Cathy's Creative Corner: The Wright Kids (Part 3)
Glancing at her watch, Crystal is pleased to see she has arrived for her appointment with Mrs. Porter 15 minutes early. It’s always better to be early than late when meeting with a client for the first time. It’ll give Crystal time to revisit the conversations she had with both the school counselor and neighbor. It will also show Mrs. Porter that Crystal stands by her word and is reliable. The ride was not far from the uptown area where her office building is located. Uptown has slowly been rejuvenated bringing back shops, boutiques and restaurants. However, the process stops a few blocks short of this neighborhood. A lot of the houses are occupied but are outnumbered by those that are vacant. One can tell by the size and different styles of architecture, this was once a bustling, prominent community. The home of Barbara Porter is on the smaller scale. Crystal can tell from the car it probably has three bedrooms, one bath, living room and kitchen with table area. Just enough for beginners or retirees to be comfortable. Not a home for a growing family.
There was no doorbell so Crystal pulled open the screen door and knocked loudly on the front door. Within a few seconds, a woman appeared.
“Hello! You must be Ms. Long,” the woman cheerfully surmised. “Nice to meet you. Come on in! Just call me Grandma Bob. Everyone else does. All the neighborhood kids and some people close in age.” She laughs.
“Okay, Grandma Bob. And you can call me Crystal,” replied the caseworker.
“Sure thing, Crystal. So, you’re here for an update on the kids?”
“Yes, ma’am. Reviewing the file shows there’s been no department contact in several years. That’s usually a good thing. I’m here to make sure the children are being well cared for and that everyone is alright. That includes you, Grandma Bob.”
“Well, thanks for asking. I’m aging but I feel fine. And the kids are growing like weeds. Demi is a natural beauty, just like her mom. And Des is the perfect example of a fine young man. They’ll be 15 and 16 on their birthdays this year. “
“Speaking of their mom,” interrupted Crystal. “I don’t see anything in the file about their mother. Was she your daughter or is their father your son?”
“Neither,” the woman answered. “That’s what I need to get off my chest. These are not really my grandkids. Their own grandmother couldn’t love them any more than I do, but we’re not related. My daughter, GOD rest her soul, brought their mother home with her when the club where they worked shut down. I hadn’t seen Yvette, my daughter, in two years, when she ran off to New York with friends. Although she kept in touch, she never told me she was an exotic dancer until she came back home with Jenny, the children’s mom. Des was about to turn two and Demi was only eight months old. Yvette had a caring heart and couldn’t leave her friend alone in troubled times so they all showed up on my doorstep. My only regret is that the two of them didn’t leave their drug habits behind. That’s what took my daughter’s life and drove Jenny to leave her children. She promised to, at least, keep in touch while she was off working at getting her life together. At that time, the kids were starting preschool and kindergarten so I was given their birth certificates and social security cards to get them enrolled. I’ve been Grandma Bob ever since.”
Dumbfounded, Crystal thumbed through the children’s file. “Do the children know?”
Trice Hickman Hayes
Best Selling Author
Blindsided
www.tricehickman.com
“Yes, they do. I think that’s starting to bother Demi because she doesn’t know who her relatives are. I told her, the day will come when she’ll be able to find that out for herself. For now, we’re just working on getting her and Des to the point where they will be capable of being independent on their own, together as sister and brother.”
“How about Des? Do you think he may get involved with a gang because of lack of family?”
“Gang? You sound like Nosey Nessa up the street. She calls any group of kids a gang. The boys set up a basketball goal in the back alley, instead of on the main street, since we don’t have a park nearby. She swears they’re always up to something since they prefer the alley. What they prefer is not to have to stop the game every time a car comes! They rolled one of the boy’s yards on his birthday and she called it a home invasion. Better yet, she’s supposedly the president of the neighborhood watch. We ain’t got no neighborhood watch! Desmond is a good boy always talking about when he gets older how he’s going to take care of us. Believe you me, he’s on the right track.”
About that time, the two siblings come in from school. Demitria really is gorgeous and Desmond is well-mannered with a beautiful smile. They both seem happy and content as Crystal chats with them about school and friends. She can tell the “grandmother” has done a fine job raising them. This is one of those times Crystal will wear the hat of protector. There’s nothing that needs to be changed.
