Adam Blake - 128. Chapter 128

We waited until it was close to supper when the chefs made turkey sandwiches followed by pie and ice cream. For supper, this was more than enough. I laughed as the boys flopped down where ever they could find space. “Dad, we’re going to go to bed.”

I walked to the chalets with them. Hans had a big fire in the fire pit when they saw that, they sat around it and began to sing some songs. Marie and I sat there and listened. With so many boys from different countries, we were privilege to hear many songs, most of we didn’t understand the lyrics, but the music seemed familiar.

Slowly the heads began to drop and then snap back up, I went and told them Marie and I would tuck them in if they wanted to go to sleep. I’m not sure who they preferred Marie or me, but they all headed to their chalet. We followed after a few minutes and then went and tucked them in. I gave them a head tussle, Marie kissed them. Evan said he missed the first one. Can he have another? She laughed and kissed him on his forehead. He looked at me and smiled. I mouthed the word ‘rascal’ at him, he smiled.

“You know I want children but not this many.”

“These boys are very special to me. I have come to love them as if they were my own. I know when they leave, I’ll always have a piece of them in my heart.”

“And they will have a piece of you in their heart. Do you ever wonder what the world would look like when they assume their positions in their society?”

“No, not until now. I do know they will have a good education and know the value of friendship. I hope that plays into their life positions. I know what Gerry is like, and I know how he’ll rule his country with love and friendship.”

“You’ll always be in his life.”

“Yes, I’m sure, and I know four other boys I’ll always be in their life as well.”

“What four other boys?”

“The ones that called you mother. I’m going, or we are going to adopt them. They have no parents, and I’m fighting to get guardianship, first stage, them when that happens we’ll adopt them.”

“Do I get a say in this?”

“You’re their mother. So what do you say?”

“Does this mean we won’t have our own children?”

“No, I want at least three boys and three girls.”

“Okay, here’s the deal. I’ll agree to the adoption if you agree to one boy and one girl.”

“Okay, it’s a deal.” I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug that ended with a kiss. “Want to start now?” She just laughed.

Holiday over, we headed back to school. There was a letter from Billy. He was accepted as a runner from Liechtenstein in the Summer Olympics, which would be in Canada next summer. He wants to train at the college.

I called Bill, and we discussed Billy taking his sophomore year at Kings College. Bill didn’t see that as a problem, but he couldn’t afford the tuition. Billy had a running scholarship at his current university.

“Bill, I’ll cover the costs. Ask him to ask for a leave of absence starting with the semester after Christmas break. If he has a problem, let me know.”

“You know you are not welcomed at that college.

“That’s okay. I have an army here who would defend my honor as well as your sons.” We laughed at that, but he knew I was right.

I must have said this a thousand times. If I had a brother, I’d want him to be just like Bill.

As we drove into the parking lot at the Academy, there was a welcoming party. Not what I’d hope to see. It seems that the old trustees were up to their old tricks. As the boys got off the buses, they noticed the crowd waiting for us. I heard, there’s my father and mother, why are they here?

As I approached the crowd, I saw the Ambassador. “Ladies and Gentlemen, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Gerry was at my side in a second.

“I’m Lawrence’s father, and I have been chosen as spoke person for this group.”

“Okay, shall we go to the reading room? It’s a little chilly out here.”

As the group moved inside, “Ambassador, what’s this all about?”

“Your ex-trustees have been stirring up a lot of trouble.”

“Please inform my ex-trustees that I’ll institute a lawsuit for defamation of character here in the US, which will include their participation in the abjection of their responsibilities in the Academy and if I prove my case, which with my cadre of lawyers, will be a sure thing. They’ll be barred from entering the US as they will become felons unless they pay the amount of money I’ll be awarded. Not to mention the notoriety of the case will affect them further in their own country And believe me, it will be large.”

“Would you do that?”

“I’ll spend every dime I have on protecting these two institutions.”

“You are serious. Let me talk to them before you meet with them.”

“Okay, I’ll be in my office, steaming.”

“Dad, are you okay?”

“Yes, Johnny, I’m fine.”

“Father, here’s your coffee. The Knights want to show our support.”

I smiled. If Arthur had these knights, he’d never lose a war. And now I won’t lose a battle as well.

I had my coffee as I started to open my mail. I looked up, there were my five boys, and one had tears in his eyes. I stopped and pulled him over and sat him on my lap.”

“Why the tears?”

“They’re going to make you go away.”

“No, they can’t make me go away. Gerry can tell you why but it’s a secret. You and you three boys will always be my sons. You’ll be with me for a long, long time. You’ll see, now let’s see a smile.”

I looked up, and the Ambassador was standing in my doorway. “I think they are ready for you.”

“Good, and we have some unfinished business.”

“That has been resolved.”

“I walked into the reading room. The man who was the designated speaker looked at me. “Is that a Rusello?”

“Yes, but that isn’t why you’re here. Let’s get on with the reason you’re here, and then you can go.”

“We don’t like the way you run this school. There is no oversight.”

“I think my Board of Directors provides all of the oversight I need. But that isn’t your compliant, so cut to the chase and tell me why you’re all here or leave.”

“You got rid of the Trustees.”

“Who said that? Step forward.”

“Why hello, I told you when you were dismissed that if you caused any trouble, I would fight back. Do you want to tell these people about the money you took from the school and the support you gave a crooked administration because of the money they paid you? Money meant for their children’s education. Because if you don’t, I’ll tell them.” James handed me a document.

“I didn’t take any money from the school.”

“According to the school’s bank records, a check was sent to you each September for 35,000 dollars. I have a copy of the check with your endorsement on the check. Now I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to file court papers accusing you of embezzlement and requiring you to pay back all of the money supported by these checks. But since you aren’t the only one, I’m going after all of the Trustees.”

“You can’t do that. It wasn’t our agreement when we resigned.”

“Neither was this. You broke our agreement, and now I’m free to do what I have always wanted to do, get the school’s money back. Are there any other complaints or comments? No, then there’s coffee in the Dining Hall, have a nice trip home.”

“Dr. Blake, I apologize for this meeting. We should have listened to our sons.”

“I accept your apology, and your sons are bright students as well as Knights of the Square Table. Have them show you their oath. It may open your eyes.”

“Dr. Blake, I represent Chambers and Sons, we are a very prestigious law firm in England, and I offer our services.”

“What is your name?”

“I am Charles Chambers. My father is a partner.”

“Okay, Mr. Chambers, my assistant James will make available to you all of the documents we have on those discussions as well as copies of the canceled checks. If you need anything else, ask James. He knows this office better than I do.”

As the people left, the man who asked about the mural came up to me, “I never got my answer.”

“Yes, this is a Rusello. He’s head of our art department.”

“You know who he is?”

“Yes, I know of his reputation. Do you have a son here?”

“Not yet. He isn’t quite old enough; he’s only 6.”

“I’ll reserve a space for him. Please give James your name, and we’ll look for his application when the time comes.”

“Adam, do you have a file on potential applicants for when they become of age?”

“Yes, actually, we have two files, those that we have already vetted, and they’ll be given priority, and then we have the hopeful file. That file would be interesting to you. We have applications based on ‘when we have children.' Get James to show you.”

“That’s incredible.”

“But thanks for reminding me. I need to tell our seniors and juniors to have their parents file for acceptance at Kings College. The Academy students get preferential treatment, but they need to apply. That will give us an idea of what to expect and how many we can accept from the outside. Did you know that our junior class is made up of boys who finished the Academy several years ago?”

“No, I didn’t. So they switched colleges.”

“Yes, that must tell you something.”

“Do any of them have siblings in the Academy now?”

“I think there are 3 or 4. I don’t recall exactly.”

“Before you go after the trustees, let me have a word with them off-site.”

“Okay, but I’ll continue to let the lawyers build the case, but before we go to court, I’ll let you know. Now there’s some unfinished business you have for me.”

“I was hoping you might have forgotten that.”

“No way, the boys are concerned. I had to tell them this past weekend I’d never forget them, and they would always have a special place in my heart.”

“I’ve releases for the four from the guardians. They felt it wasn’t something they wanted to do but felt an obligation. The fifth, I couldn’t get a release because he’s already your son.”

“If you were Marie, I’d kiss you. Thanks, Ambassador, you have made four boys very happy. Be here when I tell them. James, please bring the boys who call me Father to my office.”

“I think with all we have been through, please call me by my name.”

“Which is?

“Richard, I named my son after me.”

“If he’s anything like his father, he’ll be a great man.”

“Doc, here are the boys.”

“Come in, Knights. I have news for you. This man I know you have seen around here before has brought us some great news. As of today, I’m your new guardian.”

“I was swamped with four boys. I felt a hand slipping over my shoulder, landing on my heart, then in my ear, “Definitely a hot heart.”

“I think this calls for a celebration.” We headed to the Ye Olde Dining Hall.

The Knights were sitting at our table. They were sitting on their parent’s lap. When I entered, they all stood, then rah, rah, rah. I laughed and looked at Richard. He was laughing as well.

The parents came over to apologize; I said it wasn’t necessary, and I was glad to clear up any misrepresentations they had. My Rusello patron asked if he could paint a mural for him in his home. I told him it was possible during the summer break, but it would cost a lot of money, and it would include his protege.

When the parents left, Richard and I sat with the boys. “Knights, we have another reason to celebrate. I know you know that five boys do not have parents but have a guardian looking out for them. As of today, I’m going to reveal the name of the new guardian.”

Before I could say anything, Pierre stood and said, "It’s Father.”

The Knights pounded the table and shouted rah, rah, rah. Richard just looked and laughed.

Walking back to my office, “You’re not done with this, are you?”

“Done with what?”

“You know what I mean. How soon are you going to file?”

“Oh, I’m letting you take care of the trustees. I’ll wait for your direction.”

“You know that isn’t what I’m talking about.”

“Yes, the paperwork is finished. I need a doctor’s examination and a statement from a caseworker and someone of importance. That is a hint.”

“How did you know the guardians would agree?”

“I have been here for a short period of time, and during that time, these boys have never been visited or received any mail, nothing. So I knew for a guardian, at least in this country, they were only doing it out of loyalty or money and not love. Here a guardianship is like a second set of parents. They are normally named in advance of need. The children call them uncle and aunt, even if they are not related. So based on that, I knew their guardians were not interested. You saw how they reacted when I told them, and you have known Gerry for a long time.”

“And now you’re going to adopt them.”

“Yes, Marie and I talked about it. She’s all for it. She said if I wanted a big family, that was how I was going to get it. We agreed on two children, a boy for her and a girl for me. But in all honesty, I’ll take whatever God gives us. And now he has given me 5. One will be my son in name only, but the other four will carry my last name.”

“And their last name?”

“Will be their middle name. I don’t want them to lose their heritage. Why are you smiling?”

“They won’t lose their heritage. Their people won’t let them.”

“Richard, I know nothing about their background. I don’t think their last name is correct.”

“When your adoption is finalized, I’ll sit down with you and explain who your new sons are. You’ll be surprised.”

That was good enough for me. Now I had to tell my lawyers to proceed with the adoption.