Chapter 26: Inspection

“Andrew, it’s for you.”

“Andrew Bailey.”

“Andrew, it’s Amara Kumar from Children and Family Services. You probably remember me.”

“Of course, Ms. Kumar. And what can I do for you today?”

“I’m calling to give you a heads up. First, though, how is Tania?”

“Nia is doing well; her health is coming back, but she has a ways to go.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m calling because the Health Department is going to come and visit you at home and assess Nia’s situation. They were notified by the hospital when she was admitted, and following up, they discovered she wasn’t yet back at school.

“The reason I’m calling is to alert you about the inspection and to caution you. They have the power to break the six of you up and put you in the system if they suspect anything unusual in your living situation. That means, for example, improper sanitation, filthiness in the kitchen, older siblings of different sexes in the same bedroom, a whole lot of things.”

“Thank you for the heads up. We will have all our ducks in a row when they sneak up on us. And thank you so much for calling. Goodbye.”

“LEAH!”

She rushed in, concerned.

“Sometime in the near future, we are going to be visited without warning by some kind of ‘health inspector.’ They aren’t going to like seeing that we are sharing the bed.”

“Oh, no! What are we going to do?”

“I think I need to live on the sofa for a while. We need to put a blanket and a pillow out there to pretend that’s where I sleep. And we have to drill the kids about that, so they don’t blurt out the truth.”

That is what happened. Ted, Tim, and Nia promised to respect their wishes. Val was exasperated.

“What do these, these bureaucrats, how is it any of their business? Don’t they have better things to do?”

Drew said, “I agree with you, Val. But I won’t be the cause of breaking up our family. I will spend a few nights out here in the living room, so we are credible when they come. We just need you all to go along with it. Andrew sleeps in the living room, got it?”

“Got it,” answered Val.

“Thanks. Ted?”

“Got it.”

Finishing with assents from Nia and Tim, Drew went to the linen closet and took out a sheet and pillowcase.

“Leah, do we still have a pillow and blankets from the two beds we used to use?”

“Yeah, I’ll find them.”

Later in the evening, Drew was trying to get comfortable, unsuccessfully. He was too tall to fit on the sofa, squeezed between the high armrests.

“Drew, we’re doing this wrong. You need your rest in order to do your electrician job. You and I agreed that you would continue working despite our insurance windfall. Let’s face reality. Your body is too long for this sofa.

“So, it will be ME, not you, sleeping out here. But first...”

Leah tugged at Andrew, leading him back to the master bedroom.

“You know what? Now that I’ve been on birth control, you’ve been ignoring my butt. Have you lost interest?”

“On the contrary, dear Leah. I think about your luscious derriere every day.”

“Well then, it’s past time you applied yourself, young man. And why aren’t you naked?”

Just then, the doorbell rang. Leah and Drew just looked at each other. It couldn’t be!

Drew checked the peephole. It wasn’t the health inspector, not at this hour. Drew opened the door and welcomed Carolina and Fernanda.

Val wandered out in her flannel nightgown.

“Where’s Abel?”

“I had to leave him in charge of the boys. I’m here because Bea is in the hospital with a likely heart attack. I’m taking in her two boys, but I was hoping Fernanda could stay here with you temporarily. Is that OK?”

Noting that Leah and Val were agreeable, he said, “OK, Fernanda, you can stay with us. You don’t have a case with you, you might need to borrow clothes from Val.