Chapter 6
A month later………………………
“Right then, can you put these in the car for me Hank…There’s two Fudge Brownie tray bakes…and two batches of lemon and coconut buns. Buffy…Will, are you ready?”
Two pairs of feet thundered down stairs.
“Are we going to grandma’s?” Buffy asked.
“No, were going to St. Chads” The two children looked shocked at each other,
“NO MOMMY!” Buffy was big eyed and scared, William looked desolate.
“Come on then kids, get in the car!” Hank said coming back into the house.
“What’s the matter?” The smile went from his face when he saw the state of his son and daughter, Buffy being almost breathless.
“Joyce, what’s the matter with her? – Buffy, love,” Hank squatted down, worried
“N-NO! He, he, he, can’t…don’t make him g-g-g-go!” Joyce closed her eyes when she realised what they must have thought.
“Oh gods, come here, come here!” She cuddled up her son and daughter.
“Hey…it’s an open day. Were taking some cakes for the fete, it’s to say thankyou for letting us have William – he’s not got to go back there to live…”
“Y-y-y-y-you mean he hasn’t g-g-g-got to s-s-s-stay” Buffy sobbed.
“Gods no. Never. William’s ours now, he belongs to us, here with us, he’ll never have to stay there again…I’m sorry, I should have explained”
Buffy relaxed, she’d been so tense, holding onto him. William relaxed too.
Fifteen minutes later, when they got to the home, Buffy and William went off to the bouncy castle.
“You should have seen her, she absolutely panicked, thought that we were bringing him back here. It was my fault, I didn’t explain” Joyce said to Mrs Betts.
“Here you go” Hank came up carrying the two large polythene boxes of cakes Joyce had made.
“My contribution, Fudge Brownies, and lemon and coconut buns”
“Ooh, lovely…where’s Sharon…Judith, have you seen Sharon?”
“I’m here Mrs Betts”
“Oh, good. Take these to the cake stall, would you dear”
“I come with you, to get the containers – then I’ll take them back to the car, ok love?” Hank said, leaving Joyce and Mrs Betts to walk and talk around the fete.
“He’s settled in well I see, and he’s grown!”
“He’s such a wonderful little boy, he’s bought us such joy, and Buffy, well, she just absolutely idolises him”
“She always did, didn’t she!” Mrs Betts smiled, as she saw William blowing bubbles and Buffy jumping up to try and ‘catch’ them, they were both giggling.
“So, how are things here?” Joyce asked.
“Well, we’ve had two very disturbed children…they’d been abused, part of some Devil worshipping cult, and it’s caused us some major problems, monetary wise…I think we’ll be ok for the rest of this year, but…”
“What, they’re going to close you down?” Joyce looked shocked.
“Yes…pretty much a certainty…the authorities see this as, institutionalising the kids, they want them fostered out ASAP, via agencies, and for long term care, they want ‘Units’ not foster homes”
“Gods, Units, it sounds so…cold, so clinical”
“Yes, well, I agree, but what can we do.”
“What will happen to you?”
“Me? Oh, I’ve got about 6 years before I retire…I could go back to the child welfare unit at the police precinct…or do crèche work…s’cuse me – Oliver, calm down, and wait your turn!”
“Yes Mrs Betts, sorry Mrs Betts”
“Sorry, I was saying?”
“You were telling me what you might do after this” Joyce said.
“Oh, yes…or then I might just throw it up early, and go and grow vegetables … will you look at the two of them!” She nodded towards Buffy and William, holding hands, walking across the grass.
“I remember the day at the family court…the judge, Hortense Byrd, she’s been a friend of mine for over thirty years…she said to me, ‘I wish all my judgements were as easy as this one, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a child better placed’ when you adopted young William!”
Joyce smiled. Hank joined them, and watched as William bought Buffy a helium filled balloon.
“Mrs Betts was just telling me what the judge said the day we adopted Will”
“Oh?” Hank said. The two children spied their parents and came running over.
“Daddy…will you try and win us a coconut?” Buffy asked.
“Come on then – bye!” Hank called over his shoulder at Joyce and Mrs Betts, and taking his children by the hands, he led them over to the coconut shy. After winning them a coconut, he played ‘score three baskets’ and won a box of candy, and then he paid for William and Buffy to have goes on various rides and things.
Half an hour later, they came back to Joyce, laden with ‘prizes’. She was still talking to Mrs Betts, their conversation often interrupted by various people wanting things or information.
“Look mommy…My William gave me a Scooby Doo!”
“Did he now” Buffy nodded and proudly showed it off.
“He winneded it all by himself!”
“He won, not winneded it!” Joyce corrected, but she was smiling.
“Have you spent all your money, William?”
“Um…I’ve got…60 cents left”
“And how much have you got, Buffy?”
“Um, I still got my $5”
“William’s spent all his money, on you!” Joyce chided her daughter.
“I don’t mind…as long as she’s happy!” William said. Joyce ruffled his hair and hugged him.
“Best thing we ever did, adopting him” Hank said in a quiet aside to Mrs Betts, who nodded and beamed.
“It’s comments like that that make him so adorable” Joyce said. They watched as the two children ran off hand in hand again.
“She’ll buy him something now, and pay for a bounce on the castle or something…she’s not selfish” Joyce said.
“Mrs Betts, The Mayor will be here in five minutes” One of the helpers informed her. Mrs Betts stood and said,
“Well, it’s been lovely to talk to you, and to see William again, I always knew we’d have no problem placing him, he’s such an adorable little boy, and can I also say Hortense was right, I’ve never seen a happier placed child, you’re perfect for him. I’ll see you later, bye-bye”
***********
Nine months later, the home was closed, and boarded up. A further three months later, it had changed again………
“I’ve got an idea!”
“Hmm…what’s that? Joyce asked, draining potatoes over the sink.
“Tomorrow, I thought we could take the children out to eat”
“Okay, where?”
Hank winked enigmatically and said,
“You’ll see!”
******************
Buffy and William sat in the back of the car, they knew they were going out to eat, and Buffy automatically thought MacDonalds…
When her father didn’t take the right hand turn that would have taken them to the Drive-thru, she frowned.
“But daddy, MacDonald’s is back that way!” Buffy swivelled her head back from looking at the turning her father should have taken.
“Who said anything about MacDonald’s?” Hank glanced at Buffy through the driving mirror, and then at William, he noticed that William didn’t look too happy
“Where are we going then?” Buffy persisted
“This is the way to St Chad’s” William said sadly.
Buffy went huge eyed and started,
“Oh but daddy! – We don’t want to go to THAT place, it’s HORRIBLE!” She held onto William’s hand tightly………
“Don’t worry, I PROMISE you, you’re in for a big surprise, and you’ll like it!”
William and Buffy exchanged looks, not entirely convinced…
When Hank turned right, William had worked himself up into seeing the imposing red-bricked building that was St Chad’s, but was totally shocked when he saw a new, bungalow style building, with a huge neon sign outside stating that it was: Luigi’s Real Italian Pizzeria!
Gone was the red bricks, gone were the little flight of steps, gone were the tall imposing hedges that kept out the light, and gone were the two lawns that looked so inviting to play on, but notices told you to ‘Keep Off’…instead was a new building with a low roof, walls of glass where you could see inside.
Hank pulled up, undid his seatbelt and grinning he turned to face the children in the back
“There you go, St Chad’s is no more son, I wanted to show you, because I know no matter how many times we tell you that you’ll never have to come back to St Chad’s again, you don’t quite believe it – come on, I’m starving!”
“But darling…you eating pizza?” Joyce asked as they watched the children run on ahead
“Don’t worry, they do pasta, chicken, steaks and that too, I checked!”
*************************************
Easter break time, and Hank had taken a few days off – the children had requested swimming, eating out, the movies and their favourite, a trip to the wild-life centre for things to do………
At the baths, William could already swim, Buffy was wearing armbands still, and she didn’t like it if her face was splashed, but she managed a few strokes with William helping her.
“Did you see daddy, did you see?!” Buffy asked excitedly.
“Yes princess, I saw you” Hank said smiling.
After drying off, they went and had hot chocolate in the café, where they could overlook the pool and see the swimmers.
“Daddy”
“Yes, son?”
“Do you know what happened to my swimming Certificates?”
“Certificates?”
“Yes, my swimming Certificates, do you know?”
“No son…actually, we’re still waiting for a box of stuff to come from England. I tell you what, when we get home, I’ll make some phone calls, ok?”
“Thankyou daddy”
“There’s a good boy” Hank winked and grinned at him, and William smiled.
“What’s a sus-tifficate?” Buffy asked
“A certificate! Well, I had to do a test. I had to swim two widths of the pool, and then swim with pyjama bottoms on, and take them off, I’d got my trunks on underneath, and then dive down and pick up three things off the bottom of the pool” Buffy’s eyes were huge with admiration.
“You went and touched the bottom?” William nodded
“And you wasn’t scared?”
“No”
“Isn’t he brave daddy!”
“He sure is!”
“It was nothing. Then they gave me this piece of paper, to say I’d done it, that’s a certificate!” William said smiling.
Back home, Hank was as good as his word, and phone up the London solicitors. Half an hour later, he called William, and of course, Buffy came too!
“I’ve phoned the people in London who knows about this stuff, and they said they were still waiting to hear from the social services, but when they get them, they’ll send on what belongs to you, ok”
“Thankyou daddy”
“You’re welcome, son”
“Can we go play now daddy?”
“Sure you can, run along now” Hank went into the dining room where Joyce was laying the table for lunch.
“Did you know that that lot in London didn’t even know William was over here, and legally adopted now?” Hank said disgustedly.
“I’d like his original birth certificate too”
“All this should have come with him. London blames CA, CA blames London…I bet they’re sitting in a box somewhere in one of those trailer social service sites!”
“Probably. Or it could be with the solicitors. They needed the house deeds and there were some share certificate or something…I could ask Mrs Keogh at school. Right, will you call them to wash their hands, and I’ll dish up”
All through lunch, Buffy was full of how William touched the bottom of the pool, and how he wasn’t frightened.
“Right then, have we got everything for nana Summers?” Hank asked
“Buffy?”
“Yes…I got the picture I drew”
“And I’ve got the story I wrote, and the present from the wildlife centre” William said.
“Hello nana!” Buffy went and kissed her grandmothers cheek, then William did the same. She cuddled and held the two children to her.
“My darlings! Look at you!”
“This is for you nana, I wrote it specially for you” William handed her the neatly written story
“Did you now, right then, let me look” she reached into her apron and took out her glasses, and put them on.
“Right, let me see…’
Today mommy and daddy took Buffy and me to the Wildlife centre, and we saw squirrels, that were eating nuts, and some rabbits eating carrots. In the butterfly house we saw some really big butterflies and moths, and there were glass cases with spiders and snakes, but Buffy and mommy didn’t like those.
There was a man and his name was Bill and he had a huge snake around his neck, and he’d got a small one too, which he let me hold.
The snake stuck his tongue out at me, but the man said he wasn’t being rude or going to bite me, that’s the way snakes smell you.
We had a really good time. Buffy got scared me holding the snake, she was frightened that he was going to eat me! But I wasn’t scared.
By William Campbell-Summers aged 6’
“Well, aren’t you brave!” Nana cupped his cheek and smiled at him.
“I did a picture of the squirrels nana”
“Oh yes…let me see, that’s you, and that’s William feeding them, is that right?” Buffy nodded
“And we bought you this” William presented nana with a jar of special honey, made by the bees kept at the centre.
“Ooh, lovely. I’ll make a special honey cake for next time you come over and visit, ok”
“Yes please nana, I love your cakes!” William said. Nana ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head, and then Buffy’s.
“Bless you my darlings. Okay then. Let me put these on the fridge door – so, who’s for some real lemonade?”
A chorus of yes pleases from children and adults alike, and nana took a big jug of homemade lemonade out of the fridge.
“Bring the glasses out son, we’ll sit on the veranda” Hank did as he was told. The children played with Benji, nana’s dog.
“He’s a fine boy…Buffy just dotes on him, doesn’t she?” The three adults sat at the garden table under the shade of the big umbrella.
“Did we tell you mom, the school want him to do a special test”
“What for?”
“Well, they say he’s exceptionally bright for his age, which he is”
“And what do you think, as a teacher, Joyce?” Hanks mother asked.
“Well, I don’t want to hold him back, but I don’t want him under any pressure either, I think children should learn at their own speed”
“Me too”
“I said let him do the test, but we don’t HAVE to follow it up” Hank said
“Best idea” nana agreed.
“What are they…what have they found?”
“Mommy, Nana, Daddy, come look!” Buffy called
“What is it?” Hank called, then they all went over to where the children were standing
“Look mommy…” William held apart a big green bush, and underneath it was a cat that’d given birth to three kittens.
“That’s Nancy’s cat, she’s been frantic, I’ll go ring her” nana said, going into the house
“Don’t touch them Buffy…the mommy cat just might think you want to hurt them, and she might scratch you” Joyce warned. A few minutes later, a grey haired lady, roughly the same age as Hank’s mother came carrying a basket,
“Oh, I’ve been SO worried about her…there you are!” Hank helped her lift the cat and kittens into the basket, and then he carried it into her house for her.
“Thankyou! Oh thankyou!” Nancy said smiling at the basket’s contents.
“Not me you’ve got to thank, it was the children!”
“Really? Send them round to me, would you”
“Sure. Will they be ok there?”
“Yes, they’ll get warmth from when I have the stove on…look at you, so tiny” Nancy cooed at the kittens.
“Hello…Mrs Thomas, daddy said you wanted to see us?” William said.
“That’s right, I did. Thankyou for finding Susie for me, I was very worried.”
“It was Benji really, we rolled his ball over by the bushes, and he got all excited and barked and wagged his tail, and wouldn’t come when we called him, so we went and looked, and there was Susie and her kittens” William explained.
“Well, as you were so good, put this in your money box”
“Oh, no, it’s alright, honestly, you don’t have to!” William said shaking his head at the two $10 notes she held out to them. Smiling at them, she said,
“I insist, thankyou”
“Thankyou Mrs Thomas, but you didn’t have to!” William said, taking one of the notes.
She followed them back round to their nana’s, where the children gave the money to Joyce to look after, and then they went back to play with the dog.
“Your son has such beautiful manners!”
“Doesn’t he!” Nancy went on to tell them what he’d said.
“He’s got the most loving nature about him, and I hate all the sadness he’s had to endure in his short little life” Joyce said.
“Well, they say god moves in mysterious ways…” Nancy said smiling, then she left to go see to the cat and kittens
“What you were saying earlier, about William being gifted”
“Yes?” Joyce asked
“Well, would it mean him going to a different school from Buffy?”
“More than likely, yes”
“You couldn’t do that to them, split them apart. I don’t think Buffy would ever forgive you if you did that”
“You’re probably right there ma!” Hank said smiling.
A few months later…………………
“Mom…can we go into town, but not take Buffy” William asked.
“Not take…you two haven’t fallen out, have you?” Joyce leant over her son surprised.
“NO! I want to buy her a birthday present, but I want it to be a surprise” Joyce smiled, ruffled her sons hair.
“Well, how about, when we go to the mall on Saturday, you and I go off on our own for a while, yes?”
“Ok”
“Will-yum!”
“Here”
“There you are…what are you doing?”
“Um…I came to get us a drink” William looked pleadingly at Joyce not to give him away.
“Oh good, I am thirsty” Buffy said, pulling herself up on the stool next to him. Joyce poured them both juice, and she secretly winked at William. Hank came in, and came straight into the kitchen. He kissed Joyce, then Buffy then William.
“Hello daddy…um…come with me” Buffy slipped down off the stool, and led her daddy into the hall.
“Can we go buy William a birthday present, but it’s a secret”
“Ok then poppet, we can do it at the mall, you and I go off, ok?” Buffy nodded happily.
“Coming outside Buffy?”
“Yes” She ran out.
“What was that all about?” Joyce asked.
“She wants to buy him a present, but in secret”
“And William does for Buffy, I said we can go off when we go to the mall!”
“Those two eh…just look at them, have you ever seen two kids so close?” Joyce and Hank watched as Buffy and William stood with their foreheads touching, William showing her something, they were both giggling.
“You know that what’s her name…oh, she works at the bank…” Joyce said, clicking her fingers. Hank frowned, and then said,
“Who, Lydia Kendal?”
“That’s her! Well, they’re having a party for Harmony, but it’s all girls, Buffy won’t go, because William’s not invited, you should have heard Buffy!”
“Why, what did she say?”
“Well, you know that wheedling voice Lydia’s got, she came over and said,
‘Buffy, would you like to come to Harmony’s birthday party, it’s a Barbie doll theme, everything pink’ and Buffy frowned and wrinkled her nose, and said, oh no, William would hate it! And Lydia said, but I’m not asking William, it’s girls only, so Buffy said, ‘I don’t go ANYWHERE without MY William! and they both ran off” Hank grinned, then said,
“So what did Lydia say to that?”
“Oh…just something about them being really close…it’s never waned, their closeness, has it?”
“Nope…you know, they always know what each other’s thinking, and they answer for each other”
Saturday came, and Joyce took William’s hand.
“Come with me William…we’ll see you later, half an hour, ok?” Before Buffy could ask where they were going, Hank whispered,
“Come on Princess, let’s go get William’s present” So Buffy didn’t voice any objection.
“Yeah!”
“Right, any idea’s what she wants?”
“Yes…She wants a ‘Sean the Sheep’ bag, it’s a backpack for school, in the shape of Sean the Sheep, they sell it in Macy’s and it’s $20…here, I’ve got the money” Joyce was going to say she’d pay, but she knew William really wanted to. They found it and William took it to the cash desk, and paid all by himself.
“So, princess, what does William want, do you know?” Hank asked Buffy.
“Yes, he wants the Britannia Encyclopaedia for his computer. It’s $24…here’s the money” Hank smiled
“Ok then where do we get it?” Buffy took him into the bookstore, and much to her delight, they’d got it, with a free dictionary and puzzles and games CD ROM too.
“He’ll love this!” Hank said. Buffy took it and went and paid for it.
As they were coming out of the store, William spied some sparkly hair scrunchies at $4, they looked very pretty, and William knew Buffy would love them, so he got them for her.
“I can hide them inside the bag, as a surprise” Joyce said nothing, but smiled and hugged him. He was such a thoughtful boy, he’d grow up into a fine young man, she just knew it.
When the birthdays came, the presents were a resounding success; Buffy absolutely adored her bag and hair accessories, and William loved his CD ROMs, they both used the gifts all the time. It didn’t matter what Joyce and Hank bought them, it was always secondary to what they bought each other.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
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