Home Is Wherever You Are

by Rose von Barnsley

  “Are you going to take some time off to help Addy and get the girls settled?” my mother asked, as if reading my mind.

  “I wish I could, Mom, but you know we’re barely making it as it is, and with no insurance, I’m sure the hospital bill is going to be huge.”

  “You don’t have insurance?” he asked me shocked.

  “No, I’m an electrician and a handyman, self-employed. I couldn’t find any work in my field, so I employed myself, in order to be able to take care of my family,” I stated. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any benefits.”

  “I’m sure the state insurance would cover the children and maybe even your wife, since she’s pregnant. I’ll have the financial aid person come up and talk to you. Hopefully, you can get this taken care of and not end up starving.”

  I smiled. I wasn’t one to take something without working for it. I had come to like bartering, but at this point, I knew Addy’s hospital bill would be huge.

  An hour later, a lady with thick glasses came in and saw me sitting with the girls on the bed. I was reading a story to them, while my mother went hunting for food and checked on Addy. I wanted to go, too, but Gabby had a death grip on me, and I completely understood why. She needed me more than Addy right now, and I was sure Addy would understand and agree.

  “Matthew Martin?” the lady asked.

  “Yes,” I answered. She looked kind and had a file folder clutched to her chest.

  “It’s so good to meet you. I’m Ingrid Townsend with financial aid. When Dr. Hannelle told me your story, I thought it must’ve been something made up, but then I ran into the cop and asked for a copy of the police report. What you did was amazing, and I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I think God intervened right then, putting you right by your little girls when they needed you most.”

  I wasn’t much for God most the time, but this time, I had to give God the credit for having his hand in saving my girls. What were the chances we would just happen to be staying in the hotel next to the alley they were living in? “I think so, too. I’m just glad I’ll finally be able to take my little girls back home.”

  “It’s so nice that they’re getting a happy ending. I brought the papers for you to request assistance from the state for your wife. I can help you process them. I was also wondering if you wouldn’t mind letting us tell your story. It might encourage others to adopt and get more children into more permanent, happy homes.”

  “I’ll have to talk to my wife, but I think it’d be okay,” I said with a shrug.

  She smiled and clapped her hands. “Wonderful, I’ll just write up a little statement for the press release for you to look over, then.”

  I was a little dumbfounded, but agreed. Once Gabby was asleep, I slipped out and talked to Addy about it, telling her about how clingy Gabby was being, not wanting to let me go, and that was why I wasn’t able to get back to her sooner. Just like I knew she would, she told me to go stay with the girls. Daniel was staying with her, so she said she would be fine. My mom and Leon were bouncing between both rooms, making sure we had everything we needed and helping me look after the girls.

  Kelly came the next day with little Adam, who jumped right up on the bed and into my arms, not even caring that I had one of the girls next to me. He looked over at Gabby with big excited eyes, sticking out his hand to shake. “I’m Adam, I’m your brother,” he said, making Gabby smile big at him and then look up at me, before she hugged Adam, kissing his cheek. He wiped it off, and to his credit, he did his best not to look grossed out.

  “I’m Gabby, and that’s Genny, she’s our sister.”

  Adam looked over at Genny asleep in my mom’s arms, her torso all wrapped up, and frowned. “She got hurt like mom.”

  “They’re going to be alright, Adam. Everyone is going to be fine.”

  Ingrid came in with a paper and smiled at us crowded together on Gabby’s bed. “Who’s this young man?”

  “I’m their big brother, Adam,” he said, puffing out his chest.

  “Well, you look to be a very good brother,” she said, and he grinned so big I thought he would burst.

  “I’ve been practicing,” he whispered.

  “Oh, you have?” Ingrid asked intrigued.

  “Yeah, I’s at the playground, and I helped all the little kids out, so they could swing and climb and play.”

  “Well, it looks like the girls are going to a good home, then, since you’ll be there to look out for them,” Ingrid complimented.

  He nodded with a serious look on his face. “They’re my family, and I take care of my family,” he said proudly.

  I was filled with pride. I leaned down and kissed his little head. “You’re going to be the best big brother ever.”

  Ingrid left the statement with me to read over. It was just the copy, and she told me it would go out on the six o’clock news tonight, unless there were some changes that needed to be made. She told me she had left a copy with my wife as well.

  When the six o’clock news came on, I was surprised at how deep the news reporter had really decided to dig. They had looked me up and had found that I had been laid off and homeless, and then went back to work for a company that had gone under a year later. They touched on me starting my own handyman business and dabbling in home building, taking on another employee and partner, who had also lost his job and had a family to support.

  Then they spoke of us taking my parents in and then losing my father. They also mentioned we had fostered the girls, who had been returned to their mother, and how we had found out we were pregnant and still adopted Adam anyway.

  Like there was any doubt we would, I scoffed.

  They went on to talk about us celebrating our anniversary and finding the girls. The news anchor got really teary-eyed, as she mentioned that my pregnant wife had been shot during the rescue, and now we were facing mounting hospital bills. This was not the twist they had been supposed to take. It was supposed to have been a happy ending, feel good story, or so I had thought, looking down at the statement in front of me.

  I was shocked, when suddenly they began talking about donations and where to call or go to donate to help the Martin family.

  Now that was an unexpected twist.

  Chapter 38 - Coming Home

  Going home was a much bigger to-do than I had thought it would be. Addy’s nurse was kind enough to re-bandage my arm before we left. I carried Genny and had my hand on Addy’s shoulder, while she held Gabby’s hand. The nurse pushed her wheelchair, much to Addy’s chagrin at the hospital policy. Little Adam was acting as the bouncer or bodyguard. Reporters and photographers crowded around, trying to get pictures of us. Adam proudly and loudly shouted, “Make way, my mom and dad are coming with my sisters! Watch out!” he said, pushing on the legs of the crowd. He was too cute to defy, so they listened, stepping back.

  We made it to the van, where my mom was waiting in the driver’s seat. Daniel was in his cruiser in front, and Leon was in his car behind the van, waiting to start the caravan home to Woodville. Once I had gotten my wife and daughters tucked into the car, Adam climbed in last. He had taken it upon himself to “hold everyone back,” while I buckled up the girls. I stopped and turned to the crowd to make a statement to the media.

  “I want to thank everyone for their love and well wishes. We’re thrilled to finally be going home as a permanent family. I know the media showcased our needs, but really, we have all we need in each other. We’re safe, we’re happy, and we’re loved. I think that’s all anyone ever really wants. Thank you,” I said and waved goodbye, getting into the car.

  I would be happy to get home to our quiet town, where nothing ever happened. When we pulled up to our house, though, I realized that wasn’t going to hold true anymore. There were reporters waiting there as well. Kelly and Jason, along with Kyle, Darlene and their boys were there holding up a welcome home sign.

  Gabby remembered Kyle’s son, David, and ran over, giving him a hug. There were several flashes from photographers, b
ut they had the good sense to stay back. I think Kyle and Jason must have said something to them before we had gotten home, because they all stood back on the sidewalk respectfully. It didn’t hurt that Daniel was there in uniform, keeping a close eye on them.

  Adam was excitedly talking about the girls’ room. Apparently, he had helped with the decorating. He was excitedly bouncing around, and David joined in. Genny stayed in my arms, but Gabby ran inside. Genny watched after her warily. I kissed her little head and turned to Daniel. “Can you let them know I’ll come talk to them as soon as I get my girls settled?”

  “You know, you don’t have to, Son,” he said, giving the reporters a pointed look.

  “I know, but so many people have helped us out. I just want them to know we appreciate it.”

  “You’re a good kid, Matthew,” he said and patted my shoulder. “My girl did great when she picked you.”

  I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in his words. For so long, I had been ashamed and scared I would always be a failure. Now here I was, with my father-in-law of all people, giving me a compliment. That was just something that seeped into your bones and made you strive to be a better man. I wanted to live up to Daniel’s belief. I wanted to be great for Addy.

  I was right to be worried about setting Kelly loose on the house. I almost didn’t recognize it when I walked in. Apparently, saying “set up the girls’ room” had been translated into “please redecorate the whole house.”

  “Kelly,” I said in a stern tone. If Addy didn’t like it, I would have her turn it all back to the way it had been before.

  “Let me explain!” Kelly squeaked. “It wasn’t my fault. I thought as a married couple, you should have your own bathroom for obvious reasons,” she said, making me blush. “So I moved the girls’ room upstairs across from Adam’s room. I got their beds, toys and things all set up. Most of it was just stuff I pulled out of the attic. Of course, once I was done, I thought since this was the kids’ floor, I should make the bathroom more kid friendly. I redid it in the duck theme, very gender neutral. Adam said he liked it. Then I thought, I could paint the landing and the hallway to the rooms, so it’d feel more welcoming. So I did.

  “Of course, when I moved your stuff into your room, I thought it’d be best if it had more of a romantic getaway feel. I mean, you’ve got three kids with number four just weeks away, Matthew!”

  “Kelly,” I said in a reprimanding tone, but Addy squeezed my arm. I let out a defeated sigh, and Kelly went on.

  “Well, I redid your bedroom and then the bathroom to match, but then I thought it needed a good transition from your bathroom/bedroom to the living and kitchen area.”

  I started laughing.

  Addy walked over to Kelly and hugged her with her one good arm. “It’s beautiful. How on earth did you get this all done so fast? We’ve only been gone three days.”

  “Oh, I had help,” she said and smiled over at Kyle and Jason.

  “It wasn’t just us,” Jason chimed in. “When word got out about what’d happened in Houston, and that we were getting the house ready for the girls, people just showed up.”

  Kyle laughed to himself.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Crazy old Joe Riley next door was wearing boxers with chameleons on them. Guess he thought the color changing thing was painting appropriate,” Kyle chuckled.

  “Do I even want to know what they said?”

  “Probably not,” he started laughing. “It was ‘Watch me turn purple.’”

  I just laughed, shaking my head. Only Joe would think that was about painting.

  “Daddy!” I heard Gabby squeal.

  “I’m being paged,” I said, making my way up to the kids’ bedrooms. I still had Genny in my arms. She was looking at the open bathroom door and then to where Gabby was jumping on her bed. It was white with pink and purple bedding that matched Genny’s. There were matching dressers and a shelf full of toys. Most were the ones I had bought which had been stored in the attic, including the little tool boxes I had bought for them. Of course, Genny didn’t focus on the tool boxes. She focused on the new baby doll sitting on her bed.

  “Beebee!” she finally perked up. I was so worried she wouldn’t let me put her down. She leaned toward it and then realized she couldn’t hold it.

  She was about to cry, but I hurried over to the doll. “Don’t worry, I’ve got her,” I said, picking up the baby doll and propping it between our bodies, so she felt like she was holding it. Caring for a child who didn’t have the use of her arms was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. It turned out she was still too young to really balance herself and walk without her arms. She tried, but she would often stumble. It was why I had taken to carrying her everywhere. That and she begged me to pick her up. Who was I to turn down my little girl? That was just not going to happen.

  “Do you want to sit up here with Gabby for a little while? I need to go downstairs and talk to the people outside,” I explained. I walked over to the window and let her see them waiting outside for me.

  Genny let out a huff, and Gabby waved wildly to the people, holding the curtain out of the way, so they could see her clearly. They all smiled and wave back at her, a few took pictures. I sat down on Genny’s bed and propped up the pillows, so she could sit up on it. I took her baby doll and tucked it in next to her. Before I left, Gabby climbed on the bed with her. Adam and David came running in, laughing and talking. Gabby moved next to Genny, wrapping her arm around her. She gave me a look that let me know she had her. I quietly reminded myself to make sure Gabby had a break and got to be a kid, too. She had been looking after Genny for too long. It was time for her to play.

  As I came down the stairs, I was greeted by my excited wife. “Matthew, you have to come see this!”

  She grabbed me with her free hand and pulled me to the pantry. She threw the door open, and she was giggling hysterically. “So much food! It was donated, Matthew. We have a good two months of food here, and look, they even gave us juice,” she pointed out. There were not only bottles, but also cans of juice lining the floor of the pantry. The shelves were full of canned fruits, vegetables and all sorts of dry goods. I pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek. I knew she would never turn away the girls, but the truth was, we were worried on how we were going to cover the cost of feeding the kids.

  “The fridge is full, too, as well as your new freezer in the utility room,” Kelly said casually. “They just came in while we were painting and loaded them up. They left that, too,” she said, pointing to an envelope on the fridge.

  Addy walked over and took it down. When she pulled out the letter, she was smiling so huge, I thought she would burst. “It’s a years’ supply of groceries from Brookshire Brothers. They’re donating a years’ supply to us! We just have to go down and show them the letter, and they’ll let us get whatever we need.”

  “Are you serious?” I was a little shocked. I knew the guy who managed our local Brookshire Brothers. I had fixed a few of his lights for him a while back.

  When I took the letter, I saw it was signed not only by our local manager, but also the corporate owner and CEO of Brookshire Brothers Grocers. I knew I owed them a huge thank you. I would be sure to mention them, when I spoke with the media.

  “I should go talk to the reporters, so they can get back to their families, too,” I said, kissing my wife’s head. She pulled me down, not letting me get away without kissing her lips. I was glad she didn’t. It gave me the courage to go out there and represent our family and maybe encourage others to step up and adopt like Ingrid had suggested in the first place.

  I stepped out on the front porch and then waved them all over. “Hey, y’all, I got my family settled, so I can give you a minute, if you want to ask me some questions.” They all perked up, smiling and hurried over to the steps. “I want to say thank you for waiting for me patiently and letting me get my wife and kids settled first.”

  “Mr. Martin, what would you say to those wh
o are unemployed right now looking to you for inspiration?”

  “Now you’re just getting deep on me. I guess I’d say don’t give up. I worked odd jobs and was one of those guys who stood on the corner with a ‘will work for food’ sign. Point is, there may not be corporate jobs, but there are still jobs. I went from a desk job to construction. You really can do anything. The public library was a godsend. I learned most of my knowledge from their books and free internet. Without that, I would’ve been lost. I guess in the end, don’t be afraid to change fields, even old dogs can learn new tricks,” I said with a shrug.

  “Mr. Martin, what are your feelings towards the system that took your girls away in the first place?”

  My eyes narrowed at the woman. I was sure she was trying to get me to say something mean. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not happy about what happened with my girls, and I thank God we got to them in time, but no one had control over Mira’s actions but herself. Do I think they should’ve kept a closer eye on her? Maybe, but in the end, unless they watched her twenty-four-seven, they wouldn’t have seen it coming. The system isn’t all bad. They also gave me my son, Adam, and Ms. Jordan drove over an hour in the middle of the night to personally bring us the adoption papers for our girls. She’s a good woman.”

  “Mr. Martin, will you be staying home with the wife and kids while they recover?”

  I scratched the back of my neck, silently thinking of the money I had in the bank, or lack thereof. “I’d love to, but I’m the sole breadwinner right now with five mouths to feed and a baby on the way.” I let out a breath then remembered the donation from Brookshire Brothers. “Thankfully, Brookshire Brothers Grocery donated a years’ worth of groceries to us, so we’ll be fed. I’ve just got to keep the lights on and the water running now,” I said with a chuckle.