Full Circle (38 page)

"This matter is now out of the jurisdiction of social services. As of a couple of hours ago, the preliminary paperwork should be signed, and copies couriered to your office, Mrs. Tarry." Mrs. Foster handed a folder over to the woman.

"Mrs. Tarry, Alex Carter is now under the jurisdiction of the District Family Court under Judge John Bishop. Ms. Raintree, as soon as you sign these papers, I will return and file them with the District Court. I have already spoken to Judge Bishop, and he has agreed and promised to sign the paperwork as soon as I get back this afternoon with your signatures. The law requires sanction of the signatures in a District Court, and we will comply with that in the morning. I have made an appointment for all of us to appear in Judge Bishop's private chambers at 10 a.m. sharp for the final disposition. The actual adoption process and investigations are surprisingly similar to those of the foster care system. Because of the overlap, we may be able to get a waiver on that process. We are sure the proceedings will move quickly as Judge Bishop has given us a fifteen-day window to complete due process. He is basing this on your excellent record as a foster parent. We will appear before Judge Bishop's bench for his final judgment and final dispensation. If this sounds as if I have shortcut the proceedings, Ms. Raintree, I can assure you I have not. It's merely the difference between a direct-placement private adoption and a court-processed termination of parental rights and adoption through social services. All this is within the adoption rulings of the State of Oklahoma."

"That means you get to adopt me and be my mother, but the state still gets six months to decide if you're a fit parent," Alex added.

"Well, since this is no longer within my jurisdiction, I will see to the paperwork," Mrs. Tarry said. "Ms. Raintree, I realize that you think my department has failed Alex, but we are working within the tenets of our directives. We do have the best intentions in mind. I'm very pleased this matter has worked out for Alex, and I'm sure you and Mr. Rawlings will be good parents. I'll see myself out."

Buck trailed after her, shut the door, grinned at Alex and gave the boy a hi-five.

Mrs. Foster smiled. "Timing is everything. If you would like to sign these papers, I will be on my way to file them with the District Court. Normally you would have had to be present when Mrs. Carter signed the relinquishment, but since we were all aware of the ordeal you went through recently, Judge Bishop authorized your signing later. I personally think he was impressed that this situation was brought about through the efforts of a twelve-year-old boy. As long as you sign these papers now and show up tomorrow, on time, in District Court, everything will be legal."

"What happens if we get married before the fifteen days," Jack asked.

Mrs. Foster paused. "It will put a kink into the whole process. Right now Ms. Raintree is cleared and processed for the adoption. If you want my advice, don't. Let the private adoption go through first. Private adoptions where all the parties agree, process through the courts quickly. After the Judge agrees on the adoption, you can notify the courts of your intentions. To my knowledge, there are no rulings that say you can't marry, but you do have the six-month mandatory waiting period to contend with as in all adoptions. We may be able to have that waived. There are mitigating factors to consider. I'll check into that more thoroughly and present my findings to Judge Bishop.

"After you marry, you can file for legal adoption. It becomes a simple matter of legalities and possibly a name change. That will be up to Alex."

Mrs. Foster had Josie sign the papers, being careful not to miss any of the multiple signatures required. She packed up her briefcase. "I'll be in touch as soon as I get these signed by the Court. I'm walking them through personally."

"I can't thank you enough," Josie exclaimed showing her to the door and impulsively giving the attorney a hug.

Mrs. Foster pulled her phone out as soon as she stepped out the front door. She wasn't normally a nosy woman, but she aimed her phone camera at the open window and recorded the joyous screaming, jumping, hugging, and kissing, as Alex Carter, soon to be Alex Raintree, was passed around from adult to adult. The boy's smile was one of the widest and brightest she had ever seen. She walked down the sidewalk, got in her car and replayed the video back to herself. Recording the video had been an invasion of their privacy, but it was a moment she would treasure.

"October 4th," Jack said, keeping a firm grip on Josie's arm as she walked down the steps of the District Court building late the next morning. Josie was beaming. She was fifteen days from being a parent.

Josie looked up. "What's October 4th?"

"My birthday for one, and two, the day we're getting married. That's thirty days after your court date for Alex's adoption. I'm not waiting any longer to make you my wife."

She smiled. "Isn't that kind of cheating? You'll never forget your anniversary because it will be your birthday."

"It also means I'll always get lucky on my birthday," Jack whispered in her ear and she laughed.

"I'm starving," Alex complained, catching up with them with Buck not far behind.

"Let's go somewhere and celebrate," Buck suggested.

"We celebrated last night," Josie said.

"Yeah, but today is the day to celebrate," Alex agreed. "Today, I have real, signed papers with a Judge and everything. Today I got a real Mom."

"Oh!" Josie pulled the boy toward her, hugged him and kissed him.

"Awe man!" Alex grumbled as he wiggled out of her arms. He looked up to Jack, "Can't you stop her from doing that?" The boy's eyes shifted to Josie, "Pick on him. He likes being kissed and hugged and all that yucky stuff!"

Jack laughed, kissed Josie soundly, pulled Alex into a headlock and held him as Josie kissed the boy again.

"No fair," Alex complained, swiping at his face. "Now you really owe me. Can we eat now?"

"What do you want to eat that doesn't include a drive-thru," Jack asked.

"Pizza?"

"Vetoed, we've had pizza two times this week already," Josie said, shaking her head.

"There's a place down the street that's a buffet joint," Buck suggested. "It's got everything from roast beef and Chinese to pizza. That's solves all the arguments on what to eat."

"Yeah!" Alex agreed.

Josie nodded, although as she later sat across the table from two men and a boy with plates piled high with various meats, mashed potatoes, gravies and an assortment of deep fried foods, she regretted that decision. She shook her head and pulled the three plates away from them. "No one touches these plates until you all agree to eat a salad. There's not a single green thing or vegetable on these plates."

"Potatoes are vegetables," Alex protested.

"Come on guys, if we fight it, our food's going to get cold," Buck grumbled, heading off to the salad bar.

Jack and Alex looked at her set jaw and trotted off to join the older man. Each of them returned with a respectable if meat-loaded, plate of salad.

"Toast," Buck said raising his glass. "To my daughter, to my friend, and to my new grandson, I'm proud to claim all of you."

Glasses clinked, and they all drank.

Alex raised his glass. "Toast, to my new Mom and my new grandfather—" The boy looked over to Jack. "I don't know what you are Jack—a friend?"

Jack raised his glass. "In approximately forty-five days, I'm going to be Josie's husband and I hope to be your new father. I'll have to do the formal adoption thing, too. She'll have to share you with me."

Alex's eyes went from Jack to Josie. "No kidding?"

Josie flipped her engagement ring around. She had been wearing it with the diamond facing her palm during the court appearance. "No kidding!"

"To my new family," Alex toasted and he put his head down and shoved a forkful of salad in his mouth. He kept his eyes down hoping no one would notice his tears.

Jack gave the boy a head rub and attacked his salad.

Over dessert, which was copious amounts of pie, cake and ice cream, often tasted and shared across the table, Alex decided to test out his new position.

"So how much does a perfect, new son get for an allowance?"

Josie leaned forward. "You're going to be a perfect son? Would that be the son who ran away from camp scaring ten years off my life? Or would that be the son that talked his grandfather into driving him to a prison without permission?"

Alex's eyes widened. "None of that counts. We get to start over."

"Is that how it works?" Josie asked.

"Yep," Alex said firmly. "That's how it works."

"Okay," Josie agreed. "If said son keeps his room clean, does what he's supposed to do, continues to do two hours a day of community service through the rest of the summer, and accepts tutoring next year in math without bellyaching about it."

Alex groaned.

"I think ten dollars a week is fair."

"Randy Mason says he gets a dollar for every year of his age, so he gets twelve dollars a week," Alex negotiated.

Josie looked over across the table at Jack, and he shrugged. That was the fostering parenting guide recommendation. "Okay, if—"

Alex celebrated too soon and shouted "Yes!"

Josie held up a finger. "If you agree to learn how to do laundry and you wash a load of dirty tee-shirts, underwear and socks each week. That includes folding, matching, and putting away."

"That's a girl's job!" Alex protested.

"Well, since a girl, namely me, will be doing your share of the chores, you are back to ten bucks a week, macho boy."

"Okay, I'll do the stupid laundry, but Jack has to be my math tutor," Alex bargained. "When he explains it, it makes sense."

Josie looked over to Jack, and he nodded.

"Yes!" Alex cheered.

"For twelve bucks a week, you should be washing your skivvies," Buck said. "When I was a kid, I got a quarter a week and was lucky to get that!"

"True, but you had to walk five miles to school barefoot in four feet of snow and uphill both ways," Jack teased, and they all laughed.

"You don't know how close that is to the truth," Buck admitted, chuckling.

"Yeah, but you don't know how hard it is to have a mom who is the sheriff either," Alex complained, rolling his eyes. "The teachers are always saying stuff like "Would Josie approve of that? It's a bummer!"

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that anymore," Jack said.

"Yeah?" Alex looked up along with Buck. "Did you get fired or something?"

"Or something." Josie laughed. "Clay Tucker is the full-time sheriff now. I have another job that starts in a couple of weeks."

"What is it?" Buck asked. "God, I hope you're not taking up with another one of those Federal outfits. It's too dangerous."

"I agree!" Jack exclaimed.

Josie squinted at both of them, both protective, both wanting the best for her and her safety. "Back off," she warned gently. "My new job... is being the mayor of Rawlings."

"All right," Buck exclaimed, grinning.

Alex's face fell. "Mayor! That's worse than sheriff. Why can't you work at the Dairy Queen? Now that would be a cool job!"

"Oh, I don't know," said Jack, proudly picking up Josie's hand and studying the ring on her finger. "I think your mom has gone full circle."

"What's that mean?"

"That means she has worked really hard to overcome a lot of bad stuff in her life. We have her because she's a fighter. She's tough, and she's strong and she's also an incredibly good person. You're lucky because you have someone to learn all those things from. Your mom had to learn them on her own, but it has made her one hell of a woman, one I'm proud to love."

Josie's eyes were tearing up. "You had something to do with some of that," she said.

"You knew each other when you were kids, right?" Alex asked.

"Oh, yeah." Jack nodded, picking up the check as Buck laid down the tip. He put one arm around Alex's shoulder and gently slid his fingers into Josie's good hand. "Let me tell you the story of a little girl. She was a cute little thing, but she was as mean as a rattlesnake."

"Jack!" Josie protested.

"Quiet, Hellion, this is my story. Well Alex, this little gal, she was a wild child and pure trouble. She took it into her head one day that she wanted to be a cowboy. She didn't want to be a good cowboy wearing a white hat either. No, not this little girl, she wanted to be a bad guy with a black hat and she stole my horse—three times!"