath, and a good sized sitting area. No stairs to climb!!We contacted the contractor who had made our work and study spaces out of the attic and he started the process about three weeks after the wedding. We all kept an eye on Jake when the college guys and the high schoolers returned to their classes. I was only playing with ideas for another book at the time and Joe, after breakfast for the whole household, only had Jake and I, and himself and Ray to worry about for lunches most days.
We often had great meals on the weekends, when we entertained the aunts and sometimes the women tenants from the next door property. As it got cooler out after Labor Day we had the enclosure slid over the pool area and it was like having out own personal spa. We often would swim as a group and often, if no ladies were around, Jake would announce it was "guys only, drop your shorts!" By mid-September he was enrolled in pre-school for the mornings only, to get him used to the whole idea of school, a teacher, and the other kids. At the beginning of October he was going full time, by then we had already taken two weekend trips, one to Chicago and another to Atlanta.
Jake loved flying. He charmed the flight crews and was surprised everyone knew his name. He had several new best friends after each flight. At the first meet and greet in Chicago I had a television interview to do before the afternoon session and it turned out I had a chance to do the second one right after for an afternoon talk show because the host for that show was there at the news station and he was willing to tape our interview then and there. Jake and Cal watched the live news segment from the green room and then we all went to another studio set and the host and I sat in facing chairs and prepared to film out interview.
During my introduction the host mentioned that I was known to be a "reclusive bachelor," and I mildly interrupted him and told him I was actually on my honeymoon with my husband and son, and I pointed to them in the wing of the set nearest me. As I did this Cal released his tight grip on Jake and he wriggled free and ran to me and jumped on my lap. Holding my face in his hands he asked me what was I doing. I kissed his nose and told him that the nice man was asking me some questions and Jake asked me" Why Dad, are you smart or something? Is there going to be a test after?" In the mean time poor Cal was hopping from one foot to the other, anxious to retrieve our son, the crew was laughing their heads off, and the host was chuckling so hard he was sliding down in his seat. I started to apologize and offered to start over, but the host insisted we keep going and even asked for another chair be brought out, and asked me to introduce my son and spouse to him.
So Cal joined us and introductions were made all around and our host started asking questions, like how long we were married, when did we adopt Jake, how would being married affect my writing, etc. Jake even got asked some questions and he answered a little shyly, but clearly and then the host asked Cal what it was like being married to a world famous author.
Jake looked up at cal from his lap and said," You have another husband? Does Daddy know?" Again there was laughter all around us as Cal explained that Daddy was a famous author, that he wrote books in his office at home. And Jake turned to me and said,"I thought you said you were a farmer". Our host decided to leave everything in and later that afternoon, after the meet and greet when I went back to the hotel and joined up with Cal and Jake, we three watched a CD of the interview the station had sent over for us. We told Jake how handsome he looked and he told us it was because he had us for dads.
At dinner in one of the hotel's restaurants Jake even got asked for his autograph from one of the other diners who had shyly approached our table. It was fun explaining to Jake what that was all about. The rest of our stay was fun, and I almost regretted we had to return home on Sunday, after all, both Jake and Cal had school on Monday, and I had another story to write.
Our next trip wasn't until the second week of October so we had some time to spend with family and get back into school mode. All our relatives had seen the clips from our interview in Chicago and the next weekends one in Atlanta, where Jake was again the star of the show, whether he knew it or not.
The aunts were impressed with our new addition being added and wondered if something smaller would be good for them.
Bill and my brother Tom were still going strong. This was their senior year and Tom was president of the student council. Bill was also an officer, the secretary, and the two of them spent a great deal of time studying, going over council business, and exploring different college choices on line. Bill seemed to be around more and more and one night, before they went up to bed, Bill approached Cal and I and asked if he could speak with us privately. We all went up to the third floor and we sat in my office. Bill and Tom held hands as Bill told us that his home life hadn't changed much in the last 6 months or so. His parents still ignored him and he spent more and more time alone in his room when he wasn't here being a part of our family. I asked him if he could hold out until he graduated and moved out, but Tom jumped in and told Cal and I that no, he couldn't. He told us that Bill's grades were slipping, not from not doing the work, from not getting enough sleep at night. When Bill slept at our place he had no trouble falling asleep, but during the night, if they separated, Bill would experience nightmares of being locked away by his parents who in the dreams denied his existence. He told us that Bill's parents had been treating him like this since he came out to them 3 years ago. They ignored his presence in their home and never included him in any family type events, holidays, birthdays, vacations, Bill was left alone in his room. Cal and I looked at each other and nodded, we had wondered why Bill had been spending so much time at our place recently, now we knew.
In the morning I called Tricia(our lawyer) and told her I thought we had another emancipation case for her. She accepted our invitation to come out here for dinner, where with Tom and Bill's help we might just find an equitable solution for Bill.
Her arrival was met with hugs all around and after a delightful meal she and Tom and Bill went up to my office and we joined them after cleaning the kitchen up so Joe wouldn't have a mess to walk in on in the morning. Drew and Harry were home so they offered to keep Jake occupied while all this was going on. It was very simple really. A petition would be drawn up with Bill seeking to be legally separated from his parents, with them turning over his college fund, started by his maternal grandparents when he was born, and which was worth quite a bit by now. He was also asking for the possessions of his in his room. Once Tricia had produced this, a copy would be sent to Bill's parents and, should they wish to avoid a court hearing, they could abandon their parental rights to Cal and I and we would become his responsible adults.
In a weeks time all of Bill's possessions were moved into Tom's room and his college fund was now only in his name at his bank. Bill's parents had capitulated and rather than face the certain defeat at a hearing they signed over parental rights to us and Bill became a resident of our home. We took the lad to school the following day and had all his contact information changed to ours and I paid for the remainder of his school year as an out of town paying student.
Within two weeks we decided to have the two teens, Bill and Tom, move into the newly renovated basement. Down there they would have more privacy and we wouldn't have to listen to their moans and groans during the night. Not that there wasn't plenty of moaning and groaning going on in the other bedrooms upstairs. Harry and Dean were good for an hour at a time and there were still several times a night for those two. I'm proud to say that Cal and I could still shake the rafters ourselves, but we at least showed a fair modicum of discretion. I wondered at times how we would all get along without the noises at various times of the night. When Harry announced that he and Dean wanted to live together we worried that Dean would be moving out but Harry put our fears to rest when he asked if he could move into Dean's room with him. He told me he had already told Mrs. Fields and he had a replacement tenant for her and she had already met Jim and liked him and his sweet girlfriend. So that switch was made and the guys all spent a Saturday moving things around.
The next few weekends we traveled. Cal, Jake and I flew to Los Angeles and San Francisco on two consecutive weekends and two weeks later it was Miami. We loved Miami but when we went to Key West on our own a few months later we truly fell in love with the place and with each other all over again. We promised each other that when Cal was finished with his degrees we would spend as much of the winter there as possible in the years to come. All that brought us to the end of October.
Everyone wanted to do something special for Jake for Halloween. I suppose we could have taken him trick or treating to the houses of his school chums, but they were pretty scattered through the town, so we decided to have a haunted party in the small barn. Everyone pitched in, Frank(Cal's father)got us a bunch of fishing net material and with that we made huge cobwebs covering the ceiling and wall areas of the small barn and even the aunts got in on the activities, dressing like gypsies and reading palms and telling fortunes. The women from next door were our ghosts and the young men were zombies and goblins. We invited Jake's whole class and their families and we all had a ball.
Dean dressed as Frankenstein and Harry was his Igor, Ray and Joe were dressed as western cowboys and brought over about 6 Shetland ponies they had hired for the evening. They placed them in the paddock and supervised pony rides for the little ones. They had help from some of their friends from college and everyone enjoyed themselves. There was so much going on I was glad to see several of the parents filming the events going on. I gave several my e-mail address and we agreed to share what we had all recorded.
We had hired some of Tom and Bill's high school friends as a sort of crowd control and they were basically stationed along the drive out to the fields and the connecting drives, we didn't want any child wandering off and getting to the pond or lost in a field. By the time the party broke up every person in attendance had been checked off a list as they departed. Each car was checked as it left and the number of occupants matched what had been noted when the car had pulled into the nearest field to the house which Ray had graded to make parking for the thirty or more expected cars.
As the last car left, carrying the last of our temporary help, I reflected on what a successful party we had put together. Cal nudged me and I turned to him, inquiring why the nudge, he pointed over to where Jake was leading a boy, about his size, by the hand as they worked their way down the line of snack tables, filling a grocery bag with items of food as they went. They seemed to be in deep conversation as they plucked items still on the serving trays as Cal and I approached. As we got nearer I could hear Jake telling the lad what items he had tried that he liked. Jake was dressed like his uncles Ray and Joe, with his little cowboy boots and western hat and a pair of chaps over his jeans. His companion looked like he had tried for the look of the littlest hobo. Cal gently asked Jake who his friend was, as I noticed what appeared to be theatrical smudges on his face and the dirty look to his clothing was real dirt, most of it caked on and his fingernails were filthy, as were the clothing he had on in multiple layers.
Jake told Cal,"Dad, this is my new best friend Sam. I just met him at the party and he was hungry." I crouched down and shook Sam's hand, telling him I was Jake's dad, Scott, and then introduced Cal as Jake's other dad. He looked at us and told Jake that he had been right, those are two big guys. I asked him where his family was, as, as far as we knew, everyone that didn't already live here had gone home. Sam just sort of crumbled then and through his sobbing he admitted he had been hiding behind the pool house in the old, unused, dog run and had figured out we were having a party and when he saw all the kids in costume he thought he could just slip in with the crowd and blend in. Cal gently asked him some questions, "How long had he been in the old dog run? How did he get there? Where was his family?"
Sam told us he had been there only one day and one night, his foster dad had dropped him off on the farm road at the rear of our property two days ago and he had slept on the woods the first night, but that had scared him, so when he found the house the other night he had walked around and found the big dog house in the fenced in run and it was clean so he used it to hide in. He said he didn't like his foster family and he was glad when the man had left him on the farm road. By this time Cal had him in his arms, as I held Jake to me. I thought we had better move this into the house, as it was getting late and I knew Jake would be crashing soon. We four moved up to the house, Cal carrying Sam and I carrying Jake. I thought we should get Sam cleaned up so I asked Jake if he wanted to shower with Sam and he thought that was a great idea. We took the boys to Jake's bedroom and we told the boys to undress as Cal and I went into the bathroom to start the shower for them and to make sure we had an extra toothbrush for Sam and a couple of towels for them to use. All was in readiness as the two boys came in, hand in hand. Jake was telling Sam what a great clean he got in the shower and he'd help Sam if he needed it. It was so neat hearing these two 6 year old s chattering about how to get real clean in the shower. Cal supervised their shower as I went and gathered two sets of PJ's for the boys to wear, once dry. I went back to the bathroom and Cal nodded to Sam, wanting me to notice all the welts on Sam's back, buttocks, and legs. I took my cell out of my pocket and took some pictures of them as Jake was washing Sam's hair. Cal went and got a nail brush from our bathroom and he gently cleaned Sam's nails as I went out into the hall and called Tricia, our lawyer.
It was about quarter after 10. She was surprised by the call, but when I explained the situation to her she went into protection mode, for us, and for Sam. Within a half hour we had an officer from the Amherst police at our front door and shortly after Tricia herself and an investigator and a supervisor from Child Welfare were all in our family room, watching as Jake and Sam, in their jammies were having a cup of hot chocolate and a brownie each at the adjoining kitchen table, chattering away about how much fun it was getting clean in the shower.
It was decided that we'd ask the boys to join us and that Tricia and I would try to get Sam to tell us his story. It worked a charm. He was a little intimidated by the strangers in the room, but he sat with Jake and they held hands through out the "debriefing". By the end of it we had the name of his foster parents, the photos from my phone had been sent to the supervisors phone and the policeman's cell. By eleven thirty Tricia had an emergency foster parent order from our friend Judge Monroe from family court and Sam was living with us. There were several open bedrooms, but the supervisor from the agency told Jake, when he asked, that Sam could spend the night with him in his room if that was what they both wanted to do. They did. I told them to go up and get settled in Jake's big bed and Cal and I would be up to say good night after we said goodby to our guests.
The police officer left to arrest the foster parent who had abandoned Sam on the farm road and to question the wife and possibly arrest her also. The supervisor went with him and the investigator went to the agency's office to begin to go through the files and gather as much information on them as he could find, and to start a full report on Sam as well, so we'd have some background information on him soon. We thanked them all for their help and of course Tricia got her hugs before she left.
We found out the next day that the foster mother was just as bad as her husband was. They had arranged with a relative in another state to claim that Sam was visiting there, and all three would split the monthly payment from the state, meant to provide for Sam's welfare under their care. All three had been arrested and charged with numerous crimes and their license to foster had been revoked. Sam was officiously ours.
The investigator we had met was good, within a day we had copies of his records that told us Sam's birth parents had died in a car crash when Sam was only 1 year old. He had been left with a neighbor when they left for groceries and never came back. He had been placed with the couple now under arrest.
There was quite a good sized trust fund available to Sam when he reached the age of 21, he would be able to use that for college expenses before that, and the remainder would be his at 21.
Virtually everything was new to Sam. He had lived a very sheltered, enslaved life. He would stop before entering a room and ask permission to enter, he had no experience with television, he didn't seem to know how to play. Everything changed in just two days with Jake. He was running freely around with our little dynamo, playing with the dogs in the big barn, learning how to give treats to the big horses, playing tag in the big yard, learning how to use the remote control for the TV in the family room, learning the names for all the guys on the farm. Jake took him in hand and made sure his new brother learned all this...in two days. Cal and I stood in a hug, watching them sleep together, all twisted together, if it wasn't for Jake's light coloring and red hair and Sam's warmer skin tone and dark curly hair I doubt anyone could tell whose arms or whose legs were where.
It took another day or two before he started calling us dad or daddy, but boy, that felt good. During the next week we got him enrolled in Jake's preschool and the two were inseparable there also. The next weekend we invited our family out to meet him. We prepared him for this with snapshots from our wedding. We, and Jake, would show him shots with family in them and pointed out each one and how they were related or if they were friends we wanted him to meet. It was a great party and everyone was pleased he knew who they were when he met them. I told Ray to go ahead with buying those ponies, but warned him to make it four, in case each boy wanted to ride with a friend. Judge Monroe stopped by to personally see how everyone was doing one night after dinner and Jake asked her if she was going to make Sam his real brother. She told him she was working on it and maybe for Thanksgiving she would have it done. All the paperwork had been filed and Cal and I knew that her visit was part of the official process, we just didn't know how soon it would happen, so we hadn't told any of this to the boys because we didn't want to get their hopes up too soon, and then run into a delay. I did ask if our custody arrangement meant we could travel out of state with Sam, as I still had a few weekend trips to finish before the December holidays and we wanted to take him with us. She assured me that everything as it stood now was in order, and our trips were known to the court well in advance and there were no problems with us taking Sam along with us. She got hugs and kisses from both boys when she left.
We had a birthday weekend coming up. Cal, Harry, Jake and Joe all had birthdays in November and we decided to have one big party for them. We did this because we had two travel weekends before Thanksgiving to get through and it was just easier to lump them all together. They all received many gifts, some small, some not so small. Joe received from us a week long trip to Key west for 2, all expenses paid. It would be the honeymoon he and Ray had never had. Harry received an engagement ring from Dean. Harry had gone to the same jeweler Cal and I had used for our sets and Harry was able to slip a matching band on Dean's finger since they had agreed Harry would buy the engagement rings and Dean would get the wedding rings. They wanted a summer wedding when they had finished their junior year at UMASS.
I bought Cal his own horse for his birthday. I made the gift from me and the boys. The stallion was the brother of my horse, which the equestrian center at the University made available to me when Ray had called a few weeks ago to book the Shetland ponies for the Halloween party. The two horses seemed just as happy to see each other in adjoining stalls as Cal was that night in bed with me. Jake's big gift he immediately shared with Sam, his soon to be brother. We had purchased the four ponies Ray and I had talked about and we wanted Dean to start working with the boys and the ponies before the weather got too bad. We also picked up two cats from the local SPCA. We were told they had come from a local farm so we didn't think they'd need any training from us! The boys loved them and the dogs ignored them!
Ray had asked about having an enclosed rink built so winter riding would be possible and he was getting quotes on having it built attached to the big barn on the right hand side, the outdoor paddock being on the left side of the barn. Cal and I had decided that if the price wasn't too much we would give Ray the OK and that would be our big present for the entire group of family and friends on the property.
That year Thanksgiving was nearer the end of the month and we had two weekend trips to go on before then. Our first one was to Houston, where the boys were disappointed to find it was a big city, not a bunch of ranches with horses running wild. We did find time to stroll through the Galleria Mall where the meet and greet was held and during a side trip we stopped by Chapel Jordan clock galleries and Expert Clock repair over on Westheimer. A friend from college had once worked there many years ago as he recovered from surgery and they had treated him very well. I wanted to add a big grandfather clock to the main hall on the first floor and I knew we'd find something special there.
We did. Cal and I agreed on a fine Trend tall case clock for the hall and we found several mantle clocks for the house and a few other things. Everything would be shipped and hopefully arrive before Christmas. We had a nice stroll through many of the local shops and there were some lovely old antique shops, but the boys were getting a little tired of the "old stuff". We cabbed it back to our hotel and took the boys to the indoor swimming pool where we got our workout in by tossing the boys around in the pool. Sam and Jake shared a seat between Cal and I both going down and coming back. Cal and I switched window seats each way so we both had lap fulls on take offs and landings. On the first take off Jake said to Sam as the engines revved for takeoff,"Now get ready, you're gonna wanna pee for a while, but then it goes away and we're so high up then everything down there looks like Leggos!"
So our first trip as a family went well and we all looked forward to the next one, it was a three day trip to New York City. We got to fly on my publisher's private jet and we were the only passengers. The two flight attendants fell in love with the boys and they even got autographs from me. Ralph himself met our plane and Jake introduced him to Sam. He had told Sam he had met Ralph at their dad's wedding. He told Sam that Ralph was their daddy's pusher. Cal gently explained that Ralph was the man who took Daddy's words and made them into books, he was a publisher, not a pusher. We stayed at Ralph's penthouse apartment and got treated to dinner out and the next noon there was a matinee of The Lion King for the boys and Cal and a meet and greet for me.
The ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center had just opened and the next afternoon, after two TV interview tapeings, Cal and I bundled up the boys and took them skating. We had a ball and the boys asked if we could do that on our pond back home. I told him we'd have to ask Ray if that was possible, as he was the pond expert. They did, we could, we did, and we all had a lot of fun doing it, but Joe always made it an event by putting a portable grill down there and we would cook samores there(toasted marshmallows, and a piece of chocolate between graham crackers) and drink hot chocolate from thermos cups.
All was well in our world as we planned for the upcoming holidays and did our first Christmas decorating as a family. It was great fun and the boys were really proud of themselves when we hung their Christmas drawings where everyone could see as they came into the family room. We all had a great deal of fun, especially when two big crates arrived from Houston the end of the second week in December. Inside were the timepieces we had purchased.
The grandfather clock took both Cal and I plus Harry and Dean to unpack and level in the space we selected for it. It took Tom and Bill to figure out the weights and get them seated properly before it fell to me to wind it up. We let it play through the three different chime selections and we finally settled on the traditional Westminster chimes with the striking on each quarter and the hour when the whole tune rang out and the hours were all struck. We gave ourselves two weeks to get used to it and then we could set it on silent if we had to. We placed out a few of the mantle clocks on some, but not all, of our ten fireplaces. The others were Christmas gifts for friends and family.
Two weeks before Christmas Cal and I received a call from Tricia on a Friday night. She told us that she had just received a call from Judge Monroe and she was requesting a closed hearing on Sam's adoption and that she wanted to have a discussion with our family. No other information was given to Tricia and the hearing was on the judge's docket for the following Monday at 9AM. Tricia asked if we would all be available and without much thought I told her yes, we would all be there.
That Monday morning found all four of us in suits, anxious about what would happen regarding Sam and his adoption. Cal kept telling me to relax, that he doubted the judge would ask for a "family meeting" if she was not going to grant the adoption. He was right, of course, I should have been worrying about the meeting after, than the actual adoption. The closed hearing was very brief. Judge Monroe sat at the head of the big conference table, her stenographer at her side, and she looked down the table to Jake and asked
him if he wanted Sam to be his forever brother. Jake didn't even stop to think about it, he piped right up and said to her, "I been waiting for a long time for you to make up your mind so I went ahead and decided on my own he was my brother and he agreed." She pondered his remark and then smiled and handed him a copy of the printed decree, telling him his new brother was now named Samuel Hays-Roberts, all official and legal. The boys were hugging each other and so were Cal and I. We then thanked Her Honor and we then hugged each boy. Now that the official duties had been performed the judge dismissed everyone else from the room except our family and she took off her robe. We then all sat back down at the table so we could begin our private meeting.
She told primarily Cal and I that she had a situation to discuss with us. She told us about a situation in Springfield, which although was only 20 miles away, was in another county. She explained that this was not an official meeting, this was just between us and in no way connected with Sam's adoption. But she felt she had gotten to know us as individuals and as a family and she thought we might be able to help in this particular situation. She asked if we had watched the news reports of a drugs related shooting in Springfield last week.
I remembered the coverage on the news one evening last week. A couple was shot dead in their apartment by drug dealers who had mistaken the couple for another pair that had ratted on them. Unfortunately the dead couple had two children and there were no living relatives in the picture and the twin 11 year old boys had been taken in by the Children's Protective Services agency. She told me I was right, that is the situation she wanted to talk to us about. At that point Cal reached out to me and we held hands under the table.
She went on to say that the authorities in Springfield were having a problem finding suitable housing for the two boys, and as those words were just out of her mouth both Sam and Jake said as one, "Can't they come stay with us? We got lots of rooms and horses and stuff?" Judge Monroe chuckled and told them that that was just what she wanted to talk to us about. Cal was already squeezing my hand and he was giving me the nod that told me he wanted to do this. She told us the boys were very bright and were closer than most brothers were, she winked at Cal and I and I took that to mean they were gay and in some sort of non-brotherly relationship. As I turned to Cal he told me, "Scott, I think we have to at least meet them, why don't we see if they can come to visit for a few days at least, we'll get to know them and they can get an idea of what life is like at the farm?" I told him I had no real problem with that, but before the visit was over we'd have to talk to Dean and Joe, as they would be their minders if I was working in the office and he was studying or in a lab class. He gave me that smile I just can't resist and we told the judge what we had been talking about. She told us that that was just what she had expected us to say, as she went over to the door that opened into her chambers. There she invited the three people in there to join us.
We were introduced to Miss Kelly, from the Springfield family court and with her were the boys. They stood about five feet tall and were quite thin, but healthy, not sickly thin. They both had very curly dark brown hair and deep chocolate brown eyes. Their skin tone hinted at mixed race and we found out later that their father was from Puerto Rico and their mother from Chile. Their facial features were crisp and sharp and quite appealing. They were obviously nervous ans they were holding hands. Jake pulled Sam with him as he scooted around us adults and stood in front of the new boys. He looked up to them and said," HI I'm Jake and this is my new brother Sam, who are you guys?" They both looked down at the two littler guys and then they both smiled and one said,"Hi Jake, I'm Jay and this is my brother Marco". The four then exchanged handshakes, just as our two had been taught to when meeting someone for the first time. Cal and I then went over to the foursome and we were going to introduce ourselves when Sam spoke up and proudly , said," and these are our new dads, Dad and Daddy." We all chuckled at that and I shook their hands telling them that I was Scott and then Cal did the same, telling them he was Cal. They got huge smiles on their faces as they saw us rejoin our hands as we stood in front of them. Miss Kelly then asked if everything had been arranged for a home visit and Judge Monroe said it certainly looked like it and why didn't she grab the boy's bags. She went into her chambers and returned with two shopping bags with the boy's clothes and a handful of paperwork we were requested to sign, essentially agreeing to care for the boys for up to a week, and the corresponding papers giving us temporary guardianship of the boys. As I signed these documents I noticed the guardianship paperwork said the term started today, but ended in a years time. I looked at Cal and showed him these dates as he was about to sign and he grinned back at me before putting his signature in it's proper places on the documents. Judge Monroe stood winking at us. I asked if that was the extent of the boys belongings in the two shopping bags and Miss Kelly answered that unfortunately it was, as the apartment had been ransacked right after all the authorities had left and many items were either trashed or stolen from the home. Cal piped up and said we had a few stops to make before going home.
We bid our goodbys to the ladies and the boys all hugged the women and we were on our way. We stopped at the Hadley mall and went in to get the boys some suitable boots for the farm and a few pairs of rugged jeans and shirts as well. Cal insisted on some dressier clothing, as they would need them for the up coming holidays, and he said if he and Harry, and maybe Tom and Bill could work with them after their own classes, maybe we could find out if they would be ready to join their grade in our local school after the holidays, he reminded me to make a note to get their school transcripts as they were not in their file that he could see. I took out my notebook and made myself a note to do just that. I also took out my phone and called home to warn Joe about our unexpected arrivals. We had planned a small celebration for tonight at dinner for Sam, and now I thought we could get a store bought cake and welcome Jay and Marco to the farm as well. Joe told me not to worry, he had several cakes in the freezer and there was time to room thaw one and get it iced and decorated before dinner. I thanked him profusely and told him we'd give him the whole story later, after we arrived back home.
Our shopping took us until lunch time and we took the four boys to one of the campus eateries so Cal could drop off an assignment he wanted to get in today, as the professor for that class had been so agreeable for his absence today because of the adoption. This was a favorite professor of Cal's and he was the one who influenced Cal to change from a business major to the education department, with the goal of getting his masters in elementary education, just as Harry and Dean were both doing. I sometimes thought it amusing to think we'd soon have enough teachers in the family to start our own school.
We had a fun lunch. Cal explained that the workers in this particular eatery were all students in the culinary arts section of the university. Although we hadn't planned it, Harry, Dean, Jim, Jim's girl Judy, and Ray were all having lunch together and had just been given their menus. They all had labs or other classes in the afternoon, but not til 3PM. They had a large table and by pushing a small table up to it we were able to join them. They all knew Sam of course, and wanted him to tell them how his adoption hearing went. He told them how scared he was at first, but Jake had told him it was easy peesy and it turned out it was, and then they met Jay and Marco who were coming to stay with them all. He and Jake then introduced the new guys to the older gang and it was one big happy table for lunch. We dawdled a little, but it did get closer to 3 and I asked for the check. To my surprise the instructor on duty for this meal told me it was compliments of the university, as they had never had a chance to serve an adoption luncheon before and it was a good experience for the students in the kitchen and on the floor. Cal insisted on leaving a large tip for the staff to split and then we were all off to continue our day.
Cal ran in the education department building to drop off his paper and we were off for home. Only a few blocks from the campus the land turns quite pastoral and we passed through areas with homes on one side of the road and fields and pastures on the other. Some of these had cows or horses in them and one even had some Llamas in it. Jake told the new guys that the llamas spit so you really had to watch yourself around them. Jay and Marco were staring out the windows, probably wondering what they had let themselves in for, agreeing to visit our farm.
As soon as we left the road and entered our drive Jake and Sam started filling in Jay and Marco about what they could see. They're descriptions were spot on, if skewed toward the adolescent way of thinking, and we heard a couple of gasps when the main house came into view. We drove on past the big barn and the cottage opposite and we went as far as the gate for the farm road at the end of our acreage, there we turned around and drove back to the house, parking in front of the large garage. Jake started to lead everyone to the back kitchen door and Cal called to him and told him no one was sweaty or dirty so for their first time maybe we could use the front door. He smacked his own forehead, saying , "Oh yeah, I forgot. The first time home Sam and I went in that way too."
The new guys were awed with the house. To them it was huge, as it seemed to Cal and I when we first looked at it. Jake and Sam each had a boy to take around and show off the house to them. When they reached the family room and kitchen Joe was just coming out from the pantry. Joe was introduced as "Uncle Joe who was married to Uncle Ray who they had met at lunch. Uncle Joe knew all about cooking and cleaning and he made the bestest food." Joe shook the new guys hands and was properly introduced. He then grabbed up Sam and gave him a great hug, congratulating him on becoming a real member of the family.
We lugged the boys shopping up to the second floor and let the new guys pick out their own room or rooms, whatever they wanted. They announced they would like to be together and chose the bedroom across the hall from Jake and Sam, where Dean used to sleep until Harry moved in with him and they choose another bigger space.
We all helped them get settled in and Cal took several things to the laundry room that he thought should be washed before they were worn. Jake and Sam asked the guys to change into their boots and they went off to do the same. They then, all four, took off exploring. The horses in the paddocks were introduced, as were the dogs, the cats(we had a pregnant one), the ponies, and the chickens and the roosters. All were new experiences for the boys, they'd never had any exposure to these animals as they were raised in the city and lived in an apartment where no pets were allowed. Now they would get to see them almost any time they wanted.
Dinner that night was a raucous affair. The older lads were all home from school and Frank had picked up the aunts for the drive out here. Sam was feted and toasted and Jay and Marco were welcomed to the family for as long as they would stay. The time came for desert and Joe had outdone himself with the two cakes presented. Sam loved his Happy Adoption cake with his new name on it, right under a frosting rendition of his favorite pony. Jay and Marco were basically speechless as they saw the Welcome to our Family cake Joe had decorated, with a frosting rendition of the house on it. Marco asked me if I would take their picture with the cake so they could always remember their first day here on the farm. I think I had a tear in my eye when he said that and I actually clicked off a few, just in case.
We had about 2 weeks to prepare for Christmas and we did so with gusto. Cal only had three days of classes before his holiday break, as did the rest of our students. We took Sam and Jake to pre school the next morning and made sure his name change was recorded in their records. While we did that Jay and Marco were meeting with Joe to go over what they liked and didn't like to eat, and if there were any allergies they knew of. Jay told us later their meeting went well. He explained to them that he supervised the cleaning of the house and that everyone took care to keep everything, even in their room, neat as they could, and if they needed help to let him know. He took care of the vacuuming, dusting and clothes washing, but he expected their dirty ones to be in the hampers in their bathroom and any spills were to be cleaned up by them, before he got to their room or bathroom. Fresh towels and sheets were in the linen closet in their bathroom if they were needed, and if they needed more tissues they were stocked in there as well, along with soaps and shampoos. He told them that their new suitcases were for when they traveled with their new family and they would probably go with us on most of the trips, but there might be times when I had to go alone, especially if someone couldn't get out of classes, but most of the time it was weekend trips.
They asked Joe about the trips, where did they go, how long did they stay, why did they go on them, did everyone go? That is why I had asked Joe to deal with all this. I still felt a little self conscious about talking about myself. I thought if someone else told them, as Cal had done with both Jake and Sam, that then they could ask me whatever they wanted and I'd answer as honestly as I could, but to come right out and tell them that I'm a famous author and people want to meet me and maybe get my autograph seemed a little boastful to me. The two boys were amazed at what Joe told them and Joe went to the den and grabbed a copy of the newest book and showed then the dedication. It was my heartfelt thanks to all around me, including my husband Cal, who were helping us raise Jake and affording me time to write and him time to study. It named all the guys, my brothers and our employees/friends. Sam wasn't with us when the book went to print or he would have been included also. Joe told the guys that he bet someday that their names would be there too.
I wouldn't say that they were star struck around me the next few days, but boy did we have two really well behaved guys with us for a few days. Actually they were very well behave young men. One night as we watched a holiday movie on TV I gave each one a hundred dollar bill. They thanked me, but asked what it was for. I told them that Cal and I were going Christmas shopping the next day and we thought they might want to go with us, so they could do some Christmas shopping themselves. They grinned and started to go and shake my hand and I told them I was family, and for family we hugged. They were so pleased they even called me "daddy", and then later they called Cal "dad" for the first time. It was a great feeling. We had asked the boys what they used to do for the holidays and we were told that it wasn't too much, just the boys and their parents. They would open their few presents, mostly clothing, in the morning and then have a nice meal in the afternoon. They would have leftovers for their dinner and usually watch a holiday movie on TV that night.
Cal told them that we were going to do something a little different. It would be our first Christmas as a family and we wanted it to be special for everyone. We would attend midnight Mass with the aunts and Cal's father and all the uncles on Christmas Eve, with a nice dinner before hand with friends and family, then in the morning, after all the presents under the tree were opened, we all would have a big breakfast party with everyone here, meaning the ladies from next door and Ray and Joe and everyone who lived in the house. Then, later in the afternoon, around 3PM, the aunts, and all the uncles and Joe and Ray and Frank would gather here for a big turkey dinner.
Christmas shopping with the twins was quite a lot of fun. We had all dropped Sam and Jake off for their last pre school session of the year and we would pick them up about 1PM. We went out to Holyoke, to one of the biggest malls in New England. We first went to a cell phone store and bought the twins cell phones and added them to our plan. The store assured us the phones were charged and programed before we left the store. They were not the top of the line phones by any means, but the black card took a 500 dollar hit anyway. Now we felt safer if the boys wanted to wander off, or if we somehow got separated. About an hour later, after the twins left to browse younger shops than we were shopping at, Cal's phone rang and Marco came up on his caller ID. Cal quickly answered and was relieved everything was OK, they had just run short of money on the last gifts they were trying to purchase. We had thought about this happening and given the list we saw them writing up with Jake and Sam's help, we were surprised it hadn't happened much sooner. Cal asked where they were and they said Imagination Station, and told us where it was in relation to the escalators. We found them 10 minutes later and all they were short was about 5 dollars each. The reason for their shortfall was obvious as we paid the balance due for them and the boys each took their purchases and put them into two small folding grocery shopping carts they had purchased to cart around their purchases in. They explained there was one for each of the Aunts, as they didn't buy a lot at a time when they shopped. And they were light enough for them to handle by themselves. What an ingenious pair!
Despite their pleading neither twin would divulge any of their purchases to Jake and Sam when we picked them up after our lunch at Tail Gate Picnic at the shops at South Hadley's common. The twins got to go through the deli line and with our help actually picked themselves out a healthy lunch. On our way to pick up Jake and Sam at their pre school I received a call from Ray, telling me the indoor riding pavilion was finished and ready for riders, as he had solar powered heaters installed and he said it was a comfortable 70 degrees in there now. He said he and Dean were ready to give the twins their first riding lesson when we arrived back home. As I said, the little ones wanted to know what and for whom purchases were made and the light bantering went on until we drove up to the garage and Cal hit the opener button. We all went in, Cal and I leaving our purchases in the trunk, and Marco and Jay trundling their carts up the enclosed walkway(the truck room) with their purchases tucked away in the safety of the bags in their carts. Cal told all four to change into jeans and boots, their riding teachers were waiting at the pony barn for them. Everyone of the boys rushed to their rooms to change and within 10 minutes they were back down ready to tame the West.
We followed them down a few moments later, a video camera and our cell phones with us, we didn't want to miss a moment of this. The four buckaroos were listening carefully, but impatiently, to Ray and Dean as they wanted the talking over and the riding to start, but the two instructors knew this so they kept the instructions to the basics for now and then helped them saddle up. The next hour was precious.
The ponies were very forgiving I thought, and watching Jake and Sam trying to sit upright in their saddles was hilarious. After a few minutes it became obvious that for all their impatience to ride, the twins had certainly been listening and were actually looking quite good out there. That gave either Dean or Ray a chance to trot along the younger boys and give each some further pointers. After an hour the ponies were tiring and I wondered if the boys were getting a little bored, but when I suggested they all dismount and we'd go up to the house for a little snack before dinner, I was greeted with a chorus of "not yet dads, it hasn't been that long" I pointed out that the ponies were getting tired and it was getting cooler as the sun was already setting. Ray and Dean taught them all how to curry their rides and to offer them a small treat for riding them around. All in all Ray and Dean thought all four did a great job for their first time riding on their own.
The little ones were pooped after the first show we had watched after dinner, and I suggested they get ready for bed. Once they were all tucked in and asleep Cal and I sat with the twins through a DVD of Scrooge. When it was over we talked to the boys about how they were liking staying with us and if they were having any problems or concerns about staying with us. They assured us they were very happy with us and flat out said that they wished they could stay here forever with us. We didn't want to make promises we couldn't keep, so we just told them that we felt the same, and would do everything we could to make that happen. We told them that they could come to us with any questions they had or with any problems they were having, we would help them in any way we could, we just wanted them to be happy.
After our early morning run we asked Ray how many more ponies we could get and he told us maybe 2, but he thought by the summer the twins would be big enough for the two smaller mares we already had. I told him to get the extra ponies anyway, it was a long time until summer, and no telling how many friends they'd make in school. That afternoon a packet was delivered to to house, addressed to Cal and I and marked personal and confidential. It was from Tricia and contained the copies of the boys school transcripts. We were shocked to see the boys were in the middle of their sophomore year of high school .It seems they had scored very high on IQ tests over their school years and had been bumped up grades a few times. Cal was very impressed, as was I, but he did something I hadn't thought of. He called his favorite professor in the education department at the university and they had a rather convoluted conversation and I handed him pages of their transcript as he asked for them. The upshot was that both of them thought that after the holidays we should bring the boys to him and he and another staff member would administer tests to them, to find the correct course of study they could concentrate on, and also to make sure their class placement was the correct one for them.
Our second call was to Tricia, and once she was able to take our call we told her in no uncertain terms that we wanted permanent custody of the twins, and she told us that Judge Monroe had already talked to her about that just yesterday when she appeared before her in court on another matter. We weren't to worry, the judge had specifically picked us for the new parents of the boys and she had already had their case transferred to our county and specifically to her court. She told us to be prepare for a surprise home visit from her soon and Tricia, herself, told us she was looking forward to seeing us all on Christmas day for dinner. We thanked her and told her we were happy she could join us. As it was the judge had been invited for Christmas eve and had accepted, she was bringing her adult son and his only child, a boy about 12 with her. Her son was divorced from his wife and she declared she didn't want anything to do with their "fag of a son" so the boy and his father now lived in Northampton, where he practiced family law, following in his mother's footsteps as it were.
I had a strange thought, and excused myself to go to my office and did a little research. The photo on the law firm's website that Attorney Monroe worked for showed a tall slim good looking young man, about Tricia's age. I called Cal up, showed him the picture, and mentioned how much work Tricia had at her private practice. He looked at me and asked if we were now an employment agency, or were we matchmakers ? As I hugged him I told him that just maybe we could be both. I then called Tricia back and told her we would like to invite her for Christmas Eve as well, if she didn't already have plans. She said if we were sure, she'd love to come out both days, and then I offered her one of the bedrooms in the new wing of the house. She readily accepted and we then ended our call, as she was a little rushed.
We talked to Joe that afternoon and asked if he wanted help for the holidays, and he laughed and said that had already been taken care of, both Bill and tom were already pressed into service and had been since they were let out of school for the holidays. He'd had them peeling and chopping, waxing and polishing and in the week coming they'd be dusting and cleaning until Christmas eve. He told me not to worry, what he was paying them was coming out of the generous household budget we had set for the holiday entertaining.
The next day Cal took the computers we had bought the twins back and greatly increased the upgrades on the replacement ones.
The boys all had a riding lesson in the morning. They were taught to groom and then saddle before riding. They all seemed to enjoy this, although Jake and Sam needed step stools to reach their pony's backs. They had learned their lessons well though, and when their class was over Cal and I saddled up our horses and so did Dean and Joe and we all rode for another hour or so. I must say that it was very comfortable in the pavilion and we really enjoyed ourselves. The thought crossed my mind that we could host a riding party indoors at some point, but there was so much going on for the holidays, in just short of a week, that I put it out of my mind for now.
The day of Christmas Eve we all made sure our bedrooms were presentable, as we did for the rest of the house also. When the boys went to the pavilion for a riding lesson Joe gave them a bag of apples as a treat for all the ponies and horses. They had an hour and a half before lunch and soon after that guests started to arrive. All four boys rushed out to help the aunts in. Each lady had a covered dish and a couple of bags containing wrapped gifts. The boys gave quick hugs and kisses as they arranged to relieve the ladies from their burdens. Inside they deposited the covered dishes in the kitchen and the gifts under the tree, while Cal and I helped them out of their winter coats to hang them in the front hall closet.
Just as the ladies were getting settled in Frank arrived. He had both hands full of shopping bags and the boys rushed to help Grandpa in. Once seated the older three were getting all caught up when the subject of Marco and Jay came up. The boys had all gone up to play a video game so Cal and I filled them all in on what we had learned about their being in high school classes already and about their upcoming testing to be done after the holidays, and that we had applied to adopt them also. They were all very pleased about that and said they couldn't wait to have them made permanent additions. We were having a great time chatting when the drive alarm sounded again. All four boys clambered down the stairs and even beat us to the front door to greet "their judge" and her son and grandson. Introductions were made all around and the boys took Tony up to play video games while the adults talked. Judge Monroe was thanked profusely by Frank and the aunts for all she had done to help create our family, and her son Brad basked in the acknowledgment his mother was receiving. Cal and I took him on a tour of the house, and pointed out other thing, like the riding pavilion and the barn that could be seen from the side windows of the family room. He was impressed with the pool and the pool house and told us a little about himself as we toured. He was a really nice guy and we couldn't help but hope there was at least a little spark when he and Tricia met.
We didn't have to wait long. Shortly after Joe and Bill and Tom started their final prep work in the kitchen Tricia arrived. Of course the driveway alarm sounded and the boys, all five of them, raced downstairs to see who had arrived. Sam and Jake wanted both hugs and kisses, Marco and jay hugged and shyly gave and received pecks on the cheek. They were beet red as the introduced their new friend, Tony, to her. She asked Jake if Tony was a new friend and Jake replied,"Yeah, he's new today, but we got you one too." Now all the adults were blushing as I introduced her to Atourney Brad Monroe, son of Judge Monroe. As she looked up at him while they shook hands you could feel the static electricity in the air. I swear their hair started to stand on end. Tom came over and took Tricia' over night bag up to her room for her as I hung her coat up in the hall closet.
We had no assigned seating arrangement, but by the time our tenants from the other property, the couples Stella and Pam and Lynn and Sue, and Ray arrived and started helping his husband Joe in the kitchen, Dean and Harry had finished in the barn and were already cleaned up and helping move the big kitchen table, to run along side the one from the dining room, in the middle of the big floor space in the family room. Cal and I were clearing the long counter separating the kitchen area and the family room so Joe and his helpers would have a place to set out all the food in a big buffet line. Just before that was finished Jim and his girlfriend, Judy arrived, also loaded down with packages and two trays of fresh brownies. Everyone greeted the new arrivals and introductions were made to those that would need them.
I have to say that the buffet dinner went really well. We had just enough seating for everyone, even if some had to bump elbows occasionally, but they certainly didn't mind at all. It was a very festive affair and Joe received many compliments. He told everyone he couldn't have done it without the help he received fro Tom and Bill, and his loving husband Ray. All the guys got a big round of applause for their great efforts. After the tables had been cleared and the leftovers divided up for those who could use them, we retired to the family room and handed out presents, Cal and I acing as Santa. We had a blast as these were all fun things and we had made sure we had gifts for the "new people" to our group. The boys, Tony included, got many toys and hand held video games. The three older ones got some really good gift certificates also. Even Judge Monroe was on the receiving end of several thoughtful and thankful gifts. We were just about finished when Cal noticed a manila envelope tucked in the tree branches. It had a big red bow on it and with shaking hands I opened it up, I thought I knew what it was, she had done the same thing at our wedding. Cal scanned the top paper and started crying and laughing at the same time and I knew for sure it was the finalized adoption papers for Mario and Jay. I scanned through the first page as Cal handed it to me and soon we were hugging and crying and laughing, all at the same time. Jake ran off to the den and came back slowly, with a ball point pen. He handed it up to me and said, "Hurry up and autograph Dads, I want new brothers for Christmas!"