Chapter 7 Heidi
HEIDI
Check, check, and check. I was going over the mental checklist in my head for Lincoln’s arrival.
Three full weeks had passed by, and I’d been nervous every day of it.
I’d stepped into a lane that I’d only seen others do.
This was a learning experience for me and poor Lincoln didn’t know that we’d very much be going with the flow.
A knock on the door caught my attention. For the umpteenth time of the day, my nerves bounced off the wall. I quickly threw back the shot of liquid courage before putting the bottle back in the freezer. I then placed the shot glass in the dishwasher before jogging off to the front door.
Sighing deeply, I turned the knob and barely got the door open before I was bombarded by Royce.
He wasn’t who I was expecting in the slightest. Then again, I fell off the face of the earth for a few weeks making sure everything was together.
It was only a matter of days before a search party was dispersed with him being the head of it.
“Royce, you can’t be here right now. You have to go,” I stated grabbing him by the arm to stop him in his tracks.
“I wish the hell I would go somewhere, and I ain’t laid eyes on you in weeks. Get the hell off me Heidi,” he snapped yanking his arm from my grasp.
“Seriously, Royce. You really can’t be here. I have some very important people on the way. This isn’t a good look for me.”
“It ain’t a soul in Sage Springs more important than me, and let’s be clear.
I’m a good look for everybody. Who the fuck on the way over here Heidi?
You got random niggas pulling up to the crib now?
” His brows were dipped, and he was reaching for his gun on his waist. I didn’t need this shit right now.
“Dammit Royce. I have someone from the adoption agency coming over with a little boy. His name is Lincoln Young and he’s six. I don’t need you here scaring him. Can you please just go back next door until she leaves,” I begged.
He made an expression that said yeah, the fuck right and continued walking to the kitchen.
Before I could run after him, my doorbell was being rung.
Fuck! Royce never listened and it was always a fight with him.
Any other day, I’d feed into his antics and let him have his way but today wasn’t that damn day.
Looking through the peephole, I saw that it was Ms. Squinks with little Lincoln at her side. Royce was answering the door without my permission. Mind you, I just witnessed this man disappear in the kitchen so him being here as soon as I turned my back was mind blowing.
“Royce, stop. No, no, no, n—”
I was being interrupted and pushed out the way. He was already greeting Ms. Squinks and Lincoln with a handshake and smiling face. “Hey, how you doing? I’m Royce and you are?”
“Hi, I’m Ms. Squinks. Is this the home of Heidi Mitchell?” she inquired.
Scurrying from behind the door, I answered before Royce could. “Yes, it is Ms. Squinks. This is Royce Atkins. He owns the compound along with his family. He’s also my best friend, support system, and neighbor.”
“Oh, Mr. Atkins I’ve heard about you and your family. You all do a lot of great things in the community. It’s good to know Heidi has you in her corner. Would you mind if we stepped inside?” Ms. Squinks questioned.
“It’s no problem at all. Who’s this lil’ man?” Royce asked stepping to the side. He’d taken over the entire conversation.
After Ms. Squinks and Lincoln stepped inside, she introduced him. His hair was still covering his eyes, but he seemed to know where he was going. I reached for the bag, and he easily gave it up.
“This little guy is Lincoln. Lincoln say hello,” she coached him.
He turned around and gave Royce the smallest wave while holding his head down. Royce was a giant compared to him. Hell, he was a giant compared to everyone else as well. Royce rounded them then squatted with an extended fist.
“Waddup lil’ man? You want to hear something cool about our names?” Lincoln nodded, and Royce continued with, “They’re named after cars. Bet you didn’t know that.”
Royce brought attention to Lincoln’s name that didn’t even cross my mind.
Seems like it was really in God’s plan for us to become a family.
He was shy but that would soon wear off.
If him and CJ were able to connect as boys, then he’d be just fine.
Royce’s family were close knit, and they loved anyone that loved a member of their family.
This little boy would be a lovely addition.
“I love cars,” Lincoln stated with a bright smile.
He was more open today than he’d normally been. Even when I visited him at the group home, he was still kind of standoffish. Maybe Royce could help me with him and give him the footing he needed. He was a good supporter and protector to me. Lincoln would require the same amount as well.
“Word? I’m gon’ let you in on a lil’ secret. I own a racetrack. It’s in my backyard,” Royce whispered.
“Really?” Lincoln shouted pushing his hair out his face. Seeing those bright eyes of his made me smile.
“Really, really. My son, CJ is around yo’ age and loves it out there. He has his own custom Hot Wheel. You think you can manage one of them?” Lincoln nodded wildly at Royce’s question. “Cool, we’ll see what we can do on getting you one then.”
“Royce don’t start spoiling him before he can even sit down. He just walked through the door,” I chimed.
Royce was back upright and ignoring me still. “Ms. Squinks, please follow me to the living room. Heidi, grab lil’ man and y’all tag along.” I squinted my eyes at him with flared nostrils, and he returned with a smirk.
I extended my hand in Lincoln’s direction and surprisingly, he grabbed ahold to it.
We followed behind Royce and Ms. Squinks with her taking in every inch of my home as she passed it.
This wasn’t the first time she was in awe of my residence.
I asked many times if this was too big for Lincoln, and she assured me it wasn’t.
People got turned around in places they weren’t familiar with and that sometimes brought on anxiety.
I wasn’t trying to make him uncomfortable in the slightest.
We filed into the living room with Lincoln taking a seat between me and Royce. He was so tiny in both weight and height. I feared he’d be a short king later in life. I did notice that he kept his Woody doll tucked under him. I was glad I asked what he’d like instead of assuming.
“Alright, let’s get this over with. Heidi, in this folder is all of his personal information.
Birth certificate, social security number, medical records, and family history.
Also, there’s a name change request form inside.
I know a lot of parents like to change the last names of the children to theirs, so I went ahead and got the form for you.
I’ve had a tour several times and now that I know you have a support system, I don’t have to inquire about that.
Is there anything you need from me? Do you have any questions?
” Ms. Squinks ran things down within seconds covering every base.
The last time she was here conducting her final inspection; she praised my home and how warm it felt.
I was hoping Lincoln got that same feeling.
Being that permanent figure in his life and loving him unconditionally was my only focus at the moment.
I didn’t have a clue as to how this motherhood worked so I was hoping he’d cut me some slack if I started out slow and uncertain about things.
Accepting the envelope, I answered with, “No, Ms. Squinks. I think we’ve covered everything over the last few conversations. We can give Lincoln a tour and then go from there.”
“Sounds like a plan. Lincoln, sweetheart, this is where you’ll be living. Heidi is going to take care of you from now on. No more sharing a room with others. You’ll have one all to yourself. Are you ready to see it?” Ms. Squinks asked still wearing the smile she stepped in with.
He nodded and we all stood. I reached for his hand once more, and he intertwined it with mine.
I liked that he was slowly but surely beginning to warm up to me.
This was new for us both and I didn’t want to rush things in any shape or form.
His bedroom was the former guest room on the right hall.
I didn’t want him too far away from me. If he had a bad dream or needed some cuddle time, I would be a bedroom away.
We took the stairwell up to the second floor and headed down the right hall. The first door on the left was his with mine being the one on the right directly across from his. The bathrooms were also interconnecting so he could get to me that way as well.
Opening the door to his bedroom, the first thing you saw was a life size Woody standing next to Buzz Lightyear. Lincoln let go of my hand and took off toward them. A smile stretched from ear to ear, as joy surrounded him. He threw his arms around Woody while he screamed his name.
“Woody. Woody. Thank you, Heidi!”
He’d learned my name over the visits, and I was more than happy hearing him shout it to me. Stepping inside, I walked over to him and squatted to his height.
“Did I do good baby boy?” I asked wearing a small smile of my own. Wildly shaking his head, he agreed. “Look over there. There’s more.”
He looked in the direction I pointed, and his hair was pushed back out his face once again. I made a mental note to braid it whenever he settled down. He was far too handsome to hide himself the way he did. He deserved to be self-confident just like anyone else.
“You’ve done a wonderful job Heidi. I believe he’s going to love it here. Lincoln, sweetie this is all yours. Heidi made sure she got you what you liked. I hope you two can grow with each other and be that family you talked about,” Ms. Squinks voiced.
“I will. Royce, you see Woody?” he shouted pointing to the figurines on the shelf.