Kim was making lunch for Joey, Johnny and Bosco. "Lunch!" she called down
the hall to Bosco who was trying to fix the drain in the bathroom tub.
They'd called the landlord, but he was older and wasn't too good about
getting things done. He always reimbursed them for supplies when they
fixed things themselves - as long as they had the receipts and it was
nothing too extravagant.
She put the plates down on the table in front of the kids and Johnny immediately dug in with his fingers. "Barbarian," Kim said under her breath, just loud enough for Joey to hear and giggle. She looked up as Bosco came into the room and went to the sink to wash his hands. "How goes the repairs?" she asked him.
"Am I going bald? Because, there's enough hair in that drain." he started.
"Whoa! I'm trying to eat here," Kim interrupted. Bosco finished washing his hands and flicked the excess water at Kim.
She finished pouring the drinks as Bosco sat down and then she joined them. After a few minutes, she threw Bosco a look - which confused him totally - and then said to Joey.
"So, Joey. Would you like to maybe have a sister?" Bosco then caught on to the look that she'd given him a moment ago.
"What?" Joey asked, not looking up.
"I asked if you liked the idea of possibly having a sister?" Kim repeated. Bosco looked at Joey, trying to gauge his facial reaction.
"You're going to have another baby?" he asked, looking over at Johnny who was now wearing most of his lunch.
"No," Bosco said. "We know of this little girl - she's about your age - who lost her parents. She doesn't have any other family and we were thinking of maybe trying to adopt her," he said, lowering his head to see Joey's face. "What do you think of that idea?"
"What happened to her parents?" Joey asked.
"Well," Kim explained. "Her Mom died and her father's, uh, well, he's not around anymore."
"She's my age?" he asked again.
"Yup," Bosco answered.
Joey looked at Johnny again. "You mean she doesn't wear diapers and she knows how to eat right?"
"Yup," Bosco asked, laughing as he reached over to remove the jelly from just above Johnny's left eye.
"Then it's cool, I guess," Joey said. "When is she going to come live with us?"
"Well, it's not that simple, Joey," Kim said. "We wanted to check with you first to see how you felt about it. Now, we'll have to talk to the Department of Child and Family Services - or DCFS - to see what we have to do."
Joey nodded and then Bosco cleared his throat. "It means you'll probably have to double up with your brother here." Joey quickly looked up at Johnny.
"Mom? I love Johnny and all, but he smells bad a lot," Joey said and Kim and Bosco started to laugh.
"Well, you weren't any bed of roses at that age either," Kim responded. "How about this? You can share your room with Amanda - that's her name - until Johnny gets older and doesn't 'smell' so much. We'll get you some bunk beds and you can have the top bunk," she offered. Joey brightened considerably.
"She'll have to leave my baseball card collection alone," he countered.
"Deal," Bosco said.
Bosco looked at Kim. "I'll call DCFS this afternoon."
She put the plates down on the table in front of the kids and Johnny immediately dug in with his fingers. "Barbarian," Kim said under her breath, just loud enough for Joey to hear and giggle. She looked up as Bosco came into the room and went to the sink to wash his hands. "How goes the repairs?" she asked him.
"Am I going bald? Because, there's enough hair in that drain." he started.
"Whoa! I'm trying to eat here," Kim interrupted. Bosco finished washing his hands and flicked the excess water at Kim.
She finished pouring the drinks as Bosco sat down and then she joined them. After a few minutes, she threw Bosco a look - which confused him totally - and then said to Joey.
"So, Joey. Would you like to maybe have a sister?" Bosco then caught on to the look that she'd given him a moment ago.
"What?" Joey asked, not looking up.
"I asked if you liked the idea of possibly having a sister?" Kim repeated. Bosco looked at Joey, trying to gauge his facial reaction.
"You're going to have another baby?" he asked, looking over at Johnny who was now wearing most of his lunch.
"No," Bosco said. "We know of this little girl - she's about your age - who lost her parents. She doesn't have any other family and we were thinking of maybe trying to adopt her," he said, lowering his head to see Joey's face. "What do you think of that idea?"
"What happened to her parents?" Joey asked.
"Well," Kim explained. "Her Mom died and her father's, uh, well, he's not around anymore."
"She's my age?" he asked again.
"Yup," Bosco answered.
Joey looked at Johnny again. "You mean she doesn't wear diapers and she knows how to eat right?"
"Yup," Bosco asked, laughing as he reached over to remove the jelly from just above Johnny's left eye.
"Then it's cool, I guess," Joey said. "When is she going to come live with us?"
"Well, it's not that simple, Joey," Kim said. "We wanted to check with you first to see how you felt about it. Now, we'll have to talk to the Department of Child and Family Services - or DCFS - to see what we have to do."
Joey nodded and then Bosco cleared his throat. "It means you'll probably have to double up with your brother here." Joey quickly looked up at Johnny.
"Mom? I love Johnny and all, but he smells bad a lot," Joey said and Kim and Bosco started to laugh.
"Well, you weren't any bed of roses at that age either," Kim responded. "How about this? You can share your room with Amanda - that's her name - until Johnny gets older and doesn't 'smell' so much. We'll get you some bunk beds and you can have the top bunk," she offered. Joey brightened considerably.
"She'll have to leave my baseball card collection alone," he countered.
"Deal," Bosco said.
Bosco looked at Kim. "I'll call DCFS this afternoon."
