Chapter 13

We woke up late Saturday morning. If you want to be picky, we woke up early, but we didn't get out of bed. An hour or two lazing under the covers with a soft, sexy woman is a great way to start the day.

We found a pot of coffee made when we got downstairs, and the girls were finishing the last of their laundry. They said they had eaten cereal earlier, but I invited them to share brunch with us. I cooked pancakes and sausage, and cubed a honeydew melon.

I didn't hear anything but the clinking of silverware until Connie said, "You know, if you keep feeding me this way, I'm going to get fat."

She had gained a little weight, mostly around her ribs and her boobs. I was glad the hollow spots on her sides were finally gone.

"I'll love you anyway," I said.

"I know," she laughed. "That's what makes it so tempting."

We were sipping the last of the coffee and the girls were putting clothes away when I said, "Their clothes are in bad shape. That top Sarah has on is ripped in the seam, and the socks she's wearing have holes in them."

"So go buy them some clothes," she said.

"Shouldn't we wait until we know if they're staying with us?" I asked.

"They will need clothes no matter what, and I don't mind spending a few bucks on them." Connie thought for a moment and added, "Tell you what. You go buy some groceries and some clothes for them, and I'll go shopping for a van."

"If I'm going to be doing the driving, I'd like to help pick it out," I said.

We spent part of the afternoon at the Chrysler dealer, haggling for a used mini-van with low mileage. The one we finally agreed on was a little over a year old, and delivery was scheduled for Tuesday. The girls squealed and giggled when we told them we were headed for Wal-Mart to buy clothes.

On the way to Wally's World, I asked Connie about the trade-in.

"I'm going to give them the Jeep," she said. "It belonged to my dad, and I haven't had the heart to drive it. It's almost new, and our deal was nearly an even trade. It's too small for all of us anyway."

I nodded in acceptance of her logic. We were a family now.

I took the girls to the regular side of the store, and Connie took a cart for the grocery side of the Super-Center. Sarah ran off to look at shorts and tops, leaving Donna and me in the health and beauty aisle.

"Donna, do you have enough, um, supplies for your monthly visitor?"

Her cheeks pinked a bit and she said, "Do you mind if I use tampons?"

"No, honey, why should I?" I said. "You use what you want." She was about to step away and I added, "What about Sarah? Get her what she uses, too, will you?"

She smiled and walked down the aisle a few steps, returning with a box of juniors and a big box of pads. She put them in the basket and blushed a little.

I patted her arm. "It's okay, honey, really. It's a natural part of life."

Donna scoffed. "Mrs. P. never thought so. She went ballistic when she caught me using them."

"You weren't happy there, were you?" I asked.

"No, but I didn't have much of a choice. She made me wear long dresses to school all the time, too. I hated it, 'cuz I looked like a dork."

I said, "Well, summer's coming. Why don't you go find Sarah and pick out some tops and shorts, and maybe a new swimming suit."

"Can I get a bikini?" she asked.

"Let me see what you want and I'll decide," I replied.

I wandered through the aisles and picked up light bulbs, dish detergent and other odds and ends for the household. Every few minutes Sarah or Donna would run up and show me what they'd chosen, then giggle with glee when I nodded. I insisted they buy some new underwear and a couple of bras apiece; what they owned was shabby.

I picked out two dresses for each of them, complete with shoes to match. I also added new sneakers to go with what they'd bought for summer. On the way home, I figured we'd spent close to six hundred dollars, not counting groceries. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

Sunday was a lazy day around the house, and I fixed fried chicken and potato salad for supper.

Monday morning everyone was up early, anxious to get a head start on what promised to be a busy day. Connie took the Blazer and went to work about six, and I gathered book bags and backpacks near the door as the girls brought them down.

Donna had dressed in slacks and a nice blouse, but Sarah had chosen jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. I smiled in approval and loaded them into the wagon.

Adams School was on South 10^th Street, not far from their old home. I got a kiss on the cheek from each just before they hurtled into the building. Such energy!

I got to work about quarter till nine, and the office was crowded. Michael was there, in conference with Terri, and Connie was sitting at a desk full of papers.

"Pull up a chair and get your pen out; we're going to be busy signing things today," she smiled. She then furnished details about what had been decided so far. "We're applying to adopt. There's a one-year waiting period, and we have to put up with monthly visits from Social Services. Michael and Terri told me they'd help any way they could."

"That doesn't sound too bad," I said.

"It isn't, except the first interview and home visit will be this coming Wednesday evening."

"Shit!" I said. "Doesn't give us much time to get ready, does it?"

"Clara herself is coming; I think she has an interest in the girls that's beyond normal concern."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Remember the look she gave us when she left Terri's office the first time? She might make a big stink about us."

It was sad but true; we were generally regarded as people with "unnatural desires", and most of the Social Services folks looked at us with a wary eye.

"We love each other, that ought to count for something," I said. "We can give them a better life than that idiot Prentice, too."

Connie shrugged and said no more.

The rest of the day, we signed papers and arranged for two computers and Internet to be installed that evening. Kenny Billington, the headman of the State's IT department was going to handle it personally.

I was re-assigned as part of Lois's team, dredging through databases and files from home. My salary wasn't cut with the drop in hours, but Michael suggested I could fill in on weekends on an "as needed" basis. I felt the demon of loneliness creeping around my shoulders and shook it off. Having a family would be worth it, I just knew it.

Michael and Terri interviewed both of us, individually and together, to satisfy themselves of our intentions. Connie and I both thought the interviews went well. I left work at 2:30 pm to pick up the kids.

That afternoon while the kids did their homework, I started getting my act together as a full-time mom. I could visit the office during the day when school was in session, and still be available for them. I asked them about birthdays, their favorite foods, and gave them the healthy-eating speech, mentally thanking my mother. Apples, oranges and any kind of fruit were approved snack food; cookies, candy and chips were a treat. Likewise, no soda when milk or juice was available.

I set up privacy rules for everyone, including any guests they might invite. Any closed door must be knocked on for admittance, without exception. Their doors must remain ajar if a guest of the other sex was present. I wasn't sure how we'd deal with the issue of them sleeping together, but delayed saying anything until I had had a chance to talk to Connie.

I made baked chicken breasts and veggies with rice for supper.

Before supper started, we had a little bit of excitement in the house.

Connie came inside about five-thirty and said, "You didn't check the mail today, did you?"

"No, I had a few other things on my mind." I smiled nervously. Had I missed something important?

She picked one of the envelopes from her hand and gave it to me. "Sign those and put them in your purse. Tomorrow, go to the bank and choose a PIN number. The check card is orange, the credit card is silver. Happy shopping."

I looked at both and said, "Where did these come from?"

"It's part of what you signed for the other day. At the bank, remember?"

I nodded, speechless, then I groaned inwardly. More responsibility. Yeccch!

Connie took a couple steps toward the back of the house and shouted, "Girls! Front and center, please!"

They came running and slid to a stop in front of her. She opened a large bag which she had placed on the table and said, "Sit, please. I have something for both of you."

"Something" turned out to be two cell phones, and Connie explained.

"These are cell phones." Both girls squealed, but Connie held up her hand for quiet.

"They come with a few rules, but they are yours." You know how kids bounce on their toes when they're excited? The girls added wiggling to the mix.