Chapter 18
It was another week before Mary Alice attended her new school. She loved her new teacher, a very single Bethanne Mitchell. I listened as she told us everything about her classes and new friends. "… and after school, Miss Mitchell asked me if uncle Alex was single."
"He is single, but I don't want you to arrange a date for them. If they belong together, it should be natural," I explained.
"But I'm not arranging a date. She asked me about him," she stated again.
"Did you remember to introduce her to your bodyguard?" Hal asked.
"I forgot," she hung her head. Miss Mitchell wasn't at the meeting we had with the principal this morning. He didn't realize we wanted to meet her too.
"It's alright sweetie. In the morning, Dad, Manny, Alex and I would be formally meeting her. She'll get her introduction to Alex. Okay?"
"Alright mom. Dad, can you help me with my homework?"
He sat at the dining room table with her and went over the math lesson. The new school was further ahead in their math curriculum. She was a little lost not having learned the basics a few chapters earlier. It was a little concerning to me and Hal.
A few months passed when we had our parent-teacher interview at the school. Miss Mitchell reviewed Mary Alice's progress. Bethanne is a beautiful blond hair, grey eyed, slender woman. She's a few inches taller than me. Miss Mitchell was not Alex's type. He went for the short Latino type woman. Cal, Vince and Manny would go definitely like her.
"I spoke to her previous teacher. She was intentionally held back in math and science at her last school. Mary Alice is a very bright young lady, but her eyes glaze over during math and science," Bethanne informed us.
I had to suppress a laugh… like mother, like daughter. "You need to make math and science more interesting for her. We're willing to teach her at home, but with our schedules, it wouldn't always be possible."
"I'll be honest, I have 25 other children to teach. It's challenging for me to give individual attention to the students struggling with the subject. If Mary Alice is willing to give up recess or part of her lunch hour, I could help her," she offered.
"That would not work for her," Hal stated. "Mary Alice needs that time to burn off her excess energy."
"What would you suggest?" I asked her.
"Some of the parents hire private tutors," she answered honestly. We wrapped up our meeting. I was thankful we were the last ones scheduled. Our time extended past the usual 15 minute interval.
As Hal drove us home, I used my phone to search for a tutor. There were many agencies listed in the Trenton area. I sent a list of agencies to Rodriguez and asked him to research the success rate for each one.
Rodriguez: A complete background check on the employees too?
Me: Start with agencies. When you find the top two, check the employees.
Rodriguez: Check your email tomorrow.
I started laughing. "You can always count on Rodriguez."
"He loves doing searches on companies," Hal said shaking his head. I really hated doing searches, but it was a necessary part of my job. My skills were utilized when we were stuck locating a skip or checking company owners.
An email arrived asking me to add Valerie Kloughn to the payroll. I was so happy for her. She'll be assisting Tank with the contract and employee paperwork. Valerie will be updating the electronic timesheets for Rangeman employees. Every second Wednesday, she'll forward the completed timesheets for the previous 2 weeks for me to process payroll. Bonuses are issued at month end.
Even though Valerie only works part time, she is still bound by the Rangeman exercise regime. I knew it wouldn't take her long to get back into shape. After our workouts, yoga for me, treadmill and weights for Valerie, we discussed babysitting options for Lisa. Mom watched Lisa in the mornings and she spent her afternoons at Rangeman with her new uncles.
Lisa really liked her uncle Tank. If she went missing, we just had to check Tank's office. We'd find her sitting on his lap or asleep in his arms. Today, she had climbed onto his shoulders and was rubbing his bald head and laughing.
"She really loves her uncle Tank," I joked when I dropped off the approved payroll.
"Unkie Tank," Lisa parroted before giving his bald head a wet kiss. His smile was infectious. I smiled before lifting Lisa off his shoulders.
"Go find mommy," I say putting her on the floor. She ran from the room screaming for her mom. The Merry Men laughed as she darted between their legs. Valerie was using the spare desk in my office to complete her work.
"Momma," I heard her scream when she found her mom. Lisa used to be such a shy little girl. Around her many uncles, she became more confident and secure around her new family.
Hal and I were interviewing employees from Traynor Tutors. Their instructors had a high percentage of successes. They weren't the top rated company, but we discovered Tutor Central falsified their results. Well… they didn't completely falsify their results, they just never counted the failures.
Traynor used their failures to better match children to tutors. It's what I felt separated them from the rest. I arranged to use the Rangeman main floor conference room to conduct the interviews. Mary Alice was most comfortable meeting strangers while surrounded by her uncles.
We must have met with every available tutor they had before Mary Alice found one she connected with. Her name is Sabrina Masterson. She's a very pretty woman around my height, blond hair, steel grey eyes and a little on the heavy side. My wonderful daughter made the obvious observation. "You look like my teacher Miss Mitchell."
"Is her first name Bethanne?" Sabrina asked.
"I think so. She has the same hair and eyes as you. Miss Mitchell is my favourite teacher," Mary Alice added.
"Ahh… it explains why you like me." Sabrina smiled at my daughter before adding, "I'll tell you a secret. She's my older sister."
"But your last name is different," Mary Alice stated.
"I got married after my high school graduation. We have lots of time to get to know each other," she quickly redirected my daughter. "How many days do you want me to help you with math and science?" she asked.
"Until I understand it," Mary Alice replied.
"Just until you understand math and science? Are you sure about that?" Sabrina asked.
"Ummm… no. I will probably need more help later too," she answered.
"We'll work together one lesson at a time. Does that sound like a plan?"
"Yes. Can we meet here for my lessons? It's easier for mom and dad," Mary Alice asked her. It would be ideal for her to have lessons at home, but I knew this decision was all about my daughter's comfort level.
"Wherever you want, Mary Alice. If you're more comfortable here, then we'll work here. I'm here to help you." During Sabrina's background check, we discovered she lost her husband 6 years ago during a FUBAR'd mission. She received her teaching degree several years ago but prefers to help struggling students. We already knew she was Bethanne Mitchell's younger sister, but it was fun to watch Mary Alice make the connection.
I called Alex and Manny into the conference room to introduce them. Manny was unusually quiet. When Sabrina shook Manny's hand I swear I saw fireworks. He deserves to be happy.
Once Mary Alice and Sabrina got used to each other, we moved their lessons to our home. Sabrina was an amazing instructor. Mary Alice learned more from her than she did during her classes. Bethanne made sure her sister had the complete math and science curriculum to help Mary Alice.
We were pleased to see her marks improve. Her teacher said Mary Alice's eyes didn't glaze over during the lessons any more. She was actively participating during class.
"I'm so proud of you Mary Alice," I say after reading her report card.
"Thanks mom. I'm proud of myself too. Aunt Sabrina really helped me," she stated.
"Aunt Sabrina?" I asked.
"Yup. She's my family too," she replied. I had a feeling there was more to the story.
After Mary Alice went to bed, Hal and I talked. "Do we need to find another tutor?" I asked.
"Mary Alice loves Sabrina," he answered.
"I know. Manny also loves Sabrina," I told him.
"So you've seen it too?" He laughed when I nodded. Sabrina was professional. Taking care of Mary Alice's educational needs was her top priority.
"What she does during her private time was none of our business," I replied. "Manny is happier too. Lester says he's acting more like he did during basic."
"Military life changes a lot of us. What we see during our special op missions hardens us. Manny's best friend lost his life during one of his special ops missions. It took its toll on Manny's life. He became more cynical and less confident in his team. Some of that changed when he was placed on Ranger's team. Their teammates were injured, but none of them died on Ranger's watch," Hal explained. "I was fortunate not to lose a close friend, but everything I have seen still affected me."
"I know Honey. You still have the occasional nightmare. They aren't as bad or frequent since we started dating," I was quick to tell him.
"You're my centre. With your love I know I could conquer anything," he said before kissing me.
"Me too. I don't have many nightmares when you're sleeping beside me."
"I love you Steph."
"I love you too Hal." We made love before falling asleep.
Hal woke up early in the morning and pulled his shirt over my body. Mary Alice always respects our privacy and waits until we tell her she can enter our room. The last thing she needs to see is her parents having sex.
I took Mary Alice to my OB appointment. It was time to see our baby. Hal was standing beside MA as the doctor placed the wand on my baby bump. She squealed when the image of the baby appeared on the sonogram. "Is that my brother?" she asked.
"You think it's a boy?" the doctor asked.
"I do. Can I have a picture?" she asked. The doctor printed a few pictures for Mary Alice to show her uncles. "Mom, can I go show uncle Alex and Manny?"
"Yes, they're waiting outside the room," Hal told her. She ran from the room waving the sonograms.
"You're 12 weeks along now. Have the morning sickness symptoms stopped?" she asked.
"They stopped sometime last week. Mary Alice was really great with bringing me crackers every morning," I replied.
"She's very attentive with you," the doctor observed.
"Sometimes it's a little overboard, but she just wants her little brother or sister to be healthy," Hal replied.
"Your baby is very healthy. You only gained 5 lbs, which is amazing. Keep doing what you've been doing and I'll see you in a month."
I booked my next appointment. We're hoping to determine the gender of our little one. That is if he cooperates.
We were summoned to the court house a few weeks later for Hal's adoption hearing. Mary Alice was so excited she could hardly sit still.
The bailiff called the court to order. We stood as the judge entered the room. He ordered us to be seated. After reading over the application, he decided to ask Mary Alice, "Do you wish for Hal William Evans to adopt you?"
"Yes, your honour," she answered.
He smiled before asking, "Can you guess what I'm going to rule, Mary Alice?"
"That Hal gets to be my dad?" she answered with her own question.
"It's my ruling that Mr Hal William Evans is the legal adoptive father of Mary Alice Charlotte Plum," he ordered. He also changed her legal name from Plum to Evans. "Remember to update her school records," he reminded us before we were dismissed.
When we returned to Rangeman, the men cheered and threw Mary Alice a party. She was so happy to have Hal as her legal father. My little girl has never looked happier.