The Boy on the Porch - 2. Child Protective Services Helps, Sort Of

Saturday

Brendan woke up before Nick the next morning. Nick was lying on the couch and the blanket was on the floor. The T-shirt rode up a little, but Nick was still covered down to his upper thighs. Brendan was thankful for that, especially after Nick's disclosure from his visit to Burger King. He put the blanket back over Nick and went into the kitchen to put on some coffee and start breakfast. During the week he normally only had toast or a bagel, but on the weekends, he liked a little more, since he had more time. He was sure Nick would appreciate it too. He saw Nick walking past the kitchen doorway on his way to the downstairs half-bath. A minute later, Nick returned to the kitchen.

"You're cooking?"

"Yes. I like to have a decent breakfast on weekends. How do you like your eggs?"

"Um, scrambled, I guess."

"Do you like bacon?"

"Yeah."

Opening the refrigerator, "I have orange juice if you want that, and milk."

"Just the juice, please."

Nick sat at the table waiting while Brendan finished cooking. When everything was done, he made a plate for himself and Nick, leaving a little bacon and eggs in their respective pans. Nick looked at him.

"What? Oh. Grace, sure thing."

Brendan stumbled through a blessing again and they ate their food.

"Thanks, Brendan. That was good."

"You're welcome. Do you want more?"

"No. This was enough."

"Why don't you pick an outfit from off the dryer, through that door, then go back up, brush your teeth and get dressed."

"You washed my clothes?"

"Yeah. Well, you were in them two whole days."

"Cool. Thanks."

Brendan nodded, indicating you're welcome. He finished off the remaining bacon and eggs. A few minutes later, Nick came back down.

"What are we doing today?"

"We're calling CPS and seeing what we need to do next."

"Oh. I was hoping you forgot about that."

"Sorry, Nick. It has to be done. I'll put them on speaker so you can hear what they say, and answer any questions they may have for you."

"Okay, I guess."

Brendan dialed the number he'd located the night before.

"Good morning. Hall County Child Protective Services, this is Michelle speaking. How may I direct your call?"

"Hello, Michelle. My name is Brendan Nelson, and I guess I need to speak to someone about, well, an abandoned child."

"Is the child in immediate danger?"

"No. He was kicked out of his house by his parents, and he made his way onto my front porch yesterday. You folks were already closed when I called yesterday evening."

"I apologize for that sir. We're currently understaffed and have had to shorten our hours temporarily."

Trying not to sound sarcastic, Brendan replied, "Great news for kids that need help. So, can I speak to someone?"

"I'm terribly sorry. If the child was in immediate danger, I would be able to contact someone. Otherwise, you'll have to call back on Monday when there are more caseworkers available. Would there be a problem with that?"

"Aside from you folks essentially ignoring kids in need? No, I suppose not."

"Again, I'm terribly sorry. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No. I guess not. Goodbye."

Brendan disconnected and looked at Nick, who was smiling.

"Can she do anything else? A better question would have been can I do anything? I see you're happy. I guess you're stuck with me for two more days."

"Yippee!"

Brendan just shook his head. Not that he minded Nick being around, he was completely disappointed in the county services. 'My taxes at work, I suppose,' he thought to himself. He assumed part of his rent covered his landlord's taxes, anyway.

"So, what are we going to do today, Uncle Brendan?"

"Oh, I'm an uncle now?"

Nick hesitated, "Yeah. It kind of didn't feel right just calling an adult by their first name. So?"

"I don't know. I obviously hadn't planned on having a visitor for the weekend."

"Can we go swimming?"

"Was there a bathing suit among those layers of clothes?"

Frowning, he answered, "Oh. No." His face brightening, "We could go buy one."

Brendan slapped his forehead, "I guess you should have a couple pair of underpants if you're staying longer. We can see if they still have bathing suits out at Walmart."

"Awesome. You're the best uncle ever."

Brendan thought, 'What have I gotten myself into?'

"I just hope we don't get stopped by a cop on the way there. You didn't happen to have left home with your booster seat?"

"No. Just what I was wearing."

"I was being facetious."

"Fass see what?"

"Facetious. It means kidding or joking. Not being serious."

"Cool. You're teaching me too."

"If a cop stops us and asks, tell him or her you're eight, that I AM your uncle, and you turned eight in July, on whatever day your birthday is in October."

"Halloween."

"Fine. I guess I'm buying a booster seat, too. It'll be cheaper than the fine, I'm sure. Let's go."

Brendan grabbed a bathing suit for himself, and two towels. They walked out to the car. Fortunately, none of the neighbors were out to raise any questions. Brendan hoped his luck would hold out after they got back. His luck stayed good so far, no cops stopped them on the way to Walmart. In the boy's underwear section, Nick had a question.

"Can I get colored ones? All I ever got before were white ones."

"Yes. It doesn't bother me."

"Cool. Are these Spiderman ones, okay?"

"Sure."

Brendan knew enough about kids to know it's not worth getting them angry or start crying over something trivial. They found the bathing suits next. Nick picked out one with sharks on it. Finally, they headed to booster seat-land. Brendan picked out an inexpensive one, but not the cheapest. He didn't need the cheapest one to come loose and hurt Nick. After checking out, they were off to the Frances Meadows Aquatic Center, which was the closest public pool Brendan knew of. He'd been there a few times himself that summer.

"I have to make a call first."

Nick got a little worried, "Who?"

"A friend of mine. We were supposed to go out last night. I was hoping to meet him tonight, but with you staying, that probably can't happen."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Maybe he can come over to your house tonight? I can stay out of the way."

"I'll ask about him coming over, but you won't need to stay out of the way."

"Okay."

Brendan gave his friend Greg a call. Greg was more than willing to come over that evening. They agreed he'd come by at six. Brendan and Nick arrived at the Aquatic Center. The changing room presented a problem, Nick asked, "You won't look, will you?"

"No, I won't look. Just face the lockers and get close to them, then no-one else can see you, either."

"They'll still see my butt."

"It's okay. In places like this, it's normal to see other people's butts."

Nick giggled, and quickly changed into his bathing suit. Brendan noticed a few bruises on his legs, apparently from the boys kicking him. He didn’t mention it, here was not the place. Brendan had also bought him a couple T-shirts, since he arrived yesterday only wearing long-sleeves. Nick used a mostly white one in the pool and water park so he wouldn't get sunburned. Since it wasn't very early when they got there, Brendan decided they would grab something to eat for lunch at the snack stand. He remembered to say grace without a reminder. After eating, they spent a few more hours playing in the pool and water park. Brendan had almost as much fun as Nick did. He started to think he was going to miss the kid after CPS stepped in. But it was a necessary evil.

They went back to Brendan's house and relaxed for a little while. Once again, not being annoyed by his nosy neighbors. Brendan thought this might be a good time to try to find out more about Nick.

"So, do you have a last name, Nick?"

"Sure."

"Can you tell me what it is?"

Frowning, "You're not going to try to find my parents, are you?"

"No, we'll go through CPS like we talked about. But I can't guarantee they won't contact them."

"Okay, I guess."

"So?"

"Um. It's Taft."

"Small world, my older sister's married name is Taft. But they live in South Carolina, as far as I know. I haven't spoken to her in, wow, maybe ten years."

"We used to live in South Carolina. But we moved here a couple years ago. Three maybe. Why don't you talk to her?"

"A difference of opinion, plus she doesn't want me near her kids."

"That's dumb. How many kids does she have?"

"Two, last time I saw her. A boy and a girl. And you moved from South Carolina. What are your brother and sister's names?"

"Steve, and..."

They both said "Jill" at the same time.

"Wow. How did you know?"

"Your being a Taft and living in South Carolina with a brother and a sister seemed like too much of a coincidence. Apparently, it isn't."

"A co-in..."

"A coincidence is when two things happen, that don't seem to be related, appear that they really are. Your being a Taft and my sister being one is a coincidence. Moving from South Carolina and having two siblings, both older than ten, I'd bet, are two others. Their names being the same as my niece and nephew... four things that seem like a coincidence all together, well, that leaves the world of coincidences and jumps right on into the real world."

"So, what does it all mean?"

"It probably means your mother is my sister. And considering how she and her husband, your father, treated me when, well, kicking you out doesn't surprise me too much."

"So, you really are my uncle?"

"It looks that way. Do your parents have a phone in the house, or just cell phones."

"In the house. Daddy doesn't like mommy to use her cell phone on anything frivvylus."

"Frivolous. It means wasteful. I always thought Abel was a miser."

"That's another coincidence."

"Your Dad's name is Abel?"

"Uh huh."

"And mom is a Kathy, with a K?"

"What's that, five now?"

"I'm not going to take you home to them. Sister or not, what they did to you deserves any trouble they get. Do you know the house phone number?"

"Yeah. They made me memorize it."

"Like I said, I'm not bringing you to them, or even them here. But I do want to call and let her know what a shitty mother she is."

"Hehe. But you won't tell them I'm here?"

"Oh, I'll tell them that, but there's no way I'm letting you go back to them."

"Okay."

Nick dictated the phone number, Brendan dialed from his cell and hit speaker.

"Hello?"

"Kathy?"

"No. It's Jill. You want my mom?"

"Yes, please."

While he was waiting, Brendan asked Nick if Jill was around fourteen and Steve, twelve. Nick said both were a year older than that.

"Hello?"

"Hi Kathy. It's Brendan. Don't hang up. I have your son here."

She hesitated, then said, "Steven is here. I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about an almost eight-year-old boy named Nick that you and your lowlife husband kicked out on Wednesday."

Obviously nervous, "I don't have a son named Nick."

"And I just pulled your phone number out of my ass and knew there was a Kathy there. Is that what you think?"

"I'm hanging up now. You have me confused with somebody else."

"Fine. You can explain it to the cops. And Nick heard all that, by the way."

Brendan disconnected, not waiting for a response. His phone rang ten seconds later.

"Ah. Someone doesn't like having the lights on but they'll pay for star sixty-nine."

"You can't go to the police."

"And why the hell not?"

"I don't want you to."

Brendan tried to stifle a laugh, "And you think that's a good enough reason?"

"He'll end up with some family that doesn't treat him well."

The laugh would not be suppressed this time. When he got control, Brendan replied, "Yeah. Maybe he'll get a family that burns his hand with a candle or makes him squeeze something he broke so hard, his hand bleeds."

"Where did you get that from?"

Brendan muted the phone, "You weren't lying about those things, were you, Nick?"

"NO! I promise. They really did do that to me."

Unmuting, "Sorry no sale. Got another reason I shouldn't call the cops?"

"I'm your sister. You can't do that to me."

"Hah! You stopped being anything more than a pile of dog shit on the sidewalk ten years ago. Mom and Dad were dead. I came to live with you. At least until you found out... You know what and then kicked me out. So, you have a reputation for kicking people out of your house when they don't meet your standards. I don't know why I even tried calling. Enjoy jail, you bitch."

Brendan disconnected yet again. He refused the next three calls from the same number.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Nick."

"What did she find out?"

"That's not important right now. I promise I'll talk to you about it, though."

Brendan looked up the non-emergency number for the Gainsville police and dialed it.

"Gainesville police, this is Officer Amber Thoms. What can I do for you."

"Who should I speak to about a case of child abandonment?"

"I can take some information and refer someone to you. Can I have your name?"

"Brendan Nelson."

"Is this a good contact number you're calling from?"

"Yes."

"Your address, please?"

Brendan supplied his address. She asked for the child's name, his parents' names, if he knew them, and if there were other children in the home. She also asked for their address, but he said he didn't know it, but they had to be in Gainesville since the boy walked to his house the day before.

"And the boy is at your house now?"

"Yes."

"Are you family in any way?"

"Yes, he's my nephew. My sister's son."

He didn't think it would have been worthwhile to indicate he hadn't known that until a short time ago.

"Okay. Thank you. I'll ensure detectives are assigned and they should be visiting you shortly."

"Thank you."

He disconnected. Kathy tried calling again, but again, he silenced the call.

"I was going to take you out somewhere for dinner, I usually go food shopping on Saturday, but obviously didn’t get to it. So, it looks like having something delivered is the way to go right now. What would you like?"

"I don't know. Can I get nachos?"

"Sure."

Brendan pulled up Moe's menu and Nick pointed out what he wanted on the chips. Ground beef, salsa, and queso worked pretty well. Brendan ordered a second for himself, just adding jalapeño peppers. Remembering Greg was coming over, he doubled his jalapeño order. He also ordered extra chips and salsa in case the cops wanted something when the food arrived. Good thing, because the cops arrived twenty-five minutes later, and the food was expected in forty-five. Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"Come on in, Greg. Nick, this is my friend Greg Ward. Greg - Nick."

"Hi Nick."

"Hi Mr. Ward."

"The cops may show up at any moment, Greg. You're not going to believe this, but Nick is my sister Kathy's son."

"You always said she was a bi... witch. Kicking out her own son."

"I already called her that. Yeah, so I called the cops, the officer that answered the phone said they'd be visiting shortly. I don't know exactly when they'll show up, but I ordered from Moe's."

"That's cool. We'll just hang out until they're here and gone."

"Thanks."

The three of them chatted for another fifteen minutes or so before the doorbell rang again. This time it was the cops. Showing their badges, they checked who he was, "Hello. Mr. Brendan Nelson?"

"Yes detectives, please, come in."

They introduced themselves and Brendan recounted what Nick had told him. Greg sat quietly to the side, listening in, finding everything he heard hard to believe. But he answered the door when the food arrived. The Detectives occasionally checked with Nick for accuracy.

"In cases like this, we'd normally pull in CPS, but they've been understaffed lately. Is there any way to prove you're his uncle?"

"I don’t have anything concrete. My sister and I have been estranged for about ten years. I hadn't even met Nick until yesterday. But if you run a background check on me, you'll see that Kathy Taft is my sister, and that she has three children, only two of which she'd be able to produce."

"Alright. We'll leave him here with you. But if there are any lies in your story, you're in a heap of trouble, Mr. Nelson."

"No lies."

"Care to tell us why you're estranged?"

Brendan looked toward Nick, "Nick, can you... Oh, never mind. She found out I was gay and essentially disowned me. I was living with her, and not quite fifteen when she kicked me out of her house. Fortunately, I had an older brother that was willing to take me in."

"Seems like kicking minors out is a pattern with her."

"I'd have to agree, Detective."

They handed Brendan their cards, each taking an order of chips and salsa, thanked him, and left. Brendan, Greg, and Nick went into the kitchen and ate their own nachos. Brendan was pensive all throughout dinner.

"You're quiet, Uncle Brendan. Anything wrong?"

"No. Not really. I'm just wondering if I need to start looking for a four-bedroom house, with an additional study."

"Why?"

"If your mom and dad go to jail, which they probably will, I don't want to see Steve and Jill stuck in a foster home, or more than likely two different ones."

Brendan had worked his ass off for the three years since he left college. He saved every penny he could. He was renting the current house, so his savings should amount to a pretty decent down-payment on a house.

"Oh. So, you mean I would be able to live with you?"

"Yes. You probably could, even here. I'd have to move my office, probably into the garage, and make the second bedroom a bedroom again. But I wouldn't want to abandon your brother and sister. And there's no way to make this house sufficient for three kids."

A quick look on realtor dot com depressed Brendan because he didn't see it being very possible to buy a house that big. After dinner, they took a quick trip back to Walmart. Brendan hadn't thought to buy Nick pajamas. After the second shopping trip of the day, they watched TV together again until Nick started falling asleep.

“Hey. You need to get up so I can make up the couch.”

“Can’t I sleep in your bed with you? I have pajamas now. I was afraid being alone down here last night, but more afraid to wake you to see if I could come up."

"Oh. I should have told you that you could wake me if you needed anything. Okay, grab your pajamas from the bag and come on up."

Brendan got Nick all set up in his bed, "I'll try not to wake you when I come in. I have a few things I need to look up on my PC. I'll be across the hall for a while if you need anything, then I'll come back in here to sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight, Uncle Brendan. Goodnight Mr., Ward.

Both men said, "Goodnight Nick."

Next Up - "Some Dreams Are Harder To Achieve"