Something to Live For

It was late in the evening at this point so we climbed into the sleeper to get some rest and, yes, get a little intimate before we got back on the road. It was mostly hands: I jerked him off and he fingered me to climax. And then we settled down to get some sleep.

I woke up at 2:00am and shook Henry awake. I suggested we get going so that we could be at mom's house (which was my house as well) in time for breakfast and I could hopefully see Ryan before he got on the bus for preschool. Our kiss lingered for some time as we didn't want to let each other go but we eventually did. Even with all of the solo hours I had spent behind this steering wheel, those 4+ hours were the loneliest I had ever experienced.

Mom's house was set on several acres. It had been a small farm when I was growing up and I had done a lot of work to help keep it going. Dad had the job at the plant as our main income and we supplemented it with the farm, but after he died the farm part just kind of went away and now we just had grassy acreage. We had sold some of it just because we didn't need it but there was still plenty of land for us.

Ryan flew out of the front door as my truck rumbled to a halt in its designated space next to the detached garage. I jumped out of the truck and ran to him, scooping my boy up into my arms and spinning him in a circle as we laughed. It was our ritual and we did it every time I came home.

I looked around but Henry's car wasn't to be seen. I hoped he hadn't lost my trail and was lost somewhere. I sent him a text.

"Where are you?"

"Not far; waiting for your son to get on the bus."

"Why?"

"So he can have some mom time. I'll meet him after school."

"So sweet! I'll let you know when he's gone."

That was such a thoughtful thing for him to do. That hadn't even occurred to me.

Ryan talked for 30 minutes straight and I even understood some of what he was trying to tell me, mostly thanks to my mom and her 5-year-old-to-English translating skills. Finally I walked with him out to the road to wait for the bus to pick him up. After he was gone I told Henry to come on up.

He pulled his car up in front of the house and his arrival caught mom's attention.

"Who on earth is that?"

I walked on past her and out to Henry's car. He climbed out and I knew mom was staring us down through the kitchen window. I put my arms around him and his went around my waist.

"Don't look, but my mom is watching us through the window."

He kept his eyes focused on me and never turned his head.

"Did you tell her about me?"

"Nope. I wanted it to be a surprise. She looked surprised when you pulled up, and this is really going to shock her."

I pulled his face to mine and laid the most powerful kiss I could muster on to him, and he responded in kind. I swear my clothes would have fallen off my body if I hadn't known I was under scrutiny. Slowly we pulled apart.

"You ready to meet my mom?"

"I'm ready for anything as long as I have you."

"Shit, now my panties are wet. You're going to have to take care of that later."

We walked into the house and my mom eyed Henry suspiciously, but only because she was worried about me and I hadn't mentioned him. By the time Ryan got home from school they were laughing like old friends and she had extracted a promise that he would stay with us, though we were expected to keep Ryan in mind whenever we were engaging in, as she put it, extracurricular activities. She didn't want him upset or confused.

When Ryan got home I walked him home from the bus stop and talked to him about Henry on the way.

"Ryan, sweetie, mommy met a very special man while she was working and he's going to be visiting for a while. He wants to be your friend, if that's okay."

We walked in the door and Ryan walked over to Henry and stuck his hand out.

"I'm Ryan. R-Y-A-N. It's nice to meet you."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, too, Ryan. I've been looking forward to it ever since your mom told me about you."

Ryan took his hand and led him into his bedroom, and Henry went along with the biggest smile on his face. Oh yeah, this was gonna work out just fine.

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HENRY

Generally speaking, humans are not interchangeable. That's why when someone loses a loved one, either via death or some other manner, perhaps the dumbest thing you can say is to suggest they are replaceable. 'I'm sorry your child died but at least you can have more'. But with that in mind, the sudden appearance of a new woman and, potentially, a new son in my life have had virtually that effect on me. That's not to suggest that Ryan could ever replace Eli in my heart, but his presence in my life went a long way toward filling the emptiness that was in there.

I spent probably 2 hours in Ryan's room playing with his toys or reading stories. He's really into Hot Wheels so I started thinking about things I could do to for that, like getting him some cool tracks. I had made pretty decent money at the DMV and had nothing to spend it on so I had some money saved up. I couldn't spend it too readily since I was done working there, but I could do something, with Kazey's permission of course.

Dinner was homemade chili and cornbread, courtesy of Kazey's mom. Over dinner I tried to get her to give up Kazey's actual name but she wouldn't budge. Dang it!

That night we cuddled in her queen size bed. We were just happy to be in each other's company and I knew I'd never be able to be away from her for days at a time. Either she'd have to come off the road or I'd have to go on it, and I knew what the answer to that choice would be. I'd start looking for truck driving schools in the morning.

Kazey and I were home for 6 days before she let her company know she was ready to get another load, and soon we were rolling toward Texarkana to deliver some electronic components.

We were able to pick up a load in Shreveport on the way back and took that down to Houston, and then made our way back to Tyler again. I still had a couple months on my lease in Austin so I was paying that but spending all of my time with Kazey either on the road or in Tyler. When we were home Ryan and I were building a very close bond, spending a lot of time tromping out and about on the property and finding all manners of critters to learn about. We'd find one and then go home and look it up. Kazey and I were also growing closer and closer, confirming the bond we had initially felt that brought us together.

This went on for about 3 months before the phone call came. It was an Austin phone number that I didn't recognize. I thought perhaps someone in my former family was reaching out, or maybe even one of the old friends I had, but I let it go to voice mail. If I don't know who's calling I rarely answer. I then listened to the message.

"Mr. Weston, my name is Charles Olivas and I'm an attorney in Austin. It is imperative that you call me back as soon as possible. You are not in any sort of trouble. This is regarding your nephew, Elias, and I am not overstating that this is an emergency situation."

I couldn't imagine what this could be about but if it was about Eli then of course I had to call. I grabbed Kazey and let her know what was going on, and she set her mom on Ryan so that she and I could go someplace quiet and contact Mr. Olivas.

His receptionist answered the phone and when I identified myself and why I was calling I was put through to Mr. Olivas immediately.

"Mr. Weston, thank you for calling. As I said on your voice mail, my name is Charles Olivas and I'm your nephew's attorney."

"Why does Eli need an attorney? He's 3."

"It's standard procedure in the State of Texas when a child enters foster care."

"Foster care? How on earth did he end up in foster care? He was living with 4 adults."

"I can't go into too many details at the moment regarding the legal cases pending against your brother, his wife, and your parents, but they are drug related and they are significant. It is likely that they will all be spending a significant amount of time in prison, and as the only other blood relative it is the policy of the State of Texas to seek placing the child with you."

"Mr. Olivas, I would take Eli in a second but there are some roadblocks. One, there's a restraining order preventing me from being in his presence."

"That order has already been revoked, Mr. Weston."

"Second, I'm not living in Austin anymore. I'm living in Tyler now. It's still in Texas, of course, but it's far away from Austin. Is that an issue?"

"That shouldn't be an issue Mr. Weston."

"Where is Eli now?"

"He's with a foster family right now, but they are aware that it is only until you could be located and vetted."

"Does my family know that he's being placed with me?"

"They do. You parents are fine with it, as is your brother. Your sister-in-law is unhappy about it but has no standing to object. And Mr. Weston, be aware that this is not automatic. Child Protective Services will have to interview you and inspect your residence to ensure you meet their criteria for foster care."

"Of course, I understand."

I spent another hour on the phone with the attorney getting all the information I needed. Within a couple of days a CPS worker came out to inspect the house we were living in, speaking to all of us, including Ryan, separately. It took about two weeks and we were approved, and the next day Elias came to live with us.

I was worried about how Eli would react to being placed with strangers and out in the country, but Eli and Ryan hit it off right away. Ryan loved being a 'big brother' and soon they went everywhere together, with me trailing not too far behind whenever they decided to explore the property.

We also got more details of the case against my family. Michael had always been into weed, but at some point he graduated to some of the harder stuff and then began dealing. Linda had tried to claim that it had gone on without her knowledge but the police had witnesses that confirmed she had sold as well. And since they were in mom and dad's house, they got hit with accessory charges as well as stuff about the delinquency of a minor. The state was moving to send them all away for a long time and strip Michael and Linda of their parental rights.

The trial process took several months. My parents got off the easiest, and they were ultimately given no jail time but they did have a felony conviction on their records that prevented them from taking custody. Linda and Michael each got 10 year sentences and had their parental rights stripped. That freed me up to seek to adopt Eli.

I already had full guardianship of him as his only available relative, and that was established through the Texas Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), which is the official name in Texas of the more generic Child Protective Services (CPS). But adoption would require the approval of a judge in open court.

Despite the recommendation of DCFS and the attorney's involved, the judge was still hesitant to allow a single man to adopt. Kazey and I were engaged but hadn't been rushing to the altar, but as soon as the judge said that we decided to do it at the first opportunity. Hoping to assuage the judge's concerns I brought my impending nuptials to his attention.

"Your honor, I understand your hesitation, but I will not be single for very long. I have been engaged for several months and we intend to get married as soon as we can, given the circumstances."

"Is your fiancé present in the courtroom?"

"Yes, your honor."

Kazey had been sitting in the first row of the gallery and walked through the gate at that moment to join me, taking my hand in hers.

"Can I get your name, young lady?"

"My name is Kazey, your honor."

She said this, thinking the judge simply wanted to know what to call her.

"That's your given, legal name?"

"No, your honor, that's the name I go by but it's not my given name."

"I need you to state your given name for the record, miss."

A little smile came over her face. Her name game was coming to an end. She leaned over to me and whispered in my ear.

"I wouldn't do this for anyone but you, and for you I'm happy to do it."

Then to the judge:

"My name is Kristen Zannucci, your honor."

She spelled it for the record. Then she caught me smiling at her.

"What?"

"Nothing. You just don't look like a Kristen."

She narrowed her eyes at me.

"I know. And if you ever call me that you won't see my pussy for at least a month. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am."

We smiled and leaned into each other as the judge formally signed off on my adoption of Eli. My family, my true family, was complete.

"I love you, Henry."

"I love you too...Kazey."

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fin