Martha Lansing, Child Services drove me to the child services office. It
was downtown in the ghetto. I didn't even know Tree Hill had a ghetto. She
handed me a tissue but I wouldn't take it.
"Lucas, I know this is a very difficult time for you, but-"
"If you knew anything about me, you would have left me with Keith," I snapped.
"Luke, I saw him hit you."
How was I supposed to answer that? Yeah, it was wrong. I would have been furious with Keith if Martha Lansing, Child Service didn't come take me away. I might still be pissed that Keith just let them take me, but he was still the only one I wanted to live with. I mean, who else did I have?
"Are you okay?" she asked, she probably meant my head, where he hit me.
"No! You just plucked me out of my home and won't tell me where you are taking me. I'm not a fucking child!"
"Lucas, there is no need for that kind of language. Does your uncle permit you to talk like that?"
I shook my head slightly, I wasn't going to give her a complete head shake.
"Does he hit you when you do?"
I shook my head again.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked again.
"We are going to the child services building to find out where to send you until an investigation of Keith is completed."
"I'm 16, that means I can choose who I want to live with."
"You can choose which parent you want to live with. Keith is not your father."
Funny, that's what I just told him. Now I wished it wasn't true.
"I already lost my mother, can't you leave me with the closest thing to a father I have?"
"If Keith is truly a good guardian for you, you may return to him."
"You're taking as much from me as you possibly can, aren't you? Next I'm going to find out it was you people who killed my mother."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Lucas, but we have your best interests in mind."
"By taking me away from my home and my uncle, you have my best interests in mind? Am I going to live in an orphanage now? Yeah, that's what I call 'best interests.'"
If I had said that to Keith in that tone he would have told me to watch my mouth, but Martha Lansing, Child Services, just said, "If we can get your natural father to keep you until the investigation is complete, you won't have to go to a group home."
"Natural father? That's where you're sending me? If you want an abusive situation, that's it."
She had had enough of me. "Lucas, would you please go wait in the other room?" She pointed to a room with a play area for young children. There were day care teachers around and a television that was playing Lady and the Tramp.
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm not a child, Miss Lansing."
While she tried to think of the right thing to say to get me to go wait in the baby room, I spotted a complete works of Steinbeck book.
"He's the best," I pointed at the book.
"Oh, yeah," she agreed. "Now is the Winter of our Discontent is my favorite."
"Mine, too," I smiled. "My, uh, mom used to read it to me. That was actually the last book she gave me."
She smiled. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I'm sorry about your mom. I went to school with her. She was my lab partner. I was the first one she told when she was pregnant with you."
I looked down. I was about to cry again, and I didn't want her think I was weak.
"Then do her a favor," I choked, "Let me stay with Keith."
She took a deep breath, "I wish I could, Lucas."
Mom read to me long after I could read to myself. When the Harry Potter books came out she read them to me. We would start a fire in the fireplace, actually I would start the fire, because she was afraid of matches, and roast marshmallows in the small fire. Usually Haley would come to join us and we would pass the book around, each reading a chapter.
She gave me the Steinbeck book and went to call my father in another office. I tried to read some of it, but I heard it in Mom's voice. She was never going to read it to me again. I couldn't shake that feeling. She was never going to cheer at another basketball game. She wouldn't be at my graduation. When I moved to college, she wouldn't be there helping me. I was angry with her for leaving me, and then I was angry with myself for thinking that. It was better than feeling sad. Anything was better than feeling sad. My eyes welled with tears. I slammed the book back down on the table. How could she leave me?
Last week I had a mom and an uncle who was going to date my mom when she got back. Now I had a duffle bag of clothes, and I didn't know where I was going to spend the night. What happened?
Martha Lansing, Child Services came back in the room before I had too much time to think about it, and I was thankful.
"Well, Lucas, you get to stay with your father tonight."
"Get to?"
"Yes, better than the group home, right?"
I picked up my duffle bag and followed her to her car. She could make me stay with Dan, but she wasn't going to make me like it.
Once Martha Lansing left, Keith called Whitey. He wasn't going to let himself cry. Losing Karen was enough. There was no way he was losing Lucas, too.
"Whitey, It's Keith." Keith couldn't hold it together anymore. "Can you come over?" He sobbed into the phone.
Whitey was over in less than 5 minutes. He may not be a fast runner anymore, but when he was needed, there he was.
Keith opened the door.
"Keith, what happened?"
Keith held himself together long enough to say, "Then took him, Whitey. Child Services came and saw us fighting. I hit Lucas and they took him away."
"What? Where is he?"
Keith shrugged. "The lady said that this was not a suitable environment and she was going to arrest me if I didn't let her take him. You should have seen him, Coach, she had to call in reinforcement to pry him off me." Keith shook his head sadly.
"You've got to get him back."
"How?"
"First clean up this dump. What have you been doing here?" Whitey looked around. Tissue was everywhere. There were blankets scattered around and all kinds of food was sitting on the counter. No one took the time to wrap it up and put it in the fridge.
Whitey found a plastic bag and started picking up trash. Keith just watched him.
"Come on, Keith, they're probably coming back, you need to get that kid back."
Keith picked up a blanket and began folding...
"Lucas, I know this is a very difficult time for you, but-"
"If you knew anything about me, you would have left me with Keith," I snapped.
"Luke, I saw him hit you."
How was I supposed to answer that? Yeah, it was wrong. I would have been furious with Keith if Martha Lansing, Child Service didn't come take me away. I might still be pissed that Keith just let them take me, but he was still the only one I wanted to live with. I mean, who else did I have?
"Are you okay?" she asked, she probably meant my head, where he hit me.
"No! You just plucked me out of my home and won't tell me where you are taking me. I'm not a fucking child!"
"Lucas, there is no need for that kind of language. Does your uncle permit you to talk like that?"
I shook my head slightly, I wasn't going to give her a complete head shake.
"Does he hit you when you do?"
I shook my head again.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked again.
"We are going to the child services building to find out where to send you until an investigation of Keith is completed."
"I'm 16, that means I can choose who I want to live with."
"You can choose which parent you want to live with. Keith is not your father."
Funny, that's what I just told him. Now I wished it wasn't true.
"I already lost my mother, can't you leave me with the closest thing to a father I have?"
"If Keith is truly a good guardian for you, you may return to him."
"You're taking as much from me as you possibly can, aren't you? Next I'm going to find out it was you people who killed my mother."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Lucas, but we have your best interests in mind."
"By taking me away from my home and my uncle, you have my best interests in mind? Am I going to live in an orphanage now? Yeah, that's what I call 'best interests.'"
If I had said that to Keith in that tone he would have told me to watch my mouth, but Martha Lansing, Child Services, just said, "If we can get your natural father to keep you until the investigation is complete, you won't have to go to a group home."
"Natural father? That's where you're sending me? If you want an abusive situation, that's it."
She had had enough of me. "Lucas, would you please go wait in the other room?" She pointed to a room with a play area for young children. There were day care teachers around and a television that was playing Lady and the Tramp.
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm not a child, Miss Lansing."
While she tried to think of the right thing to say to get me to go wait in the baby room, I spotted a complete works of Steinbeck book.
"He's the best," I pointed at the book.
"Oh, yeah," she agreed. "Now is the Winter of our Discontent is my favorite."
"Mine, too," I smiled. "My, uh, mom used to read it to me. That was actually the last book she gave me."
She smiled. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I'm sorry about your mom. I went to school with her. She was my lab partner. I was the first one she told when she was pregnant with you."
I looked down. I was about to cry again, and I didn't want her think I was weak.
"Then do her a favor," I choked, "Let me stay with Keith."
She took a deep breath, "I wish I could, Lucas."
Mom read to me long after I could read to myself. When the Harry Potter books came out she read them to me. We would start a fire in the fireplace, actually I would start the fire, because she was afraid of matches, and roast marshmallows in the small fire. Usually Haley would come to join us and we would pass the book around, each reading a chapter.
She gave me the Steinbeck book and went to call my father in another office. I tried to read some of it, but I heard it in Mom's voice. She was never going to read it to me again. I couldn't shake that feeling. She was never going to cheer at another basketball game. She wouldn't be at my graduation. When I moved to college, she wouldn't be there helping me. I was angry with her for leaving me, and then I was angry with myself for thinking that. It was better than feeling sad. Anything was better than feeling sad. My eyes welled with tears. I slammed the book back down on the table. How could she leave me?
Last week I had a mom and an uncle who was going to date my mom when she got back. Now I had a duffle bag of clothes, and I didn't know where I was going to spend the night. What happened?
Martha Lansing, Child Services came back in the room before I had too much time to think about it, and I was thankful.
"Well, Lucas, you get to stay with your father tonight."
"Get to?"
"Yes, better than the group home, right?"
I picked up my duffle bag and followed her to her car. She could make me stay with Dan, but she wasn't going to make me like it.
Once Martha Lansing left, Keith called Whitey. He wasn't going to let himself cry. Losing Karen was enough. There was no way he was losing Lucas, too.
"Whitey, It's Keith." Keith couldn't hold it together anymore. "Can you come over?" He sobbed into the phone.
Whitey was over in less than 5 minutes. He may not be a fast runner anymore, but when he was needed, there he was.
Keith opened the door.
"Keith, what happened?"
Keith held himself together long enough to say, "Then took him, Whitey. Child Services came and saw us fighting. I hit Lucas and they took him away."
"What? Where is he?"
Keith shrugged. "The lady said that this was not a suitable environment and she was going to arrest me if I didn't let her take him. You should have seen him, Coach, she had to call in reinforcement to pry him off me." Keith shook his head sadly.
"You've got to get him back."
"How?"
"First clean up this dump. What have you been doing here?" Whitey looked around. Tissue was everywhere. There were blankets scattered around and all kinds of food was sitting on the counter. No one took the time to wrap it up and put it in the fridge.
Whitey found a plastic bag and started picking up trash. Keith just watched him.
"Come on, Keith, they're probably coming back, you need to get that kid back."
Keith picked up a blanket and began folding...