As Martha Lansing, Child Services was taking me to her car, we ran into
Whitey.
"Coach?" I was confused, seeing him out of context. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting you." He said, without actually making eye contact with me. He looked at Martha, "Where are you taking him?"
She didn't ask who he was. They must know each other. Whitey could very well be her grandfather.
"I can't disclose that information," she said.
"Tell me, Martha. Where are you taking him?" I had never heard Whitey sound so intimidating, and he was my coach.
She looked around. There was no one else in the parking lot.
"He's going to his father's house."
"No he's not. You know his father. He cannot stay with Dan." It was not a question. It was a command.
Her voice was shaking. She was trying to remain Martha Lansing, Child Services, but she was starting to turn into Martha Lansing, Human Being. Who knew? "I'm sorry, but he first goes to a relative, and Dan is his father."
"He should be with Keith."
"Keith is under investigation right now."
"Then give him to me."
What? Whitey wanted to take me?
"I'm afraid I cannot do that," if she was talking any quieter, no one would be able to hear her.
Whitey spotted the cell phone on a clip on her belt. He snatched it and began dialing before she had a chance to stop him.
"You can't take that!" she exclaimed, but the small woman wasn't going to get in Whitey's way. He was already dialing.
"Danny? Hi this is Whitey." Short pause. Not long enough for Dan to have answered. "I know you thought you were taking Lucas for a little while, but you're not." Another half-pause. "I'm keeping him. Bye."
He handed her the cell phone. "He said it was fine."
"Mr. Durham!" She exclaimed, but she didn't really have any choice.
Whitey took my duffle bag from me. "Let's go, Lucas."
"Keith will call me when he gets Lucas back," Whitey told Martha.
Whitey walked quickly back to his car. I looked at Martha, looking for direction, but she was still staring disbelievingly at Whitey's retreating back. They must have left the "what to do when your ex-teacher takes the child you are transporting" chapter out of her child services handbook. I followed Whitey, running to catch up.
He got in the car and started it without saying anything to me. I jumped in and fastened my seatbelt. Whitey looked angry, very angry.
"How did you-"I asked.
"Keith called me when they came and took you," he said shortly, before I could finish the question.
"How is he?"
"A mess. We cleaned the house and prepared him for the investigators. You should be able to go home soon."
"Thanks, Whitey." I said quietly. I was really starting to feel guilty for telling Keith I didn't want to live with him. It wasn't true.
"No crying in my car, Scott." He said firmly. I smiled at him.
"Who do those bastards think they are?" he asked loudly as he pulled into his garage. "You just lost your mom, Keith just lost his girlfriend and they separate you from each other." Whitey was outraged by this.
He took my duffle bag out of the car. He opened the door with his key and I followed him inside.
Keith was sitting at the kitchen table. "Keith!" I exclaimed.
Keith held his arms out and beckoned for me to enter; I did. We hugged and he rubbed my back, like when I was younger and he was trying to get me stop crying.
"Can I get you ladies anything to drink?" Whitey grinned at us.
"Water please," Keith said.
"Yeah, me, too," I said.
Whitey gave us our water in chipped glasses. We all sat down at Whitey's kitchen table. He had to get out a folding chair for me to sit in.
"Don't usually have guests," he said, explaining his lack of chairs.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Child Services came to investigate me," Keith said.
"What happened?" I asked.
"They think I'm abusing you."
"Did you convince them you aren't?"
Keith shook his head, "I don't know, Luke, she saw me hit you."
I looked down.
"I'm sorry, Luke. I shouldn't have hit you."
"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have said what I did."
"Stop ladies. You're going to make me cry." Whitey added.
Keith shook his head, trying to stop feeling emotion that Whitey would disapprove of.
"So how do I get Lucas back?" Keith asked Whitey.
"Okay, first, you don't see him until the court says you can, but you already blew that one."
"They can't stop me from seeing my nephew," Keith said.
"Yes, Keith, yes they can. We're hoping it doesn't come to that."
Keith sighed heavily.
"Next you need to prove that you can take care of a child."
"I'm not a child!" I objected.
"You are under 21, you are a child. You have no control over your future, and you have to face that." Whitey said harshly.
"What control do I have?" Keith asked.
"You have a job, that gives you points. Karen left Lucas in your care, which means that she thinks you can take care of him. I'll vouch for you that you are a good guardian. Do you know other people who would say that Luke should stay with you?"
"Deb?" Keith suggested. Whitey wrote it down.
"How do you know all this?" I asked.
"I used to be a lawyer, Luke," he gestured at the law books sitting at the table. I didn't notice them before. "I spent all morning researching. I think we have a good case, though."
He turned back to Keith, "Anyone else?"
Keith shook his head.
"What about school teachers? Have you been excelling in your classes since you've been in the care of Keith?" Whitey asked me.
I shook my head. "My mom was gone, I took full advantage of the situation."
"That's what I thought." Whitey shook his head.
"There is another way that you would get full custody of Lucas for sure," Whitey suggested timidly, like he was sure it was going to get shot down.
"What?" Keith asked eagerly.
"You could adopt him."
I looked up. It had never crossed my mind that I would ever be adopted. I had a mom. My world had been turned upside down so quickly.
"You would have to get Dan to sign away his rights as a father."
Keith nodded. "I don't know that he would do that. The second he sees it's something I want, he'll decide he wants to keep his rights."
Whitey considered the two of us. "Why don't you two talk it over? First you need to decide if you really want to live together." Keith must have told him what I said earlier. "Then you need to decide if you want custody or adoption. Custody would be easier to get, but could easily be taken away. Basically, you would be in Dan's hands at all times. If he wants Lucas, you're out of the picture, Keith. With adoption, you would be his sole guardian. It would also mean that you are completely responsible for him financially and otherwise for the rest of his life."
Keith nodded. Whitey disappeared into another room. I had never seen the inside of his house before, and I felt like I was intruding. I sipped my water.
"Sucks, huh, Luke?" Keith said. "We have ourselves in a nasty situation."
"Yes we do, Keith."
"First do you want to live with me? I mean, I know you don't have too many other options, but I bet Whitey would take you or Dan-"Keith looked so vulnerable. I didn't like it. He was supposed to be the one holding me up.
"There's always the group home," I suggested.
Keith looked stricken. "Joke, Keith, breathe. Yes, I want to live with you. Nothing would make me happier. Well, except for having Mom back."
"That would make me happier, too, kid," Keith said.
"Are you okay with adoption? Dan and I have never had a good relationship. The second he gets mad at me, he's going to use you to get back at me and that's not fair to you."
I smiled. "You want to adopt me?"
"I would like nothing more."
"Me too," I said.
He smiled and patted my back. "Then it's settled, I'll go get Dan to sign papers tomorrow. Or maybe I should send Whitey. I don't want Danny to know this is something I want."
That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Adoption seemed like something that would require an emotional meltdown from all the parties involved. I felt like I was supposed be feeling more than I actually was.
"Yo, Whitey, we're done!" I called.
Keith hit my shoulder, "Luke! Be respectful." He whispered.
Whitey appeared again.
"What did you decide?"
"I want to adopt this little bastard," Keith ruffled my hair.
"Alright, first step is proving you're a suitable parent. You need to get out of here and never let anyone know you saw Lucas." He paused, "Also, not calling him a bastard couldn't hurt." He chuckled to himself. Whitey was the only person I knew who actually could "chuckle." The word worked for him.
It was 5pm when Keith left and I was stuck with Whitey. He shut the door after Keith and turned to look at me.
"Well, Scott I think this qualifies as the world's shittiest week for you."
"Well, I lost my mom and my uncle; I would have to agree with you." Plus I cheated on my girlfriend, I wanted to add, but I didn't.
"If you want to go out or something, that's okay with me." He said.
"Thanks, Coach," I said.
"Are you going to go to school in the morning? It's alright if you don't."
The thought of facing Brooke was too much for me. I couldn't make it 6 hours in a row yet without crying, I wasn't ready to face the girl I cheated on. I needed to talk to Peyton.
I shook my head, "No, Coach, I'm not ready."
He nodded, "Okay, be back before ten, though, I'm a light sleeper."
"Okay, Coach."
He tossed me the keys to his car. "If you wreck her, you're fixing her." He said. His ancient Ford Taurus had a gender? I thought only sports cars could have genders.
"You're letting me drive your car?"
"Just don't start crying at the wheel. And don't have sex in her, actually, just don't ever tell me what you do tonight and I'll call us even."
I smiled, "It's a deal."
"Coach?" I was confused, seeing him out of context. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting you." He said, without actually making eye contact with me. He looked at Martha, "Where are you taking him?"
She didn't ask who he was. They must know each other. Whitey could very well be her grandfather.
"I can't disclose that information," she said.
"Tell me, Martha. Where are you taking him?" I had never heard Whitey sound so intimidating, and he was my coach.
She looked around. There was no one else in the parking lot.
"He's going to his father's house."
"No he's not. You know his father. He cannot stay with Dan." It was not a question. It was a command.
Her voice was shaking. She was trying to remain Martha Lansing, Child Services, but she was starting to turn into Martha Lansing, Human Being. Who knew? "I'm sorry, but he first goes to a relative, and Dan is his father."
"He should be with Keith."
"Keith is under investigation right now."
"Then give him to me."
What? Whitey wanted to take me?
"I'm afraid I cannot do that," if she was talking any quieter, no one would be able to hear her.
Whitey spotted the cell phone on a clip on her belt. He snatched it and began dialing before she had a chance to stop him.
"You can't take that!" she exclaimed, but the small woman wasn't going to get in Whitey's way. He was already dialing.
"Danny? Hi this is Whitey." Short pause. Not long enough for Dan to have answered. "I know you thought you were taking Lucas for a little while, but you're not." Another half-pause. "I'm keeping him. Bye."
He handed her the cell phone. "He said it was fine."
"Mr. Durham!" She exclaimed, but she didn't really have any choice.
Whitey took my duffle bag from me. "Let's go, Lucas."
"Keith will call me when he gets Lucas back," Whitey told Martha.
Whitey walked quickly back to his car. I looked at Martha, looking for direction, but she was still staring disbelievingly at Whitey's retreating back. They must have left the "what to do when your ex-teacher takes the child you are transporting" chapter out of her child services handbook. I followed Whitey, running to catch up.
He got in the car and started it without saying anything to me. I jumped in and fastened my seatbelt. Whitey looked angry, very angry.
"How did you-"I asked.
"Keith called me when they came and took you," he said shortly, before I could finish the question.
"How is he?"
"A mess. We cleaned the house and prepared him for the investigators. You should be able to go home soon."
"Thanks, Whitey." I said quietly. I was really starting to feel guilty for telling Keith I didn't want to live with him. It wasn't true.
"No crying in my car, Scott." He said firmly. I smiled at him.
"Who do those bastards think they are?" he asked loudly as he pulled into his garage. "You just lost your mom, Keith just lost his girlfriend and they separate you from each other." Whitey was outraged by this.
He took my duffle bag out of the car. He opened the door with his key and I followed him inside.
Keith was sitting at the kitchen table. "Keith!" I exclaimed.
Keith held his arms out and beckoned for me to enter; I did. We hugged and he rubbed my back, like when I was younger and he was trying to get me stop crying.
"Can I get you ladies anything to drink?" Whitey grinned at us.
"Water please," Keith said.
"Yeah, me, too," I said.
Whitey gave us our water in chipped glasses. We all sat down at Whitey's kitchen table. He had to get out a folding chair for me to sit in.
"Don't usually have guests," he said, explaining his lack of chairs.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Child Services came to investigate me," Keith said.
"What happened?" I asked.
"They think I'm abusing you."
"Did you convince them you aren't?"
Keith shook his head, "I don't know, Luke, she saw me hit you."
I looked down.
"I'm sorry, Luke. I shouldn't have hit you."
"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have said what I did."
"Stop ladies. You're going to make me cry." Whitey added.
Keith shook his head, trying to stop feeling emotion that Whitey would disapprove of.
"So how do I get Lucas back?" Keith asked Whitey.
"Okay, first, you don't see him until the court says you can, but you already blew that one."
"They can't stop me from seeing my nephew," Keith said.
"Yes, Keith, yes they can. We're hoping it doesn't come to that."
Keith sighed heavily.
"Next you need to prove that you can take care of a child."
"I'm not a child!" I objected.
"You are under 21, you are a child. You have no control over your future, and you have to face that." Whitey said harshly.
"What control do I have?" Keith asked.
"You have a job, that gives you points. Karen left Lucas in your care, which means that she thinks you can take care of him. I'll vouch for you that you are a good guardian. Do you know other people who would say that Luke should stay with you?"
"Deb?" Keith suggested. Whitey wrote it down.
"How do you know all this?" I asked.
"I used to be a lawyer, Luke," he gestured at the law books sitting at the table. I didn't notice them before. "I spent all morning researching. I think we have a good case, though."
He turned back to Keith, "Anyone else?"
Keith shook his head.
"What about school teachers? Have you been excelling in your classes since you've been in the care of Keith?" Whitey asked me.
I shook my head. "My mom was gone, I took full advantage of the situation."
"That's what I thought." Whitey shook his head.
"There is another way that you would get full custody of Lucas for sure," Whitey suggested timidly, like he was sure it was going to get shot down.
"What?" Keith asked eagerly.
"You could adopt him."
I looked up. It had never crossed my mind that I would ever be adopted. I had a mom. My world had been turned upside down so quickly.
"You would have to get Dan to sign away his rights as a father."
Keith nodded. "I don't know that he would do that. The second he sees it's something I want, he'll decide he wants to keep his rights."
Whitey considered the two of us. "Why don't you two talk it over? First you need to decide if you really want to live together." Keith must have told him what I said earlier. "Then you need to decide if you want custody or adoption. Custody would be easier to get, but could easily be taken away. Basically, you would be in Dan's hands at all times. If he wants Lucas, you're out of the picture, Keith. With adoption, you would be his sole guardian. It would also mean that you are completely responsible for him financially and otherwise for the rest of his life."
Keith nodded. Whitey disappeared into another room. I had never seen the inside of his house before, and I felt like I was intruding. I sipped my water.
"Sucks, huh, Luke?" Keith said. "We have ourselves in a nasty situation."
"Yes we do, Keith."
"First do you want to live with me? I mean, I know you don't have too many other options, but I bet Whitey would take you or Dan-"Keith looked so vulnerable. I didn't like it. He was supposed to be the one holding me up.
"There's always the group home," I suggested.
Keith looked stricken. "Joke, Keith, breathe. Yes, I want to live with you. Nothing would make me happier. Well, except for having Mom back."
"That would make me happier, too, kid," Keith said.
"Are you okay with adoption? Dan and I have never had a good relationship. The second he gets mad at me, he's going to use you to get back at me and that's not fair to you."
I smiled. "You want to adopt me?"
"I would like nothing more."
"Me too," I said.
He smiled and patted my back. "Then it's settled, I'll go get Dan to sign papers tomorrow. Or maybe I should send Whitey. I don't want Danny to know this is something I want."
That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Adoption seemed like something that would require an emotional meltdown from all the parties involved. I felt like I was supposed be feeling more than I actually was.
"Yo, Whitey, we're done!" I called.
Keith hit my shoulder, "Luke! Be respectful." He whispered.
Whitey appeared again.
"What did you decide?"
"I want to adopt this little bastard," Keith ruffled my hair.
"Alright, first step is proving you're a suitable parent. You need to get out of here and never let anyone know you saw Lucas." He paused, "Also, not calling him a bastard couldn't hurt." He chuckled to himself. Whitey was the only person I knew who actually could "chuckle." The word worked for him.
It was 5pm when Keith left and I was stuck with Whitey. He shut the door after Keith and turned to look at me.
"Well, Scott I think this qualifies as the world's shittiest week for you."
"Well, I lost my mom and my uncle; I would have to agree with you." Plus I cheated on my girlfriend, I wanted to add, but I didn't.
"If you want to go out or something, that's okay with me." He said.
"Thanks, Coach," I said.
"Are you going to go to school in the morning? It's alright if you don't."
The thought of facing Brooke was too much for me. I couldn't make it 6 hours in a row yet without crying, I wasn't ready to face the girl I cheated on. I needed to talk to Peyton.
I shook my head, "No, Coach, I'm not ready."
He nodded, "Okay, be back before ten, though, I'm a light sleeper."
"Okay, Coach."
He tossed me the keys to his car. "If you wreck her, you're fixing her." He said. His ancient Ford Taurus had a gender? I thought only sports cars could have genders.
"You're letting me drive your car?"
"Just don't start crying at the wheel. And don't have sex in her, actually, just don't ever tell me what you do tonight and I'll call us even."
I smiled, "It's a deal."