"Mikey!" Connor called.
Mikey flew up from the basement and into the kitchen. "Yeah, Dad?"
"You have a phone call."
Mikey took the phone from Connor's hand. "Hello? Hi, Chris! Uh … okay … Uh … Let me ask Dad!" He looked up at his dad.
"Yeah?"
"Chris and JP are having a New Year's Eve party and I'm invited."
"At their house?"
Mikey said into the phone, "At your house?"
They continued back and forth in this manner until Connor had collected times and who else would be attending and what else they were doing. It was a simple party: Chris, Mikey, JP and two other boys from their class that they also played after-school soccer with named Kevin and Martin, were going to be attended. Andrew had been recruited to pick up and drop off Martin, who lived a few streets down from Mikey, so Mikey would be picked up and dropped off along with him.
"Where's Father?" Mikey asked when he hung up.
"Let's check the living room," Connor said.
They stuck their head into the room and saw Jude curled up on the couch. He was reading through his new Spanish textbook. He'd been studying it quite closely, trying to get ahead of the curve for when classes started up in January.
"I'm going to a New Year's party!" Mikey announced, sitting on Jude's feet.
"You party animal," Jude laughed. "Chris and JP?"
"Uh-huh," Mikey confirmed. "When we go see the puppy tomorrow, can we take pictures to show everyone at the party?'
"As many pictures as you want," Jude said. "Have you thought about a name?"
"Nothing good," Mikey sighed.
"Maybe you need to meet him to be sure," Connor said. "We met you before we named you."
Mikey stared at him. "You did?"
Jude nodded. "We got to meet you before we decided to foster and adopt you," Jude explained.
Mikey had a strange look on his face. "Didn't you say that you didn't know me when I was first born?"
"That's true," Connor confirmed.
"But … but … but …"
"But what?" Jude asked, reaching out to pet his hair.
"Does that mean I didn't have a name?" As horrified as Mikey sounded about this, he sounded more horrified as he asked, "Did I have a different name?"
Jude looked to Connor and Connor nodded.
"Yes," Jude said. "You had a different name."
Mikey sat back on his feet. "I don't like it."
"You don't even know what it is," Connor said. He moved to sit on the arm of the couch behind Mikey.
"I still don't like it," Mikey said.
"We didn't think it fit you either," Jude said. "That's why we named you Mikey."
"What happens if a grown-up doesn't like their name?"
"You can change it," Connor said. "Father and I both changed our last names when we got married."
"I knew that," Mikey boasted. Then, "I think I'll keep Mikey."
"We're glad you like it."
Mikey looked happy over Jude's words for a moment. "Father, can I see your Spanish book?"
"Sure."
Mikey picked up the Spanish dictionary, opening it to a random page. "L … Lección." He flipped around again. "Ojos." Mikey laughed. "I like that one."
"It's fun," Connor agreed.
"Pez," Mikey read. "That's not nearly as fun."
"I'm sure there's something else fun in there," Jude said. He reached over. "Rico."
Mikey shook his head.
Connor leant across him and skipped a head a few pages. "What about risueño?"
"That one's weird," Mikey said. He looked down at the page. "Rojo!"
Jude asked, "What does Rojo mean?"
"Just look … here," Connor pointed down, guiding Mikey's eyes.
"It means red!" Mikey answered. "Hey! My puppy is red!"
"Just like you wanted," Connor confirmed.
Mikey was staring down at the dictionary. "Dad? Father?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think 'Red' is a dumb name for a puppy? I … I mean 'Rojo'?"
"I don't think that's a dumb name at all," Jude said.
"I think it makes perfect sense," Connor assured him.
"Rojo," Mikey repeated. "If you say it fast enough it sounds like a bark! Rojo! Rojo! Rojo!"
Connor laughed. "Yes, it does. I hope the puppy likes it."
"Well, when you see him tomorrow, you can ask him, okay?"
"Okay!"
(-.-)
"Hi, Mikey, my name is Melissa!"
"Hi." Mikey reached out and shook her hand.
"Are you excited to meet your puppy?"
Mikey nodded.
"Now, remember, they're very little. So you're not going to be able to play long and you have to play very gentle."
"Okay!" Mikey said. "I can do that."
"What are the puppies like at this stage?" Jude asked.
"We're starting to house train them and they're starting to eat little bits of solid food," Melissa explained.
She led them through the house and to the puppy pen. They puppies were all up on their unsteady paws, clambering around the pen. Their mother watched carefully as the unknown humans approached. Jude and Connor hung back as Melissa took Mikey closer. She pointed out the puppy with the blue painted claws.
"He's yours."
"I picked out a name for him," Mikey proudly announced to her. He squatted down in front of the puppy. "I want to call you Rojo. Do you like it? I need you to like it."
The puppy sniffed curiously at Mikey's jeans.
"Can I pet him?" Mikey asked.
"Go ahead," Melissa answered.
Carefully, Mikey stroked the top of his puppy's head. The puppy let out a little yip and lifted its head to sniff at Mikey's palm. Mikey laughed.
"He licked me!" Mikey exclaimed.
"Try calling him by his name," Melissa said.
"Rojo, you licked me!" Mikey leant down. "Our hair almost matches!"
Connor smiled as the puppy nearly fell over trying to stick his nose in Mikey's face. Their hair was almost the same shade. Mikey ran his hand over Rojo's short body. The other puppies were starting to get curious about Mikey, but he barely paid them any mind. Rojo was his puppy and he was completely focused. Mikey was busy telling Rojo about the blue collar and the dog bed that he had waiting at home, and how Mikey was going to get him dog toys.
"Because I don't want you chewing on my toys," Mikey said. "But we're going to teach you to be a nice puppy and not chew."
"He's very sweet," Melissa commented to Jude and Connor. "You have a good son, there."
"Thank you," Jude said. "We've done our best."
Connor brushed Jude's fingers with his own, happy to watch Mikey play. They hated to disturb him to take him home, even though they knew it was for the best.
"Can I come back and play with him?" Mikey asked Melissa. "Please?"
"Oh, Mikey, we don't want to disturb her," Connor said.
"I don't mind. I'm home most days. How about you call me on January third and we can figure out a good time for you to come back? Your parents have my number!"
"Okay! Thank you!" Mikey said excitedly.
Jude and Connor shook Melissa's hand on the way out. When they were back outside, Mikey danced around.
"She said I could come back! And did you see him, Dad? He was so red. And, Father, he licked me! Like a kiss! It's a puppy kiss, right?"
"Right!" Jude said.
Mikey clambered into the car. Connor watched him buckle himself in and then he shut the door behind him. He got into the passenger seat, and Jude was already behind the wheel.
"So, you like him?"
"I love him," Mikey corrected Jude. "And he loves the name Rojo, I could tell!"
"I'm sure he loves it lots!" Connor said. "Is there anything else you want to do today?"
"Besides go back and play?" Mikey asked.
"Besides go back and play."
"Can we go home and play soccer?" Mikey asked.
"Whatever you want," Jude said, starting for home.
"Can I call Chris and JP and see if they want to come play soccer?"
"You can try, but a lot of people are still celebrating things with their family, so don't be surprised if they can't." Connor pulled his cell phone out.
"But if they can, tell them that we can pick them up on our way."
"Okay!" Mikey held the cell phone up to his ear. "Hi, Mr. Andrew! It's Mikey! … I wanted to know if Chris and JP are busy today? … Um, okay! … Hi, JP! Are you busy today? … Is Chris busy today? … Do you want to come over? I got a new soccer ball for Christmas! … Uh-huh … Well, right now, we can pick you up. We just went to visit my puppy! … Yeah, my puppy … Yeah … Okay … Hold on. Father?"
"Yes?"
"How far away are we from their house?"
"About half an hour."
Mikey returned to his phone call. "Okay! See you soon!"
Connor turned and collected his phone from Mikey. "Are we picking them up?"
Mikey nodded. "Yep!"
In no time at all, they were pulling into the twins' driveway. Chris and JP were waiting in the living room window with their mother, but came tearing away from it when they saw Jude's car. Chris was first out the door and JP was behind him; JP left the door hanging open behind him, and their mother stood in the open doorway and waved to them. Chris and JP both turned and waved to her, before they crawled into the backseat.
"Thank you for picking us up!" Chris said.
"You're welcome," Jude answered.
"Where's your puppy?" JP demanded of Mikey.
"We were just visiting him," Mikey explained. "He's too little to come home yet."
"When do you get to take him home?" Chris asked.
"January … twentieth, right, Dad? It was the twentieth?"
"Right," Connor said. "So, JP, Chris, have you two eaten? I know Mikey hasn't had lunch yet."
"We had pizza," JP answered.
"I just want a ham sandwich, please," Mikey said as they drove up to their house.
"Sure," Connor answered.
He and Jude herded the boys up to the door, and Jude asked, "Do you want anything, though? Juice or a snack or anything?"
"Some juice, please?" JP said.
They went in the front door, grabbed Mikey's soccer ball, and went straight out to the backyard. Jude and Connor peeked at them from the kitchen window. JP was trying to bounce the ball off his knees and was failing horribly at it. At one point, he hit himself in the face with the ball and his glasses went flying. Connor rushed out the glasses of juice so that he could see if anything had gone wrong. Chris had fetched his twin's glasses from the lawn and put them carefully back on his face for him.
"Are you okay?" Mikey yelled.
"Fine!" JP kicked the soccer ball down to Mikey. "See if you can do it!"
Connor set the juice on the table on the back porch. He called attention to it, but Chris and JP were staring at Mikey, who had bounced the ball up off his knee and then hit it with his head down toward Chris. Chris caught it with his hands, more out of surprise than any physical feat.
"I've been practicing!" Mikey bragged.
Connor went back inside to Jude, who handed him Mikey's sandwich. Connor obediently headed back outside and beckoned Mikey over to the porch to eat. While Mikey sat down on the steps and chowed down on his sandwich, JP and Chris lazily passed the ball back and forth between each other. Connor went back inside; Jude was still in the kitchen. Jude was staring out the window, watching as Mikey finished his sandwich in record time and rejoined his friends, stealing the soccer ball away from Chris and running down the backyard with it.
"He's happy, Connor," Jude said.
"Yeah," Connor agreed.
"And you're happy, Connor?"
Connor nodded. "I'm happy."
Jude chewed on his bottom lip. "I'm happy." His grin widened. "I'm really happy."
Jude turned back to the window to watch Mikey play with Chris and JP. Connor went to stand next him, wrapping his arm around Jude's waist in a way that someone standing on the other side of the window wouldn't notice it, although the kids weren't paying any attention to them anyway. Jude pressed his hip into Connor's.
"I love you," Connor said.
Jude's smile managed to get even bigger. "Te amo."
Thank you to Roberto for the translations.
Don't forget to send me playlist ideas if you have them! This week's songs are: Best I Ever Had by State of Shock; All That I'm Asking For by Lifehouse; and We Belong Together by Mariah Carey (reader recommended).
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~TLL~