The Cockney Canuck - 95. Chapter 95 The Adoption

The judge was a small chubby man, with half-round glasses, red cheeks, and a white neatly trimmed beard. Come December he probably would have made a decent Santa Claus but today his job was to preside over the finalization hearing of my long-running adoption. When it was over, he would sign the order and I would officially become Don and Sue’s fourth child and a brother to Nicola, Daniel, and Amy.

He didn’t look much like a judge and he wasn’t wearing one of those ridiculous curly wigs, which was a bit of a disappointment, but he was quite jovial and made light work of a hearing which I was expecting to be long and torturous.

We sat facing the bench in a brightly lit, very clean, courtroom, with dark blue carpet and light maple furniture. I was next to Sue, with Tom to my left and Don at the opposite end with his attorney, a man who I had only just met but who seemed to know everything about me.

After being sworn in it was the attorney who kicked off the proceedings by asking Don to speak his full name.

“Donald Herbert Taylor?” he said loudly.

I was totally unprepared for that middle name and let out an involuntary giggle which triggered an embarrassing silence as everyone turned to stare at me. I covered my mouth and coughed but as I tried to compose myself, from the corner of my eye, I could see Tom’s shoulders moving gently up and down.

it was a mistake for me to look at him and it set the tone for what was to follow. He was red-faced and trying hard not to laugh, which only made it worse and brought on an attack of the giggles which proved difficult to control.

There was worse to come.

“Susanne Ethel Taylor,” said Sue when asked the same question. I bit down hard on my lip in a vain attempt to stifle a laugh that simply had to escape at some stage. I could see Tom doing the same and fighting a losing battle with a tear running down his face.

“Behave you two,” whispered Sue and she slapped me on the thigh as I stared at the carpet but it was beginning to hurt my insides and a random wheeze escaped my lips like a hiccup. It halted the proceedings yet again, bringing further disparaging looks from the couple sitting to my right who were now only minutes away from being granted full control over my life.

‘Someone should have warned me about those names’.

I was able to gain control and wiped my eyes as Don was asked to read out our address and give his occupation.

The attorney stared hard at me before continuing as I exchanged playful kicks with my friend under the table.

“And can you tell the court the full name of the child whom you wish to adopt.”

“Robert James Fullerton,” said Don and even that was funny, although I didn’t know why.

“Can you tell the court the reason why you wish to adopt this child?” said the attorney.

I was certain that Don would make good use of an opportunity to show himself as a caring family man, stepping up to the plate to fulfil his dying sister’s last wishes and he didn’t disappoint. He explained very briefly about my mother’s illness, my move to Canada and my better than expected grades in my first year at high school, but neglected to mention my accident or the fact that I had run away. It was no more than I expected. Don always played to win.

“Very good,” replied the judge before turning to me. “I understand that you attend William Stephenson, my granddaughter goes there. Do you like it?”

“It’s okay, I guess.”

He smiled broadly. “It’s a bit of an unfair question. It’s school, isn’t it? You’re not supposed to like it.” He laughed as he looked through his notes. “Let me see, you're fifteen-years-old….”

“I’m sixteen tomorrow,” I said. “It’s my birthday.” I’m not sure why I felt the need to tell him that but Sue wasn’t pleased and whispered to me not to interrupt. The judge looked down at his paperwork and smiled.

“So it is,” he said humouring me. “Happy birthday for tomorrow.” I grinned as Tom nudged me under the table.

“Plonker!”

“And how are you settling into your new home, young man?”

“I like it…your honour.”

“Good,” he said before speaking to the attorney. “They are the legal guardians?”

“Yes, your honour. You have the paperwork from the UK. Robert has been residing with his aunt and uncle for the past eight months,” added the over officious attorney who seemed to be enjoying the sound of his own voice. “They have provided him with a loving and stable home, the same as they have done for their natural children and will continue to do so until he reaches eighteen or over.”

Don must have been relieved that he didn’t have to say those words himself under oath although I was certain that he still believed that he had been acting in my best interests during our conflicts. I pushed those thoughts from my mind; not wanting to ruin my big day by dwelling on an unhappy period of my life.

I preferred to think about Tom and I was still finding it difficult to believe that he was there with me, it was surreal. Up until the day before I wouldn’t have even dreamt that it was possible, yet he was sitting next to me in a courthouse in Cobourg, nudging and kicking me under the table, whenever he thought something was funny. We had been there before; it was like being back at school.

Earlier, when I realised that he was coming to the court with us, I nearly wet myself with excitement. It meant a lot to me and no one could have known that more than him.

He was with me when they took my mom to the hospital and again after she died. He stood next to me at her funeral and was there when I met Don and Sue. It was only right that he should be there at the end, and that was exactly how I viewed this ceremony.

The finalisation of the adoption represented the end of a tumultuous and challenging period of my life, which had started with my mom’s passing and would end with the realisation of her dying wishes.

The next day, I would be sixteen. I was still no more than a child but in my eyes, I would be a man. It all seemed to be falling into place and lately even Don had been on his best behaviour. I had every reason to feel optimistic about the future and Tom’s presence sealed the deal. I couldn’t have wished for a better way to start my adult life.

The judge seemed pleased with everything he had heard and looked over his glasses at Don and Sue.

“This being a kinship or family adoption, as you would expect, it’s quite straightforward. You understand your legal rights and obligations and you are aware that this is a permanent and lifelong commitment that you are making?”

“Yes, your honour.”

“Young man, would you prefer me to call you Robert or Rob?”

“Robbie…your honour.”

He had a little chuckle. “Okay, Robbie. You are aware of your responsibilities and obligations towards your new parents and siblings?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Good and you wish to proceed?”

This was it. I realised that this was the moment. The last opportunity that I would have to say no. My final chance to back out.

I glanced around the courtroom nervously as the judge repeated his question. “Do you wish to proceed?”

Everything now hung on this one answer. I had the power to turn the whole process on its head and cause untold problems and disruptions for Don and Sue, which they would likely never forgive me. The repercussions would have been unthinkable and I would never have lived it down or been able to explain why I did it but the temptation to throw it all in their faces was immense.

After a few more seconds Sue nudged me but I held firm. Then I heard Tom whispering but I ignored him also. The Judge was beginning to look concerned and I heard the attorney asking what was wrong before Don finally leaned across to me.

“Robbie, will you answer the question?”

I looked at his worried face, smiled and turned to the judge.

“Yes,” I said. “I want to go ahead…your honour.”

Sue let out a long breath and there were a few very noticeable sighs of relief from the people around me.

“You bastard,” whispered Tom and he may have been right. I was sure to be reprimanded about it when we got outside but it was worth it and it was enough to put a mischievous smile on my face.

The judge looked a little relieved too as he squinted at me and then chuckled. “That would have been a rare occurrence. Does anyone else have any objections or reasons why this should not go ahead?” he said, then he looked me in the eye and added with a devilish grin. “Before I pass sentence.”

I didn’t realise that he was allowed to crack jokes but he gave me a little smile as he wrapped up the proceedings. “I’ve never known anyone to object, but I have to ask,” he said.

I was expecting him to bang the desk with a wooden hammer or something but instead, he just signed the decree and stood up to end the hearing.

It was painless in the end with just a few very predictable questions from a very relaxed judge. Now I was Robbie Taylor, it would take a bit of getting used to, but I liked that name and certainly preferred it over Fullerton. That was my dad’s name and I never liked it for that reason. It was the only thing he ever gave me and now he could have it back. Good riddance.

“Is that it?” I asked Sue.

“Almost.” Then she narrowed her eyes at me.

“What?”

“It wasn’t funny Robbie,” she said.

“What did I do?”

“You know what you did,” she said and then turned her back on me. I shrugged my shoulders at Tom and pointed a finger at my head.

“Not a good time to find out that she’s bat crazy is it?” he said and I rolled up laughing.

With the official business now out of the way, the atmosphere became a lot less formal and the judge left his desk to talk with us. It was no surprise to discover that he was on first name terms with my new parents and I wondered if he was one of the ‘Cobourg mafia’ Sue often talked about.

He looked a lot less foreboding when he stood in front of me and shook my hand.

“You’re Elizabeth’s son?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry to hear that she passed away. She was a good woman,” he said.

“Yes, she was.” There was a brief and respectful silence and I felt a hand rest on my shoulder with a comforting squeeze. For a second I was fooled into thinking it was Sue but I should’ve known better.

‘Tom’.

“Did the judge know your mom?” he asked afterwards. It was a surprise to me too and made a mockery of the questions earlier. He probably already knew everything about me.

“It’s just for legal reasons,” explained Sue.

“Have you had any contact with your dad’s family?” asked Tom.

“No, and I never will. Sue has photographs of him but if it was up to me, I’d chuck them out.”

“I guess Don is your dad now,” said Tom.

“I don’t have a dad.”

“You do now, that’s what all this was about, in case you weren’t listening.” He laughed but I was adamant that no matter what the law said, Don would never fill that position.

“It was more than just Don and Sue,” I said. “There was a lot more than that at stake.”

“But it’s cool that you got a brother and sisters now though, right?” He gave me a quick hug. “I know you always wanted that.” I nodded and smiled at him. “And they’re alright too, I like Nicola.”

“Tom, you don’t fancy my sister do you?”

“No,” he said. “Of course not, I was just saying that she’s nice that’s all…what’s wrong with you?” I was laughing at him and backing off.

“I’m gonna tell her.”

“Don’t you dare,” he said.

“Calm down please,” said Sue and Tom whispered to me.

“Mommy has spoken,” he teased but I was prevented from retaliating by the judge who came over to shake my hand and wish me well before he left.

There was one more thing to do, which I wasn’t aware of until the court official told me to stand by the wall.

“What for?”

“They’re gonna shoot you,” said Tom laughing and he was almost right. Don had come prepared with a camera and I was forced to pose for photographs with my new parents, then on my own and then with Tom.

“That’s it,” said the attorney as he shook my hand. “It’s all over now.”

After months of deliberating and a seemingly endless trail of red tape, it was a bit of an anti-climax in the end. I had been expecting much more and I felt almost cheated.

“It was hardly worth getting dressed up for,” I said to Sue as we waited for Don.

“I think that you both look very smart,” she said. “You hardly ever dress up, Robbie.” Nathan could have told her otherwise but I knew what she meant. I just wasn’t comfortable in a shirt and tie; it reminded me of my English school days when we had to wear them every day. Only a few kids ever looked good in school uniform Tom being one of them. He always looked sexy in a shirt and tie, and when I watched him chatting to Sue things hadn’t changed much. He still looked as hot as ever.

“Who are you looking at Taylor?” he said poking me and then grabbing my wrist as I tried to poke him back.

“If you want to fight each other then go outside please,” said Sue.

“Don’t say that,” I protested. “You're supposed to be protecting me not allowing him to hit me. A fine mother you are, we haven’t even left the courthouse and you're already neglecting me.”

“Oh, you're such a baby,” said Tom. “I can sort him out for you.”

“Thank you, Tom, I’ll leave it to your discretion,” said Sue.

Despite my best attempt to appear aggrieved, I wasn’t overly upset at the prospect of Tom sorting me out, as he put it. He had sorted me out pretty good in the past, but I was sure that wasn’t what he was intending to do this time and once outside, we fell about laughing like little kids.

Tom and I would rarely fight or argue in England but there was never any doubt who was in charge. It wasn’t something that we ever talked about and I hadn’t even given it much thought. It was just the way things were and an eight-month separation had done little to change the pecking order.

I was comfortable with him leading the way and enjoyed having him look after me, even before we started fooling around. He had a strange way of almost mothering me and it was one of the things that I missed most about him. The only person in Canada who had come close to emulating that was Alex.

“Herbert and Ethel, no way. Someone should have warned me about those names.” We sat on a small concrete wall that bordered the perfectly kept grass at the front of the courthouse.

“You shouldn’t be laughing at them,” he said. “They’re your parents now, your mom and dad.”

“I suppose.”

Tom looked at me and pushed me sideways. “I’m only pulling your plonker…they’re nice people.”

It made me laugh; it was another expression that I hadn’t heard in a long time although it was perfectly natural for Tom.

“I’ve had problems with Don,” I said. “Big problems.”

“I thought so…he doesn’t like Nathan, does he?”

“Who told you?”

“No one, but I could tell.”

I was surprised by Tom’s intuition, but he had always been good at reading people. He had been able to read me from cover to cover without any difficulty whatsoever.

“I’ll tell you all about it another time before you go back. It was odd how those words were already starting to trigger emotions in me. He hadn’t even been there a full day yet and I was already starting to dread him having to leave.

“He didn’t hurt you or anything though did he?”

“Only mentally…but I’m okay. Nathan’s been really good, he was there for me when I needed him.”

“So where’s the beach from here?” he said changing the subject.

“It’s just down that road. Cobourg’s only a tiny place; it’s pretty easy to find your way around. We can go there later if you want, but I wanna go home and change first.”

“Maybe tomorrow; I wanna rest today.” He squinted at me in the sun and patted my thigh. “Are you okay with that, gay boy?”

“Are you okay being in the company of a…gay boy?”

“Are you like, ‘out’ then? I mean…out to everybody?”

“I should think so by now, everyone in school will know.”

“And you're okay with that?”

“I don’t have a choice anymore but I didn’t want to have to keep pretending all the time. I wanted to be more like Nathan, everyone’s fine with him, he’s really confident and super talented.”

“Come on, here they are, let’s go,” he said before reaching over to mess up my hair. “Do you get to watch any of the footie over here?”

“Sometimes…but not a lot. I watch baseball with Daniel and Alex and I play it at school.”

“Poofs sport,” he said laughing but I knew he was joking. “Who’s Alex?”

‘How do I explain Alex’?

“He’s a friend but he’s in the hospital at the moment and going through a bad time. He’s one of the cool kids at school.”

“Oh yeah, how come’s he’s your friend then?” he said and I couldn’t answer that.

It was slowly dawning on me just how much I had missed Tom in my life. As a friend, I had not been able to replace him and I doubted if I ever would.

He had woken me up at six that morning, dragging me out of bed to explore the neighbourhood. He was running on English time, topped up with adrenaline and fuelled by the excitement of visiting a new place and a familiar face. It hadn’t taken us long to re-kindle a friendship that had been neglected over recent months and it soon felt like we had never been apart.

*  *  *

I wanted to go straight home but Don had other ideas, which delayed us. The Friday afternoon before the start of the Labour Day weekend was probably the worst time to be buying beer.

“So how does it feel to be Mr Taylor?” said Don. As I helped him load two cases of Blue in the back of the car. I took my time but I already had an answer. They may have been expecting me to make a joke of it but there were things that I needed to say and where better to do it than the parking lot outside the Beer Store.

“I feel relieved that it’s over,” I said. “It’s what my mom wanted, and now that it’s happened, she can rest. I feel like after all this time I can finally say goodbye and start living the rest of my life. I can let her go now.”

“Wow, did you just make all that up or was you reading from a prompt.”

“Shut up Tom, you're ruining my big moment here.”

“That was very profound,” said Don patting me on the back.

“I know that your mom would have been proud of you,” said Sue.

I knew it too, although there were things that I had done that she definitely wouldn’t have liked. I thought that I had probably done enough for her to be proud. I honestly didn’t think that being gay would have been a problem for her and she certainly would have handled it a lot better than Don. If only I had had the courage to tell her when I was younger.

It was just after two o’clock when Don reversed the car into the garage. It had taken us nearly an hour to get home, less than two miles. I could have walked it in half the time but walking, as I explained to Tom, wasn’t very Canadian.

It had turned warm and I was desperate to get out of my stuffy clothes and into something cooler. As I crawled out of the car, walked up behind Tom and wrapped my arms playfully around his neck, resting against his back.

“Thanks for going with me today Tom,” I said as he almost carried me wearily into the house.

“That’s what I came for, of course, I was gonna be there.”

I was expecting to see Daniel, Nicola and Amy, they told us that they would be there when we got back but the house looked empty.

‘They must have popped out someplace’?

I wasn’t too upset; I was feeling drained and looking forward to chilling with Tom on our own for a while.

“I’m not carrying you downstairs,” he said as he removed my arms from his neck. It was a shame; I was getting comfortable. Tom’s neck was an inviting and familiar place to be and I was studying it dreamily as I followed him downstairs.

“Why is it so dark down here…?”

“ROBBIE!’

“ARRGHH…AMY!”

I was startled but my new sister who appeared out of nowhere at the bottom of the stairs to scare the life out of me but there was more to come. As I spun around the lights went on and there was a big cheer.

I wasn’t expecting to find anyone in the basement so it was a shock to see the family room explode into life. I had never seen so many people in the house at the same time and I took a few seconds for me to understand why they were there and even then I still didn’t believe it.

Daniel was the first person that I talked to and I guess that was how it should have been. He was sporting a huge grin and dragged me into the centre of the room where I spent the next few minutes saying hello and acknowledging everyone. There were about twenty kids in all maybe more. Most of them either friends from school or friends of Nicola and Daniel.

I saw Rory, David and Andrew from my homeroom, my ex-girlfriend Fran and her friend Stephanie. Daniel’s friends Doug, Billy and another guy. Nicola’s boyfriend Jimmy was there with two of his friends and so was Naomi, who looked as if she had a boyfriend with her. I did a double take when I saw Ginny and her brother. If she was here, then it seemed likely that Nathan was too but I hadn’t seen him. He had told me the day before that he had to go somewhere with his dad but that was obviously a ruse and as I talked to Rory my eyes were suddenly covered by two hands from someone standing behind me.

Those slim fingers were familiar as was the warm sexy breath against my neck but it was the multi-coloured nail varnish that gave him away. Caught up in the moment; I reached behind my back to score a direct hit with a firm grip around his knackers, making him yelp like a dog.

They were familiar but it was still a relief to here Nathan’s sexy voice in my ear.

“Your hands are cold.”

“I’m trying to warm them up,” I said. “Whose idea was this; I can’t believe all these people are here?”

“You have your brother and sister to thank for this, well we all knew about it.”

If there was anyone there that day who still had doubts about my sexuality, or was unsure who my boyfriend was, then Nathan well and truly put the record straight with a sensual kiss on the lips to a chorus of whistles, a few cheers and one or two spicy comments. We pulled apart just as Sue came downstairs, leaving me flushed and light-headed.

“You look hot,” said Daniel, you’d better come with us. He was tugging at my sleeve and pulling me towards the garden.

“What is it?”

“It’s your initiation ceremony,” he said and I was grabbed by several pairs of hands and hoisted into the air.

I turned to Tom for help but he was working with them, holding my leg and putting his hand in my pocket to retrieve my phone. When someone took off my shoes, I realised where I was heading and made a last-ditch effort to avoid the pool, grabbing the handrail at the bottom of the stairs and nearly breaking free.

Someone called for back-up and my little resurgence was ended when Jimmy and his football playing friend joined in squashing my resistance.

I heard Sue shouting at them to go easy as my tormentors began swinging me back and forth.

“ONE!”

The sky was moving very quickly and I was disorientated.

“TWO!”

My stomach was in my mouth as I closed my eyes.

THREE!”

I was airborne.

“OH FUCK!”

It was probably less than a couple of seconds before I felt the familiar crash and the sound of water gushing around me as I plunged into the pool and then silence followed by the muffled sounds of laughter as I neared the surface. It may have been warm but the water was cold as I splashed around in the middle of the pool wiping my face and gasping for breath. Other than my shoes I was still fully clothed.

Swimming in clothes was something that I had to do as part of my lifesavers course and this was the first opportunity that I had to prove how adept I was at removing them while in the water. It was also totally unnecessary but spurred on by a small and enthusiastic group of friends I was able to dispense of my tie, shirt, trousers, and socks without any problems, before Sue came to my rescue, justifying her new position in my life with a timely intervention.

“KEEP THEM ON PLEASE!” she yelled from the balcony much to my relief but to the dismay and groans of a few interested onlookers, most of whom I noted were straight boys. I had no intention of going all the way but Sue provided a get out clause that few would argue against. Now all I had to do was make the short trip to the bedroom in a soaking wet pair of briefs.

“It’s part of the initiation ceremony,” said Nicola. She was standing at the top of the ladder and blocking my way out of the pool. “Didn’t they tell you about it? You have to take those off too.”

“Fuck off,” I said. They were the first words that I would speak to her as her brother but she stood firm and I was getting cold. Unable to use the ladder, I swam further along the side of the pool to where Daniel was standing and reached out my hand for him to pull me out of the water. He almost did it too but chose wisely to back off at the last second fearing that I was going to pull him in and that was exactly what I was planning to do. With no one willing to help me, I had to swing my leg up onto the decking and pull myself unceremoniously out of the water where I sat on the side shivering and trying to keep calm.

Sue was not amused and I heard her screaming at Daniel to fetch me a towel, no doubt to save my blushes. Then realising that she may have upset me Nicola came over to help me stand up but as she grabbed my arm I lost my temper.

“PISS OFF,” I said and pushed her out of the way before storming back to the house through a now silent crowd that parted in front of me.

When I reached the bedroom, Tom, unaware of my sudden mood change, had just finished getting changed into regulation shorts and t-shirt.

“That was funny,” he said. “Did you just walk from the pool in your pants?”

“Funny for you maybe,” I huffed and then slammed the door shut behind me.

“What’s up, are you pissed off?”

“Yes, I’m fucking pissed off!”

“Because we threw you in the pool. Robbie mate; you're a good swimmer, you love pools. I took your phone and your shoes.”

“I’m just cold,” I said as I reached for a towel and began drying myself. “It was Nicola who pissed me off because she wouldn’t let me out of the fucking pool.”

“Looks like you just had your first fight with your sister.”

“No, I’ve had plenty of fights with her.”

“As a cousin maybe, but it’s much worse when she’s your sister.” I stared at his silly face and smiled.

There was a light knock on the door and I heard Sue’s voice asking if I was okay. I shook my head at Tom to signal that I didn’t want to talk to her.

“He’s just getting changed,” he said. “He’ll be coming out in a minute…in drag!”

I laughed. “You knew about this didn’t you?”

“Yeah, they told me that there was gonna be a few people here when we got back. I thought you would have guessed that something was going on when your dad or whatever you wanna call him bought all those beers?”

He was right, of course, Don wouldn’t usually go through forty-eight beers on his own in a year, let alone a weekend.

“I didn’t even notice; I was too busy thinking….”

‘About you, Tom’.

“I’m sure they didn’t mean to upset you by throwing a party for you. They wanted to surprise you. They only came here to see you. I never realised that you had so many friends. You were never this popular in England.”

“Thanks,” I said giggling at him. “But they’re not all my friends, some of them are Nicola’s and Daniel’s.”

“But they came to your party, that’s cool mate. I wish I someone would throw a party like this for me.”

I laughed. “I suppose I was a bit stroppy.” I was feeling a lot better now that I was dry except for my underpants which needed to come off.

Tom was obviously no stranger to my body and a few years ago it wouldn’t have been a problem but what happened in England had changed things and he obviously wasn’t comfortable either.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll let you get changed,” he said, but as he started to pick up his clothes, I just shrugged and dropped my briefs to the floor.

“It doesn’t matter Tom. You can make yourself useful by guarding the door. There’s no lock on it and people have a habit of just walking in. They don’t always realise that it’s a bedroom because it’s in the basement.”

“It’s pretty cool though,” he said as he took up position by the door. “It’s a lot bigger than mine…the room I mean,” he said laughing.

I threw my discarded briefs at him. “I know what you mean.”

“I don’t think your boyfriend would be too impressed though if he caught you naked in here with me."

“You wouldn’t tell him though would you?” I said.

“There’s nothing to tell…but.” I could see him looking at me and I felt myself getting hard. He would have noticed it too. It wasn’t good. “I should go,” he said and he turned away as I pulled on a pair of briefs, then he left.

I sat at my desk with my head in my hands. “Fuck, what was I thinking?”

I had tried to make it look as if I wasn’t bothered but I enjoyed getting naked in front of him again, even though I knew that it was wrong and dangerous.

Tom did the right thing by defusing a difficult situation but it bugged me that I was still attracted to him and I wondered if it was natural to think that way of an ex-partner.

‘Maybe it was still too soon to see each other again, maybe I needed more time to get him outta my system’?

I was still sitting there five minutes later when there was another, this time much louder knock on the door.

“Okay, I’ll be out in a minute,” I said but the door opened anyway.

“You're coming out now, asshole!”

“Alex!”