Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Jolie
“ W ell, I hear congratulations are in order,” Ms. Davis jovially says as she crosses over the threshold and enters the house, glancing around and investigating to make sure things are on the up and up.
“I don’t foresee any issues at all with the guardianship paperwork, I just need to do a quick inspection of the house and make sure the kids have everything they need. ”
“Kids, why don’t you show Ms. Davis your rooms?” Dex asks. He looks at her and says, “We’ll be in the kitchen waiting.”
I know he’s giving her time to question the kids without us hovering, but it rankles a bit that this even has to be done. These kids have lived in this house their whole lives. Why is it now that it has to be inspected?
I must voice my thoughts out loud because Dex looks at me and tells me, “Because the state has gotten involved. They have their policies and procedures and even though I don’t like them at all, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they stay together.”
Yeah, like marry me , I think to myself. Out loud I say, “I understand, it’s just frustrating is all.”
“I agree. Let’s go make sure the grandmothers are behaving themselves,” he states, holding out his hand for me to take.
I giggle because those two women are something else.
When I told Nonna I wanted to learn Italian, she beamed with pleasure, clapped her hands together then went down to the dollar store, bought index cards and she labeled everything in the kitchen with the English word then the Italian counterpart.
Not to be outdone, Abuela put what it would be in Spanish.
“You’ve known them longer than me, so what do you think?” I tease, falling into an easy-going banter with him.
I mean, it’s not like we don’t know each other exactly, it’s just that our circles never really crossed unless Brock was hauling me and Mindy to the mall or other places we wanted to be driven to and he was along for the ride.
But I think because we’re both adults now, it’s different somehow.
He’s at least ten years older than me, probably a year or two more than that, so there’s not much a man in his early twenties would’ve had in common with a teenage girl who was mired in grief.
As we enter the kitchen, I can smell the sour cream coffee cake that Abuela made, knowing the social worker was coming today.
Nonna is bustling around getting stuff together for coffee.
Personally, I can’t stand the stuff, but I love the smell.
I walk over to the cupboard and pull down a glass, then fill it with ice as Dex hands me one of my diet sodas.
“Thanks,” I say, a light blush staining my cheeks.
Ever since we got married, I’ve been sharing his room with him, which is definitely a different experience for me.
I’ve gone from living independently on my own with an occasional overnight guest when Mindy and I have a few too many margaritas during one of our movie marathons, but not having had siblings of my own, the constant chaos and conversation that sometimes overlaps is mind-blowing at times.
Thank goodness he has a huge bed because those first few nights, I was worried that I’d encroach on his space.
The grandmothers set everything on the table, along with small plates for the cake and I bite back a smile as I hear the kids coming down the stairs like a herd of elephants.
“Get ready,” he whispers, leaning into my side, preparing me for the hustle and bustle of his siblings as they charge into the room.
“Dex!” Ms. Davis says my room is just what she expected it would be,” Arya exclaims. “She says she’s never seen so much pink and purple sparkly stuff in one place.”
I smile at Ms. Davis who grins back at me with a glimmer of satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. “They even showed me, in detail, how they reorganized their closets and said you built the shelving, Jolie?” Ms. Davis asks.
I nod. “I did. I wanted them to have more floor space so they could play,” I admit.
“Putting their dressers in the closet and building shelves for their clothes just made sense to me. I’ve got some other projects I want to tackle as well, but we’re still adjusting to me being here under the same roof. ”
“I’m sure it’s an adjustment for everyone,” she replies. “Oh, my, this is lovely,” she says, looking at the cake and coffee waiting on the table.
“Please, sit and eat,” Nonna encourages. “Figli, you too.”
The three kids sit down and Abuela quickly cuts them each a slice of cake while Nonna pours them glasses of milk.
I sip on my soda while Dex drinks a cup of coffee.
Once we’re all filling our bellies, Ms. Davis says, “Like I said when I arrived, all of this is more of a formality than anything. I do have some paperwork for both of you to sign so I can file it, but I see no issues moving forward with the guardianship being approved. Once I have this submitted, we’ll get a court date so the judge can sign off on everything. ”
“Do you know how long that might take?” Dex asks. “Because as you know, I work out of town and it’s usually for several weeks at a time.”
“Likely within the next thirty days or so. As their brother and primary petitioner, you will need to be there, however, as far as day-to-day activities when you’re out of town, Jolie will be able to handle those things without any problems.”
“Then I’ll make it happen,” Dex emphatically states.
“I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as it’s filed, and I’ll also see if I can pull any strings to hasten the process,” Ms. Davis advises.
“I’d appreciate that. Most of my contracts are with companies I’ve worked for before, of course, but when they call, it’s expected that I’ll head out as soon as possible because they can’t work if their equipment needs repair.”
“I’ve got you, Dex,” Ms. Davis promises. “Now, I’ll let you guys get on with your day. Thank you for letting me stop by on a Saturday. It’s not my usual practice, but we’ve had an influx of children and all of us have taken on a number of new cases.”
“I know that’s tough for the kids,” I murmur.
At her look I add, “I went into the system after my grandfather passed away when I was fourteen. Because of my age, I was in a group home, not with a foster family.” I see the understanding in her eyes and send up a prayer that she doesn’t ask too many questions or pry into that part of my life I’d rather forget.
“That couldn’t have been easy, especially if you were grieving,” she softly replies.
“It wasn’t but that was then, and this is now, and I’ve got no complaints about my life these days,” I reply.
“Let me walk you out,” Dex says after Ms. Davis stands. “Anniston, help Abuela and Nonna and take care of the dishes. Thad, the trash bins need to be rolled down to the curb tonight, so go ahead and go through the house and grab all the trash bags, okay?”
Both kids jump up and I watch as Arya helps Anniston carry the empty dishes to the sink, where Abuela has the water already running while Nonna returns to the stove to stir the pot of sauce she’s making.
We won’t eat it tonight; she prefers to let it ‘set’ so all the flavors meld together and since she’s a phenomenal cook, I won’t argue with her process and methods.
I know tonight we’re having Chinese food, which is probably sacrilegious to both women, but Dex told them that there was no sense in them cooking day in and day out when he was home, and it was his privilege to give them a little bit of a break.
I just hope they’re not adding me to the cooking rotation. I mean, I can cook, but I’ve got nothing on the two seniors whatsoever. I do hope, though, that I can pick up some tips and tricks to add to my own knowledge.
“Hey, Albert, how’s it going?” I ask as the home inspector Grampy always used once a house was completed answers the phone. I know that Dale uses him as well; he’s got a good reputation for being thorough when he looks over a house. “It’s Jolie Patterson.”
“Jolie, sweetheart, how are you doing these days?” he asks.
“Well, for starters, I got married,” I reply, then hear his indrawn breath.
“Congratulations! Who’s the lucky man?” he questions.
“Dex Armstrong,” I reply.
“That was sure sad about his folks,” he murmurs, almost to himself. “What can I do for you today?”
“Well, Dale said you still do home inspections?” I query.
“I do,” he says. “What’s going on?”
Blowing out a breath, I say, “Dex’s parents had work done on their house which is where I’m living now, but between you and me?
The contractor sucked big-time. There are visible gaps and leveling issues and that’s just the obvious stuff I’ve seen.
I can feel a draft between the original structure and the additions, and there are spots that flat-out smell damp.
Am I making any sense? Plus, I’ve done some upgrading on the farmhouse as well.
So basically, I’d like Dex’s house inspected so I have a clearer picture of everything that needs to be done.
Like Grampy, I can do it all except the plumbing and electrical.
I mean, I can do that too, but I’d rather use the local guys since cost isn’t an issue.
They’re the true experts and I’ve only got a rudimentary base of knowledge when it comes to those jobs.
I also would like the farmhouse inspected once I get it done. Are you available?”
“Even if I wasn’t, for you, I’d figure it out, Jolie.
Your grandfather was something else and he’s one of the reasons I was able to build my company.
You’re too young to remember, I’m sure, but I apprenticed with him while I was in high school, and his standards when it came to building a house was something that always impressed the hell out of me.
He didn’t cut corners, and if something was screwed up, he tore it down and fixed it.
He didn’t just slap a patch on it and call it good. Sure do miss that old man.”
“Me too,” I whisper.
“So, Dex’s house first? How does Tuesday morning look?”
I glance at my calendar on my phone and realize I have to go out to a job site for Dale, but that won’t be until around three in the afternoon. “Perfect,” I reply. “I’ll be up any time after seven.”
“Honey, I’m not as young as I used to be, so I won’t be darkening the doorway until around nine,” he teases.
“Well, be prepared to eat to your satisfaction because you know how his grandmothers are,” I retort, a smile spread wide across my face. “Come hungry, Albert, or you’ll hurt their feelings.”
“Wouldn’t do that to Maria or Josephine,” he replies. “See you Tuesday, Jolie.”
“Thanks, Albert.” I hang up as Dex walks into the family room where I’m working on my schedule to make my day-to-day operation more amenable now that I’m helping raise three kids.
“A home inspector I know is coming out Tuesday morning to inspect the house, Dex, so I know what all needs to be repaired besides what I’ve visually seen so far. ”
He sighs while nodding. “Yeah, Dad got fucked over bigtime. That sounds good to me, the kids will be at school, so they won’t be underfoot.”
“Just the grandmothers,” I say, snickering.
“Yeah, and I’m sure they’ve noticed some things so that’s not too bad of an idea for them to be here,” he muses.
“I agree.”