ARROW - 172. Chapter 172

The Italian contingent was to arrive in three weeks. School had started and Mary Ann was a freshman this year. I took the boys, Louise and Mary Ann shopping for school clothes. Anne Marie joined us and of course, Roberto had to tag along. The boys took care of Roberto while Anne Marie took care of the girls. I knew they all would need jackets, I didn’t realize how much they had grown. The boys got caps and one for Roberto. He picked out a jacket to go with the hat. Our boys felt that was a good idea so they followed suit.

Clothes shopping was done, and we proceeded to the shop that provided school supplies. Tablets, pencils, ink pens, erasers, and school bags. I thought some of these items would have been supplied by the school but evidently they aren’t. As I expected, Roberto also picked up many of the same things my boys had selected. I found a book translating from English to French. I had a plan to send Roberto back to France.

Shopping finished, we headed to our ice cream store and then home. When we arrived home, my boys took their new clothes to the basement to do a light rinse getting the starch out of the clothes. Monday morning everyone was dressed for school. The boys would be in 7th and 8th grade, Mary Ann would be a high school freshman and Louise would be in third grade. Uncle James came to drive them to school. After dropping them off, he went back to the club kitchen where he and his staff prepared lunches for the kids from the Home and our children. I didn’t have to worry about the kids at the Home, Mary and her ladies club took care of them. I wanted photos of the kids, ours as well as the boys and girls from the Home. I hired a photographer for the Home and James and I took photographs of our children before they left that morning. I had a project in mind, the First Day of School, a composite of our children.

Roger told me that Richie’s law professor said Richie’s performance was slipping. I told Colin that he needs to talk to Richie and I’ll talk to Maria. I thought it best for Maria to understand since part of the problem was her responsibility. I needed her agreement before I spoke to Anne Marie. During our early morning coffee, I explained that I thought it would be best for Anne Marie to return to France until Richie passed the bar exam. “I’ll pay for her travel back to France and back here in January.”

“I didn’t realize the impact Anne Marie would have on Ritchie. I wouldn’t want to divert Richie’s interest away from his studies. I’ll talk to Anne Marie so she understands.”

“Great, I’ll talk with Richie so he understands, This might be an incentive for Richie to buckle down” I’m going to also tell Colin.

The day that our Italian contingent was to arrive, Tommy and Pepe arrived in the morning with the bus from the Home. Ronny agreed to take Anne Marie and a reluctant Roberto to the airport for their return to France. Armand told him to keep an eye on Roberto, and he did. It didn’t take Roberto long to realize that shoulder pinches produced pain after the first one.

Ronnie relaxed after seeing Anne Marie and Roberto boarding their flight. Checking the schedule from Rome, he had a 3-hour wait. Rather than go home and return he went to the cafeteria for a coffee. Sitting at a table next to a window he watched the people coming and leaving the airport. The window overlooked the parking lot. As he was watching the people, a man was pushing a kid to the ground. The kid was crying and appeared to be begging. For whatever reason, Ronnie went and got a hot chocolate and headed to the kid. In passing the guy, he bumped into I’m sending him stumbling and falling to the ground.

Reaching the kid, he realized the boy was in bad shape. He gave the boy the chocolate which he drank all at once. The inevitable happened, almost all of the chocolate came back up. The boy started crying, “I’m taking you home with me.” Helping the boy up, he ended up carrying the boy to the van. Taking a pillow from the back he made a seat for the boy next to him.

Arriving home, he found a note saying they were on the way to pick up the Italian group. Ronnie took the boy to the basement bathroom. Passing Marie he asked her to prepare a warm James’s milk. I sat the boy in the bathtub, “Sit here while I go and get soap, towels, and clothes for you.” I made a quick trip upstairs, Marie had the milk ready.

“Give him a little at a time. If he hadn’t eaten for a time, he will throw it back up.”

Going back to the basement with the warm milk, "I want you to drink this very slowly,” He took one sip and I knew he would throw it up if I pinched the straw, he would take a sip, and I pinched. Continuing that way, he eventually drank all of the milk.

Using my scissors and shaver, I removed all of his hair. There were so many fleas and other bugs, the hair moved in the tub. A hall hour later, the boy had no hair on his body, anywhere. I put the hair I cut and shaved off, into a paper bag. This bag I’ll burn.

Using some of Maria’s French soap, I washed him from head to toe. He smiled, I saw rotten teeth, where he had teeth.

I was still washing him when the guys from the airport returned.

Marie must have said something to Armand as he and Geno came down to see what I was doing. I told Dad what I saw and what I was doing. The advantage of speaking another language I explained everything that happened in Italian. Geno became angry and wanted to go back to the airport to find the guy.

Dad told Tommy and Pepe to take the kids to the Home, he would join them in a little while. Angela went with them, she would make some soup for the boy to eat when they arrived at the Home.

Marie made a soft boiled egg which she mashed. Ronnie brought the boy upstairs wrapped in a blanket. I was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. My mind was on the boy, when Ronnie brought the boy up wrapped in a blanket.

“Here is your new son, Dad.”

He sat the boy in my lap. The child looked at me, I never saw such eyes before. They were begging and scared. I held him close, smiling, “What is your name?”

I heard a weak, David.

“David, Marie made a soft-boiled egg for you. All you have to do is open your mouth.”

I slowly fed the egg to him. Looking into my eyes, he’d open his mouth when the spoon touched his lips.

“Ronnie, bring the van around. I want to take him to the doctor at the Home.”

Gathering up Geno, we headed to the Home.

Arriving at the Home, I gathered up David, blanket and all, and headed to the doctor’s office. Geno went and got Angela.

Angela met us as we were leaving Doc’s office. He had made an appointment with Dr. Stevenson at Children’s Hospital. Angela had some chicken soup which was mostly broth. She fed him the soup as we drove to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital I told the receptionist we had an appointment with Dr. Stevenson. Looking at David, he was crying.

“It will be okay David. I won’t leave you.” We had to wait a few minutes. Ronnie went and got some ice cream, David’s smiled when he saw the ice cream, I watched Ronnie as he fed David the ice cream. If you never saw hero worship just look at David as he looked at Ronnie. I needed to remember that look, it would be my next painting.

“Dr, Stevenson will see you now.”