It was 7 AM in the morning, and it was another day at the oil rig. Rad had just entered the break room, hoping to find his boss to discuss the potential transfer. Rad was preparing a quick cup of coffee at the counter; Brett enters the room and saw Rad at the counter.
"Morning, Rad. Didn't expect you to be here at this time," greeted Brett.
"G'day, Brett. I just decided to have a bit of a head start today," added Rad.
Brett noticed a slip of paper on the counter. He notices it was a transfer request form. He soon raised suspicion that it was right beside Rad. "What's with the form? Were you planning a transfer request to another oil refinery," asked Brett.
"Well, yes. I had thought about doing a transfer for a while. Thought I'd work closer to home so I can spend more time with family."
"That so? Last time I recall you aren't married nor have kids?"
"It's just so I can spend more time with my brothers, and their kids. And…"
Rad grabs his cup of coffee, not knowing what to say about the real reason Brett. "I have considered a decision. You remember Marc's kid from the funeral several weeks ago, yeah? Well, I have thought about adoption. By that, I mean adopting his kid. So I can live closer to home, and be able to come home from work often."
Brett was surprised by this random idea. "Huh, never thought there was more to it than just spending time with your family. You have put more thought into this. But would Ted allow that? Would there be a position available near Brisbane," inquired Brett.
Ted was Rad's boss in the current oil refinery, who was a Golden Retriever. Rad wasn't sure if he was going to be given a guarantee about this. He has requested a transfer request before in the past but was denied. "I don't know. I really do have a good reason, but I just hope Ted would allow it. He's pretty strict when it comes to transfers," sighed Rad.
"Didn't Marc used to work closer to Brisbane? Maybe there's a good chance Ted might allow the transfer if that position is vacant," added Brett.
"He did indeed. He did so to be closer to his wife, and child."
"Well there you go, no need to worry," said Brett.
Rad didn't want to get his hopes high, but he wanted to at least be given the opportunity to get that transfer request approved. Though this means he won't be seeing any of his friends in the current oil refinery location as often anymore. He didn't mind as much so long as he was given the opportunity to be closer to his family and possibly adopt Lyon.
The two-headed outside to the platform to start their day. Rad oversaw operating the heavy hauling equipment for today's tasks. He interacted with the drill's buttons to begin the drilling process. He examined the monitor's data to ensure that the process is going smoothly. Just then, Ted came in to check up on Rad. He was wearing a hard helmet and had his clipboard.
"I see things are going smoothly here," said Ted.
"Yes, Ted. It seems the drill is going well. The location seems to be fine so no worries about hitting any shale."
Ted looked down at his clipboard writing down notes. While under close supervision, Rad thought it may be the right time to bring up about the transfer request. He brought his paper with him.
"Ted, there's something I've been meaning to ask," asked Rad.
Ted stopped writing and looked at Rad with a deadpan expression. "And what might that be?"
"I've been wondering if a transfer may be possible. I was thinking of working closer to Brisbane if given the opportunity. The reason is to be closer to my family."
"Do you have a family emergency for that reason," asked Ted raising a brow.
"Well, no. I just wanted to be closer to home, and possibly consider settling down there instead. I have thoughts about starting a family as well."
"Last time I checked, Rad you aren't married. Why do you want to work closer to home if you aren't technically married?"
Ted was tough to convince. Rad was struggling to grab his reason for the transfer to work. "The thing is I have considered adoption. For me to commit to that, it would be best if I did my job closer to home to spend more time with the adopted kid. You are right though, I am not married, but I do want to live there since I do have my brothers and parents living closer to home. It would be appropriate for me to be closer since the kid will have other family members too. I just wanted to let you know about that."
Ted sighed; he knew Rad was one of his best workers in the current facility. Rad did have a good point in regards to working closer to home for Lyon to have him at home often and getting to know the Heeler family better. "Normally I would say no since you are one of my best employees, but it turns out the Brisbane oil refinery is in short-staffed as of late. In that regard, I suppose it is possible to make that change."
Rad smiles at Ted. He was grateful to be given the chance to come back home to adopt Lyon. "Thanks, mate. I really do appreciate your understanding," added Rad.
"All I need is the form. I'll sign it and have it processed. It should take by the end of the month for the request to be approved in the system. Until then, I still need you here for the next few weeks," said Ted.
"Yes, I understand," said Rad. He gave his slip to Ted, and Ted attaches the paper to his clipboard. "I should get this filled out by the end of the day. I have other tasks that need my utmost attention. I will take my leave now," said Ted.
Rad beamed with delight. He didn't think Ted would allow his request. Somehow it worked, thought Rad.
It was now 8 PM in the evening, and the rest of the guys were in the break room making dinner. Rad was making curry in the stove while Brett was chopping the vegetables for the curry. "So, it's true mate, you got the approval from Ted to transfer," asked Brett.
"Yep. I'll be here for the remaining weeks left in the month, and then I'm out of here," explained Rad while stirring the pot.
"I'm impressed you convinced Ted. He's a hard one to persuade. What did you say?"
"Well, all I said was to be closer to the family since I am starting a new family. Not marriage, but adoption. You already know I have decided to adopt Lyon once I come back home."
"Yeah, I remember. So how will you manage? Single parenting isn't easy, mate."
"I'll manage. I know I have my brothers. They have kids so I'm sure they'll help me get into the ropes of this. I just want to be there for Lyon's sake."
"I'll miss having you around though," added Brett.
"Yeah, me too, but you'll visit once I have settled down at home. I just want a change in lifestyle. See how things turn out," claimed Rad. The two adult dogs kept conversing as they finish making dinner. They brought the curry to the dining table where the rest of their companions were sitting.
"Hey, Rad, so it's true you're going away to another facility," called out an Irish Wolfhound.
Rad didn't expect the word to spread so quickly in the oil refinery. "Yes, Percy. Ted told me the facility in Brisbane was short-staffed, so I was able to get a position there now. Wanted a change of pace in life now," said Rad.
"But why? You're one of the best employees here," asked the wolfhound with a confused look.
Rad sighed; he didn't hope to explain to Percy like this. "I am considering adoption. It is a choice that I am sticking with from now on, and since I will be at home often, the oil refinery is close enough for me to be at home every day."
"I don't see any reason why you went with that choice. Seems like a lost cause," snorted Percy. Rad frowned. He didn't expect Percy to say such a rude thing. "What do you mean," he asked raising a brow. "I mean, I don't think you're the fatherly type. You aren't married and you have never been in a relationship before. How on earth do you expect to take care of one kid on your own?"
"I'll have you know I am good with kids. I have nieces, and I have gotten along with them when visiting during Christmas. If I can do that, I don't see why I can't adopt," added Rad with a serious tone of voice.
"I'm just saying that if I were in your place, I'd never consider adoption. Seems like a waste, you'd be better off if you were married instead." This enraged Rad; Percy and Rad didn't have the best relationship. "Percy Jackson, I'm doing this because Marc's kid needs a parent in his life. I'm doing this because I want to provide him a good life. He has gone through so much, and he doesn't have any other family left." Rad crossed his arms. Percy simply scoffed. "Brave words, Rad. Just don't come back crying if it all backfires." Everyone sat in silence to hear the squabble. Rad had enough of Percy's trash talk. He grabs his plate and stands up from the table. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room and eat my dinner for tonight," said Rad.
He walks out of the break room and set his dinner near his nightstand beside the bed. Rad did not like what Percy said to him, but he didn't want to provoke any conflict in there. He frowned while staring at his nearby window. A knock on the door was heard. "Come in," said Rad. Brett entered the room with his dinner as well. Rad's expression softens when he saw his friend come in. "Just wanted to see if you're okay," added Brett.
"Yeah, I'm fine," sighed Rad. "It was just uncool to hear Percy say that. I couldn't help myself but take myself out of that conflict."
"Don't listen to him, mate. He's just being a jerk as always," said Brett. Rad shrugs it off and ate his curry as if nothing happened. "I think you're going to be a good father. Don't listen to what Percy said back there," said Brett. Rad appreciated the bulldog's support. He knew what his heart is telling him to do. He won't let one insult deter him from making an important decision in his life. The two dogs kept chatting as the night went by.
Several weeks passed by, and it was the last day of the month. Rad was preparing his briefcase as he was ready to board a ship and set sail for home. He said his goodbyes to his companions at the oil refinery, and he got onto the ship. He leaned against the ship's rail and saw the ocean's clear blue water. He felt a longing to come back home, but at the same time, he was nervous as well. It wasn't the single parent thing that made him anxious, but mostly if Lyon wanted to be adopted. At first sight, Rad thought about how negative the young dog was when he last spoke to him at the funeral.
It was 7 PM in the evening, and already was the ship finally docked near the harbor. Rad walks toward the harbor with his luggage with him and took out his phone to call an uber driver to pick him up. A black sedan car approached near the red heeler, and he sat inside the car. The driver was a dalmatian; "where are we heading, mate," asked the driver. "To my house. Here's the address," said Rad showing the driver his address on his phone. They both had their phones near each other to process the payment.
They arrived at Rad's place. The house was a two-story light green building with white trim and a black slated roof. The house had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The backyard contained a garage where he kept his black ute but it was also a spacious green lawn beside the garage. Rad thanked his driver, and he took out his keys to open the door. Home Sweet Home, he thought to himself.
Note: This turned out to be a bit of a shorter chapter than usual. Just started my spring semester so I will have to think more about how the story will play out. But I'm excited to write more about Rad and his decision to adopt Lyon. Stay tuned.