“I love cars,” Lincoln stated with a bright smile.
He was more open today than he’d normally been. Even when I visited him at the group home, he was still kind of standoffish. Maybe Royce could help me with him and give himthe footing he needed. He was a good supporter and protector to me. Lincoln would require the same amount as well.
“Word? I’m gon’ let you in on a lil’ secret. I own a racetrack. It’s in my backyard,” Royce whispered.
“Really?” Lincoln shouted pushing his hair out his face. Seeing those bright eyes of his made me smile.
“Really, really. My son, CJ is around yo’ age and loves it out there. He has his own custom Hot Wheel. You think you can manage one of them?” Lincoln nodded wildly at Royce’s question. “Cool, we’ll see what we can do on getting you one then.”
“Royce don’t start spoiling him before he can even sit down. He just walked through the door,” I chimed.
Royce was back upright and ignoring me still. “Ms. Squinks, please follow me to the living room. Heidi, grab lil’ man and y’all tag along.” I squinted my eyes at him with flared nostrils, and he returned with a smirk.
I extended my hand in Lincoln’s direction and surprisingly, he grabbed ahold to it. We followed behind Royce and Ms. Squinks with her taking in every inch of my home as she passed it. This wasn’t the first time she was in awe of my residence. I asked many times if this was too big for Lincoln, and she assured me it wasn’t. People got turned around in places they weren’t familiar with and that sometimes brought on anxiety. I wasn’t trying to make him uncomfortable in the slightest.
We filed into the living room with Lincoln taking a seat between me and Royce. He was so tiny in both weight and height. I feared he’d be a short king later in life. I did notice that he kept his Woody doll tucked under him. I was glad I asked what he’d like instead of assuming.
“Alright, let’s get this over with. Heidi, in this folder is all of his personal information. Birth certificate, social security number, medical records, and family history. Also, there’s aname change request form inside. I know a lot of parents like to change the last names of the children to theirs, so I went ahead and got the form for you. I’ve had a tour several times and now that I know you have a support system, I don’t have to inquire about that. Is there anything you need from me? Do you have any questions?” Ms. Squinks ran things down within seconds covering every base.
The last time she was here conducting her final inspection; she praised my home and how warm it felt. I was hoping Lincoln got that same feeling. Being that permanent figure in his life and loving him unconditionally was my only focus at the moment. I didn’t have a clue as to how this motherhood worked so I was hoping he’d cut me some slack if I started out slow and uncertain about things.
Accepting the envelope, I answered with, “No, Ms. Squinks. I think we’ve covered everything over the last few conversations. We can give Lincoln a tour and then go from there.”
“Sounds like a plan. Lincoln, sweetheart, this is where you’ll be living. Heidi is going to take care of you from now on. No more sharing a room with others. You’ll have one all to yourself. Are you ready to see it?” Ms. Squinks asked still wearing the smile she stepped in with.
He nodded and we all stood. I reached for his hand once more, and he intertwined it with mine. I liked that he was slowly but surely beginning to warm up to me. This was new for us both and I didn’t want to rush things in any shape or form. His bedroom was the former guest room on the right hall. I didn’t want him too far away from me. If he had a bad dream or needed some cuddle time, I would be a bedroom away.
We took the stairwell up to the second floor and headed down the right hall. The first door on the left was his with mine being the one on the right directly across from his. Thebathrooms were also interconnecting so he could get to me that way as well.
Opening the door to his bedroom, the first thing you saw was a life size Woody standing next to Buzz Lightyear. Lincoln let go of my hand and took off toward them. A smile stretched from ear to ear, as joy surrounded him. He threw his arms around Woody while he screamed his name.
“Woody. Woody. Thank you, Heidi!”
He’d learned my name over the visits, and I was more than happy hearing him shout it to me. Stepping inside, I walked over to him and squatted to his height.
“Did I do good baby boy?” I asked wearing a small smile of my own. Wildly shaking his head, he agreed. “Look over there. There’s more.”
He looked in the direction I pointed, and his hair was pushed back out his face once again. I made a mental note to braid it whenever he settled down. He was far too handsome to hide himself the way he did. He deserved to be self-confident just like anyone else.
“You’ve done a wonderful job Heidi. I believe he’s going to love it here. Lincoln, sweetie this is all yours. Heidi made sure she got you what you liked. I hope you two can grow with each other and be that family you talked about,” Ms. Squinks voiced.
“I will. Royce, you see Woody?” he shouted pointing to the figurines on the shelf.
You can remember his name on the first try, huh?Royce really makes one hell of an impression on people.
“I see him lil’ man. Is that who you want on your Hot Wheels? I can make it happen, you know.” Royce was going to be the reason the boy ended up rotten.
“Okay you two. Let’s slow down. Lincoln, let me show you the rest of the house, alright?” He offered a small nod and walked back over to me grabbing a Woody figurine off thetable he passed. I guided him to the bathroom area that’d we’d temporarily be sharing until he got comfortable with the house. “This is our bathroom and through this door is my bedroom. I wanted you to know you could always come to me if you’re scared or just want my company.”
Nodding for the umpteenth time, he acknowledged that he understood. We finished the second-floor tour with me showing him the other guest’s rooms up here. We headed back down, and I showed the theatre room, game room, family den, kitchen, and washroom. The backyard had a pool and trampoline I recommended that he not go near without me. The kids tended to be at my house more than anyone else’s.
By the time we covered all our bases and every room, we were back at the front door bidding Ms. Squinks goodbye. “Thank you for bringing him Ms. Squinks. I really hope I can make this little boy happy and vice versa,” I spoke softly.
I was still nervous as hell and quite unsure on what to do next. I’d only been a mother for a few minutes. I didn’t have a clue on where to start. Klarity and Cheyonne would be a humungous help right about now. That was one lane them heffas dominated without a doubt. I guess it was time to sit down and hold a girl’s night.
“I believe you and him will bond nicely. If there is anything you need or unsure of, just call down to the office. I’ll gladly help in any way I can.”
“Thank you, Ms. Squinks. We appreciate you coming and getting him settled in,” Royce commented. I looked up at him, and he winked wearing that smile that put others under a spell.
