Chapter 25: Therapy

Diego and Rei were able to work the system and receive a grant for homeschooling Casey, adding Cia so that the two of them would be together as much as possible. T quit her part-time job and became their teacher, using textbooks from the internet.

In addition, Cia and T would bring Casey to her twice-a-week therapy sessions. Occasionally Cia would be asked in to help, or clarify, what was going on with Casey. To her credit, Cia was still following the plan she had been given: “Be Casey’s friend, don’t ask her for details, don’t pry into her past.”

The two of them continued their deep friendship that had started years earlier when they were in grade school.

She was making progress. She still cuddled and slept with the stuffed hippo, but there was no more thumb-sucking. Every day there was time out from schoolwork for games, often including T. A favorite was Hearts, a trick-taking game. Each heart card was worth one point, and the key was finding a way to avoid taking, or to stick another player, with the Queen of Spades, the “Black Lady,” worth 13 points.

When Casey did manage to inflict the Q♠ on either Cia or T, she would cackle with evil glee. It was a way for her to acceptably express her feelings in an ordinary context.

Opening Up

Three months after they stopped attending regular school, Casey had a question.

“Cia, why have we never talked about my past, before I came to live with you?”

“I was asked not to pry. To avoid those subjects. Casey, you have been in so much pain, I didn’t want to make things worse. Or harder for you.”

“But you know, don’t you?” asked Casey, quietly.

“I know some things, not details. You know, nothing like that has ever happened to me. I don’t know what to do with it, except be your sister, and come to therapy with you.”

“Sister? Did you say, ‘sister’?”

“Of course I did, Casey. You and I have the same parents, we sleep in the same bedroom, you are my sister, now. Oh, don’t cry, I’m just saying what we already know.”

“Cia, sister, please hug me.”

Later, Cia thought, “This gives me an idea.”

Identity

After dinner a few nights later, Cia asked everyone to stay together at the table.

“Since you, Rei, and Diego are both lawyers, Casey and I want to hire you. Here’s a dollar for each of you. This is what we want: Casey wants a new name, ‘Casey Carneros Walsh.’ And I want to be ‘Alicia Carneros Walsh.’ Because we’re sisters now, and we want to share the same name.”

There was consternation around the table.

“No more Pike, no more Hopkins? Are you totally sure?” asked T.

“One hundred percent,” replied Casey.

Cia held up her hand.

“Wait. One more thing. We also want to be Diego’s daughters, with him adopting us, legally.”

In unison, both girls cried: “Please!”

“Diego, do you want to be their official Dad?” asked Rei.

“One hundred percent,” replied Diego, with tears about to drip down his face.

Two weeks later, all five of them were in front of Judge Danforth. Cia and Casey were wearing formal floor-length dresses, feeling uncomfortable and fidgety. The courtroom was such an unnatural environment for pre-teen girls, waiting for the formalities of some civil cases to finish.

Finally, the clerk called their cases.

“Carneros again?” he grumbled.

“Your honor, we’re trying to organize our family, so we don’t have to bother you ever again,” replied Rei.

“All right. Which one of you is Casey. Stand up, please, and go sit in this witness chair next to me.”

The clerk swore her in.

“Casey, I want to confirm a couple of things. Is it true you want to change your name? Change it to what?”

“Casey Carneros Walsh, Judge,” she answered, firmly.

“And you want me to approve your adoption, by who?”

“Diego Gutierrez, Judge.”

“And these changes are your free choices? Nobody is pushing you into this?”

“All my choices, Judge. Please!”

“All right, young lady, go back to your seat with your family.”

“I am granting these petitions, effective immediately. Ms. Carneros, go get your certified copies from the clerk’s office at the end of the day. Make sure you order many duplicates, because bureaucrats will want copies for the rest of these girls’ natural life (as I’m sure you already know).

“Congratulations to you all. Now get these girls out of here, I’ve got criminal cases next on my docket.”