Page 38 of Adonis Gates

He took the dinosaur from me then got down on the floor, onto his pallet in front of the T.V. and began to play with them both. Ms. Franks was over by the counter looking on with a small smile on her face.

“How’s he been eating? Is he sleeping okay?”

There were obvious food stains on his shirt, but the questions were regulated, so I had to ask.

“Pretty normal,” she answered. “He’s picky with food…”

“Which most kids are.” I laughed.

“Right.” She chuckled. “But he sleeps through most nights. He hasn’t been feeling good, so he was a little up and down.”

“Any doctor’s appointments since your last visit?”

The school called originally making claims that there may be neglect in the home. She’d seen another social worker then, but Judy was now out on vacation, so I was filling in for her.

She shook her head. “He had a little cold last week, but we treated it at home. He seems to be fine now.”

I jotted down some quick notes while taking glances at Carson, who appeared to be having the time of his life with the bear and dinosaur.

“Carson, do you like school?” I leaned in and asked. He nodded. “What’s your favorite part of the day.”

“Recess!” he shouted, lifting his little arms in the air.

I smiled. “That was mine too. When I was your age, I lived for the swings.”

He smiled shyly, then looked down at the toys in his hands. I gave his little body a quick onceover—noticing no visible bruises or marks on his skin. I took a few more notes before I put my things away.

“Okay, buddy, I just wanted to check in and see that everything was okay with you, and make sure you’re safe and happy.”

He gave me a nod, so I gathered my things and stood then made my way over to his mother. She gave me a quick tour of the rest of the house before walking me to the door.

“I appreciate you for letting me in. I noted that he looks good, seems emotionally stable, and that the home is adequate. If anything changes, or you need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

She nodded. “I will. And thank you for being polite and not judging me. I know you have a job to do, but not everyone is as friendly as you.”

“I get it. Trust me.” I shook my head thinking about how rude some of my colleagues could be.

To me, it was frustrating enough just to be dealing with DCFS when you were doing your best to parent your children, but a lot of these people were on power trips. I didn’t believe in kicking people when they were down. There were absolutely some horrible people in this world, and more than a little that didn’t deserve to be parents, but everyone wasn’t like that.

“Ms. O’Neil, will you be back?” Carson ran over and asked.

“I might.” I smiled. “But only to check in and say hi. You take care of Rex for me, okay?”

He gave me a bright smile as he nodded. “I will.”

I slipped out of the door after giving them both a quick wave. I hustled to the car and quickly locked the doors before submitting the notes that I’d taken. Once I was done, I pulled out and made my way back to the office.

I was glad that I had nothing else to do after that, so I packed my things and prepared to head out after ordering a uRide home. On the way out I noticed Bonita and her little crew huddled by the door. I strolled right past them, not paying themany mind. I didn’t have many people that I talked to at the office, but the few I did had let me know I was the topic of conversation the entire time I was out of work. I didn’t care though because all those hoes knew better than to sayanythingto me.

I pushed through the double doors to exit the building prepared to wait for my ride, but when I got out there I noticed Adonis waiting in front of his Wrangler with a bouquet of roses in his arm. I smiled then glanced around before walking toward him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Figured I’d come take you to dinner,” he smirked, handing me the roses.

I grinned, accepting the flowers and giving them a quick sniff. “These are beautiful. Thank you.”

“Anytime,” he lifted from his spot where he was leaning against the car to pull me into a hug. He smelled so good I could have fainted. “Come on.”