Chapter 9– Post Script
We had sat down again right after I took the job with the FBI and charted out our next few years. We thought the longest and hardest on having our children. Momma had cornered Sonja about the responsibility of raising children. We decided that I would go back to Alabama and that I would be the primary care giver.
We built a new home on Momma's land. I could see the island where Cane and I had spent so much time from the front porch of the house. I bought the boat that I always wanted and often coaxed Sonja to join me for one or two afternoons when she was with me while in country. She would never admit that it relaxed her too. She fussed about the sun until momma took her shopping for hats and bug spray.
When the children were babies, she would keep them below while sitting on the deck with her stack of books, magazines and her Kindle under her hat and beach umbrella As the children grew, we taught them how to be safe on the boat. CJ often joined me to fish for dinner.
Sonja retired at 40 and became 'farmer City Mouse'. I introduced her to one of my father's childhood friends and he mentored her in the craft of growing food. Most of our veggies and fruit came from her hobby. I had always loved southern peaches and the ones that Sonja grew were better than any we ever found in a grocery store. .The children loved helping to pick the fruit of her labor. They would all disappear for hours and come back loaded down with a wide variety of food stuffs. Momma taught her how to can food allowing us to enjoy the items year around.
Momma was at the house most of the time after the children were born. We had included a 'mother in law's' apartment when we built the new house planning ahead for the day that she could no longer live alone. She was unhappy with me that I hired a maid. I thought she had spent enough time caring for her own children and the house. I was thrilled that she wanted be such an important part in Chris Junior's and Natalie's lives, but raising the children was my responsibility. I could diaper with the best of them and kiss away every boo boo. I wasn't very successful in braiding hair, but I could make the best pony tails in the world. Sonja had to teach both momma and I how to manage Natalie's very ethnic hair. Momma was wonderful with all the little braids and beads.
Our family expanded again when Natalie was ten. I had noticed a tiny little girl in her class. She never smiled and was often dirty with mismatched socks and clothes. I learned that her mother had left the household and the father often drank to an excess and neglected the child. When Natalie asked if she could stay the night one Friday, I said yes. She spent more time with momma that weekend than she did with Natalie. She constantly told momma how good she smelled.
That Monday morning I dropped the children off at school and went directly to the Sheriff's office. Tom knew all about the family. He said he was reluctant to intrude because the child was never physically mistreated. I asked if would he speak with the father and ask if she could stay with us for the rest of the semester and not have to walk the distance to school in the cold by herself. Tom was able to vouch for us. I picked her up Saturday morning. Everything the child owned was carried in a paper bag.
Momma and I both cried after taking her shopping for new clothes and shoes later that day. Elizabeth picked out one pair of pants, one blouse and a pair of tennis shoes thinking that was all she could have. I pulled Natalie aside and asked her take Elizabeth back to the racks and help her to pick out clothes that matched or complimented her own clothes so that they looked like ' sisters.' Watching her model her new clothes for Sonja the next week again brought tears to my eyes.
Elizabeth always 'tailed' Sonja when she was home. At first it made her a little uncomfortable because she did not know Elizabeth as well as the rest of us. One day when Sonja was combing the girl's hair into braids, Elizabeth hugged her and thanked her for making her look like a princess just like her. I walked into the room as the girls ran out the front door. I looked over to see Sonja crying. "What's wrong honey" I asked? When she told me what Elizabeth had said I got teary eyed too. Elizabeth won her over that day being the sweet little girl that I had seen that first school day. On her next overseas assignment in Egypt, Sonja bought her a 'queen Cleopatra doll'. "Now you can be a princess too," she sweetly told her.
Christmas came and went. Momma came into the kitchen one morning with that look that I knew well. She was determined to get something. "Sonja", I said "Momma wants to talk to us." Sonja looked at me then momma. I could see that look on Sonja's face 'but she didn't say word, how do you know that?' "What is it momma" I asked? "You're not really going to send that child back there are you?" Sonja's eyes riveted to me.
"Momma she has a home." I retorted. "I think she has a new home here with us Christopher" Sonja says. I quickly realized that the conversation was over and that I had no say in the decision.
Tom and I made another visit to the country side. I think that Elizabeth's father was actually relieved. I told him that Natalie had become attached to Elizabeth and that he would be doing us a favor letting her stay and be a companion to our daughter.
Thus our multi-cultural family expanded to include a tall, blonde, blue eyed beauty. It was a joy to watch her bloom. She took the piano and quickly surpassed our two children on the instrument. She ended up with a music scholarship eventually earning a Master's Degree in piano performance and became one of the best known piano teachers in the Alabama collegiate system.
One day Elizabeth approached momma about what to call us. We knew she was particularly drawn to both Sonja and momma suspecting that she missed the mother she never really knew. Momma brought the subject up at Thanksgiving as we sat around the table. First she asked Elizabeth to pray. "Everyone, I asked the newest member of our family to pray, go ahead Beth." "Dear God, thank you for this food. Thank for helping papa LaSalle to find just the right turkey for our table. Thank you for letting me live in this beautiful house with these nice people. Thank you for letting me have a new grandma who loves me. Thank you for letting us have a fine day today. Amen."
Half way through the meal momma asked why Beth called her grandma and did not call Sonja and I mom and dad. There was silence until CJ spoke up "well I vote that Elizabeth be able to call mom and dad mom and dad too!" Enough said. The topic was closed.
The next day there was a knock at the door. It was Tom. He said that Elizabeth's birth father wanted to meet with me. I had time then and suggested we go right now if that was okay.
"Look LaSalle" he said "I have a chance at a job out west. I really don't want to take Elizabeth out of school and would like to leave her here to get her education. Would you and your wife consent to taking legal custody of Elizabeth?" That was a no brainer. Six months later, we received a letter in the mail. It was a full custody release of Elizabeth which allowed us to adopt her.
Our children had always made Mother's Day special for Sonja and Momma. They scurried about in secret working on their present or snuck them in from school if Sonja was in the house. We sat around the table that Sunday as the two women open their presents. The children just beamed at the approval to their gifts.
"Well, children, this year I have a gift for you" Sonja said. They looked on curiously. "Who wants to open it?" "I think Elizabeth should" I spoke up. She quickly tore open the box and pulled out the picture frame inside. It was headed "The LaSalle Family." It had an individual photo of each of the five of us. "Elizabeth, open the envelope." Sonja said. It was the adoption petition. "Elizabeth", I said, "that is a petition to the court. We would like for you be an official member of our family but we need your approval before we file the paperwork for you to become our daughter." "Oh, yes", she said before she burst into tears. The children clapped as momma and Sonja cried.
It only took a few weeks to have the process completed since she was legally surrendered and had been in our home for almost a year already. We all went to court together that Thursday afternoon. The judge told us how lucky we were to have found each other and wished us all well. Armed with the petition, Sonja, Elizabeth and I went down to the Social Security office on Friday together to get her new Social Security Card with her new name on it. Her new birth certificate came two weeks later.
The girls had long learned to team up against CJ in most things. Momma had already been through this with Cade, me and our sister so she helped Sonja and I learn to navigate the 'girls vs the boys' situations.
Actually early on, momma had instilled in us how important it was to see the children individually with their own giftings and shortfalls. Sonja and I both tried to spend time every week with each child one on one which extended to Elizabeth even before the legal adoption. This provided us the opportunity for that child to speak uninterrupted with us.
We found this extremely helpful with Elizabeth. Momma was actually able to help her to realize how we needed to get to know her so we could love her just like her new brother and sister. We had to help Elizabeth to realize that she could depend on us for anything and that we always valued her opinions and her needs.
I still remember the look on her face the first time I told Natalie that she was wrong and that Elizabeth was right. It was that day that Elizabeth finally believed what we had said about her being our daughter. We were not going to let Natalie strong arm her in to doing something that she didn't want to do. That day Natalie just went on out and got her bike and rode out to her grandmother's while Elizabeth went outside and picked tomatoes with Sonja.
Sonja made everyone's birthday special. It was a time that we expressed our appreciation that that person was born and that they were special. The person's favorite food was prepared for dinner. On my first birthday with Elizabeth in our home, I asked momma if the possum had turned out good. All three children displayed faces of both shock and distain and were more than relieved to find out that the roaster actually contained a pheasant.
Three high school students kept us busy. Sonja volunteered as a coach in track and worked with the conditioning coach in developing a year around training program for young people in the community who wanted to be law enforcement officers or join the military. Four years later she saw her first protégé accepted into a military academy. It was hard to live with her for about a month but she deserved praise helping the young man realize his dream.
Elizabeth cheered both basketball and football. Her knowledge of the two sports created a special bond between the two of us. She was often my companion when I drove down for an Alabama Saturday game. Those road trips also made her the better driver of the three kids as she got to do long distance driving earlier and more often than the other two. She also like to tag along with me on the links and learned to play well enough to make her varsity golf team in both high school and college.
CJ headed off to Occidental hoping to get a Rhodes scholarship award. Majoring in Linguistics, he was speaking and writing six different languages by the time he completed his undergraduate work. In the end, he did his graduate work at the University of Edinburgh. We did not realize the wide variety of disciplines that the school offered. CJ was also excited to know that the school was the sixth oldest university in the English speaking world. It appeared that the government was also watching our son. One day the CIA came knocking at the door. No one was more excited for CJ than his mother who had traveled the world as a spy.
Like Elizabeth, Natalie stayed close to home and went to Tuskegee University majoring in Public Health Nutrition. She went on to Iowa State University where she earned a Master's degree in Food Science and Technology. She was thrilled when she won an internship with DuPont Pioneer. She travels all over the world teaching scientist and health officials in nutrition for undeveloped nations.
Sonja and I try to get out on the water together at least once a week. I am happy that we still acted like newlyweds. One day I was lost deep in thought. "Chris. Christopher!" I looked up to Sonja staring at me. "Now just where did you go to Country Mouse?" "I was thinking about the first day that King and I met you. I'm not sure who was more shocked that you were actually a cop me or King. That had to be the best day of my life" I said. "That day I met the love of my life!"
Sonja smiled and came over and sat in my lap. "I love you City Mouse" I said. "I love you more Butch" she replied. I can't tell you who was more happy at that moment. Well, I guess this day it was a tie and it really didn't matter.
**** Bet you cried, didn't You! ****