Kerry

I sat in Rev. Keller's office and described the situation in as much detail as I knew, while Kerry sat in the outer office reading a book he had found there. I admitted to him that I had been less than polite to Mr. Sanders, but I really had no regrets about anything I had said, and although I hoped I would not have to, I was fully prepared to make good on the "promises" I had made to him.

Rev. Keller was thoughtful for a few moments before he spoke. "Mike," he began, "normally I would take a long time discussing the ramifications of this with you, but I don't think that will be necessary in your case. You and I have known each other for several years now. You have been through the adoption process before, so I know that you know what is ahead, and your children have all turned out to be fine young men, so I know you are more than capable of raising him properly. You have been active in our church and community youth programs, so I know you have the ability to work with this child and help him contend with his family history, and when you came in this morning, I could see the love in your eyes and the determination in your whole demeanor. The only concern I have is your age. Stop and think, Mike, you are - what - 58 years old? And this child is ten? You will be in your sixties while he is going through his teen years. Do you really think this is the right thing to do?

"Yes, I do. If God gives me breath long enough, I will take care of him myself, and if He doesn't, I am sure one of my sons will. I can give him enough financial support to get his education and at least a good start on his career. Besides, I don't see anyone else stepping up to the plate for him. And don't try to tell me that Children's Services has the answer. I don't even want to think about them getting their hands on him."

"I hear you. Just understand that you need to think about that issue and be sure that you can answer any questions about it from the authorities. For my part, I just have one question to ask you now: Do you believe that God is asking you to take this child and love him and raise him as your own before God, Him being your guide and your strength?"

"Reverend, I am not going to sit here and tell you that I have heard a clear voice from Him about this, but I just met this boy last night, and I have already developed very, very strong feelings for him. He says, and I believe, that he shares very strong feelings for me. Both of us love each other very much. I know he can't take Mary's place in my life or my heart, but a lot has been missing from my life since Mary died, and he has already filled in a sizeable gap. He has never known the love of a father, and I honestly believe that I am overflowing with that. If God Himself did not send him to me, I know in my heart that Mary did."

Rev. Keller was silent a few moments before he finally responded, "Sounds like God is working here." He had a very large smile on his face. "Do you know Tom Sunderland from the church?" he asked.

"No, I am sorry, I can't place the name."

"Tom has been a member here for about four years, although he doesn't come to services very often. He is a family court judge, and he owes me a favor. I cannot, and I will not, attempt to influence any of his decisions in this case or in any others, but I will ask him how to go about this legally. I am sure he wouldn't consider it a breach of his duties to answer general questions. Would you like me to call him now?"

"Yes, I would, if you don't mind."

"Also, do you know Doyle Matthews?"

"Not really. I have met him a couple of times, and I believe he is an attorney, but we really don't know each other."

"He is an attorney specializing in family law. He and I have worked on a number of problems involving children before. If you would like, I will see if he would take your case."

"I appreciate your help so far, and I would welcome any additional help you can provide."

Reverend Keller called Mr. Sunderland's office and got his secretary. In no time he was actually talking to the judge. I tried to hear more than one side of the conversation, but I couldn't. Anyway, Reverend Keller seemed to like what he was hearing. I heard him mention that he was going to contact Doyle Matthews about possibly handling the case. After a while, he pulled the phone away from his ear and asked me if I knew the full name of the boy's stepfather. I gave him the information, then he returned to his conversation. When he finally hung up, he was all smiles.

He then called Mr. Matthews' office and had a conversation that again left him smiling.

"Mike," Reverend Keller began, "apparently your Mr. Sanders has come up before Judge Sunderland before, and the judge doesn't like him very much. He can't promise anything, but he'll look into the matter and advise on any problems that may arise. He says you two have never met, but he knows you as the church organist and was very complimentary about your musical abilities. It's obviously too early to tell, but things look good for a start. Also, I spoke with Doyle Matthews, and he has agreed to take your case if you want him to. I don't know if you already have an attorney, but I would strongly advise you to pick Doyle."

"Thanks. I do have a call in to my attorney, and I'll ask him about it when I speak to him this evening. He probably knows Mr. Matthews, and maybe I can get both of them to work for me."

"That would be great. Mike, I need to ask you if you would mind if I speak to the young lad in private. I noticed you had him with you - at least I assume that is he."

"Fine with me. I'll just wait outside."

Kerry went into the Reverend's office and stayed about ten minutes. When they came out, Reverend Keller was still all smiles. "Mike, you know that I will do anything I can to help you if you need me. God has sent you a fine boy here - take care of him." He looked down at Kerry, and Kerry beamed back at him. The Reverend tossled his hair and gave him a pat on the back. "Before you leave, I need to speak to you again, but first I have a couple of phone calls to make. Do you have time to wait a few minutes?"

"Sure," I answered, and I sat down in the waiting room next to Kerry. He gave me a cute little wink and a big smile, then turned back to reading his book. After about fifteen minutes, I was called back into the office.

"Mike, I have spoken with a very nice lady who also is a member of this church, Mrs. Flora Adams. You probably don't know her, since she seldom comes to Sunday services, but believe me, she is quite active behind the scenes. She works with the county child welfare office. She will be contacting you about some legal paperwork in a few days, but her office has a sizeable backlog of cases. Normally, her department would take immediate custody of the boy, but when I told her who you were, and assured her that the boy was in good hands, and also told her that Doyle Matthews was probably taking your case, she agreed to allow him to stay with you until the situation is a little clearer. I am sure Doyle will do his best for you, and Judge Sunderland will do what is right. Assuming there are no legal barriers to your being named guardian, she sees no problem with it, and she will do what she can to expedite the paperwork. At any rate, let me assure you that you have the first team working for you in this, and again, you know I will do what I can to help you."

I was almost speechless. "Reverend, I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate your help this morning. I knew I had a lot of things to do, but I didn't know where to begin. Now, it almost seems like this is going to be as easy as a signature. Thanks so much for your help, and thanks for the kind words and the confidence."

"You're welcome. Just take care of God's little angel out there. Mike, I have no problem with your taking a little time off to take care of this, but please keep your cell phone handy in case we need to call you for an emergency. I hope I am wrong, but I am afraid we will be having a funeral in the next few days." 

I agreed. We shook hands, then I called Kerry and we left the church. 

"Are you my dad yet?" Kerry asked as soon as we got into the car.

"No, Kerry, not yet. Legal things take time - sometimes lots of time. But we have a lot of good people on our side, so let's be optimistic. Okay?" Kerry grinned. "So, what did you think of Reverend Keller?"

"He's nice," Kerry said. "He thinks a lot of you, too."

"Well, good," I said. It is always good to hear a compliment, especially from your supervisor, pastor, and friend. "What's your favorite color?"

"Blue. Why do you ask?"

"I need to know what color of clothes to look for," I answered. I had to admit I was a little excited about going shopping for new clothes for him - it had been a long time since I shopped for clothes for a boy, and I was looking forward to it. Besides, I was also excited that Kerry was going to stay with me for at least a few more days, and he needed them. I looked over to him, expecting to see his radiant smile, but instead he looked a little sad.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Kerry answered, "but I told you last night I wouldn't be any trouble, and now you are talking about spending money on me. I know you hadn't planned on buying clothes for me, and I don't want you to resent me. Why don't you just let me keep these clothes? They are fine, and I can keep them clean."

"Kerry, number one, you need new clothes and we both know it. You can't wear the same clothes every day, and besides, the clothes you have on don't have much wear left in them - in fact, they are going into the garbage when we get home. Number two, you don't have any idea how much I am going to enjoy being able to shop for a special little boy. It has been a long time since I was able to do that, and I intend to enjoy it. Kerry, please just let me worry about the finances, and you just keep thinking about how much I love you, how proud I am of you, and how handsome you are going to be when you look even nicer than you do now. It is my pleasure to do this for you, and I have absolutely no resentment toward you. Number three, and last, more than anything else right now, I want you to feel comfortable in telling me what you need or want. You need to know that while I am not as wealthy as many people are, I am more than comfortable, and I like to think I am pretty good at taking care of what is important to me. You certainly fit that description. I am not saying I can do everything at once, and I am not saying that I will do everything you want, but if I am going to be your father, then I want you to give me the opportunity to be as good a one as I can be."

"Okay, but I don't want you to do anything that is going to make you love me any less."

"That would be impossible, Kerry. You should know that. Whatever I do for you, it is done out of love for you, and it is fully paid back when you say you love me. And believe me, those hugs you give me every once in a while; well, they are to die for. I'm being well paid, and don't you forget it."

"You know I do love you, Mike, and not just as pay back. I really do love you."

"And I love you, too, but enough of this mushy stuff. We have shopping to do."