Louann found out that the sheriff was trying to help them become foster parents for the little girl and boy that were saved last week. She had thought about wanting to adopt but didn’t know how Freddie would take to the idea. He was still sticking out his finger and wanting people to pull it when he needed to fart. She saw fatherhood being forced upon him through birth. Not choosing to adopt and all the scrutiny that would entail. The gunfight changed him profoundly. Home and hearth are what he wanted now.
Child Protective Services came to interview them to determine if they could provide a stable home for the kids. LouAnn was a nervous wreck cleaning and changing the two extra bedrooms into children’s rooms. The house was cleaned from top to bottom. She had Freddie outside mowing and edging. The yard had to be perfect. Finally, a grizzled old veteran of CPS showed up. She was a woman in her 60s and has been doing this job for 35 years. She was the epitome of no-nonsense and let’s get to the task at hand. LouAnn was loaded for bear. She knew the requirements inside and out. It turned out to be very easy. The Sheriff had interviewed people in their church and the neighbors. The background checks were all done. He and Gertrude had filled out all of the forms for them. It was a done deal, she just had to say yes. She didn’t realize that those babies were so traumatized that the only people they would talk to were Freddie and Russell. This was happening because of her husband. She decided if he ever offered his finger again, she would pull it. She was ready to explain it away as a foible. He never did that again, he was going to be a Dad.
The kids arrived with a few clothes and some toys from their old home. Freddie and LouAnn were not wealthy and had to budget their money carefully. The State gave them some money for fostering the kids. They had a home, ate well, and had clean clothes on their backs. There was money for toys. The children would soon learn to think they were rich and loved, they just weren’t there yet. LouAnn was a little bit jealous of Freddie getting all the attention from the kids. But, she was wise and played the long game. Being the chauffeur, cook, the person who does the shopping, and the one who was always there for them soon trumped everything. “A woman’s hand rocks the cradle of the world.” Her power was ascendant.
Freddie was learning to let go and get involved with the kids. He put in two child seats in his pickup truck so he could take the kids with him where ever he went. In the beginning, they were withdrawn and apprehensive if he wasn’t nearby. This worked out perfectly for him too. They gave him a reason to shake out of his reverie. Three wounded souls rolled down the highway looking for soft-serve ice cream cones every afternoon. When working nights, he would set his alarm clock for 2:30 every afternoon. After the kids’ naps and not so late that it ruined supper. This was a LouAnn edict.
The rambunctious behavior of children began to take over as they settled into their new lives. Freddie was all smiles during these trips too. Once when going through the drive-through window he had handed the girl in the window a ten-dollar bill and she gave him three cones of vanilla ice cream. He reached across from Cissy and gave Marky his cone and then a cone for Cissy. As he was turning his head toward the window Cissy said, “Daddy, Daddy!” He snapped his head back to the right. This was the first time either child called him Daddy. A big deal. She was holding the cone high to show him when he turned his head into the ice cream. Leaving a large blob of vanilla ice cream on the right lens of his aviator sunglasses. The girl in the window started laughing and Cissy said, “Oops”. As he turns back to the girl to get his change, she hands him the change, a handful of napkins, and some wet wipes. He pulls around to the back to start cleaning up the mess. He noticed the kids were afraid, “Oh baby it’s OK. Just a little bit of cleanup and we’ll be as good as new.”
A family of four living in a small three-bedroom one-bath house can be cramped. One morning while shaving Freddie heard Marky outside the door saying. “Can I come in? I have to pee.”
“You sure can, come on in.”
He rushed in and pulled down his pants and sat on the toilet.
Freddie said, “I thought you had to pee? You know one of the advantages of being a boy is that you can pee while standing up.”
“I know”, he said. “But sometimes I get my pants wet. It is just too short”, he said with the most earnest and adorable face Freddie has ever seen.
“I’m not worried though. When I grow up I will have a long one”. While holding his hands about a foot apart.
Freddie could barely contain himself over that one. Although, he was able to tamp down his reaction to a big smile, not laughter.
That night when he told LouAnn about what happened, she laughed. Then she said, “Well could be. As far as we know he doesn’t have genetics working against him.”
A couple of days later while eating a cheeseburger in his patrol car, he thought about her statement again.
LouAnn was the most conscientious mother in the world. All of her spare time was spent reading child-rearing books. Little Cissy was just starting to realize the difference between herself and her brother. When she asked LouAnn about it she answered, “Boys have a penis, and girls have a vagina.” Be clinical and not shocked when explaining these things to a child. At least that is what the books say. Sounds reasonable in theory. Cissy also went into the bathroom when Freddie was shaving. While shaving, he felt a little finger poke his penis. While jumping in shock, he resolved to keep the door locked from now on. She would also recite the theorem of what boys and girls have to anyone when it struck her fancy.
The CPS lady called and wanted to visit to check on the children’s progress. The difference between the children she left with them and now was remarkable. If you didn’t know you would think these are the birthparents and all is normal. Happy kids are what she found. The visit also had another purpose. That was to ask them if they wanted to adopt the kids. There was going to be an adoption ceremony at the courthouse soon and if they wanted to they would be recommended to become the adoptive parents. Both of them emphatically said yes instantly. She said she will get back to them soon about the date the ceremony will be held. As she was leaving and on the front porch. Cissy who had been playing in the flower beds stood up and said, “Daddy, can I see your penis again?”
Oops, looks like some more explaining needs to be done. The CPS lady left and Freddie and LouAnn were on the verge of panic. They waited for days for CPS to come and take the kids away. When the phone did ring, it was CPS calling to tell the day and time of the ceremony. That grizzled old veteran of CPS had seen it all in her job and recognized the perfect home to raise children.