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Wow I had never pegged her to only be twenty one, but I never really asked her age either. Luke’s grandmother is coming up in less than a week and I’ve got to figure out what to do for a birthday party for him. He never talks about friends from school, but I want to give him something I’m sure Jeff never would have given him.
I head to the school where he will be going and I will be working as the school resource officer, last year I only did the traffic after school and made sure the facility was locked up before I left. This school year I’m going to be on campus all day until the last teacher and student leave, since school violence is on the rise and most parents feel safer with an officer on campus. I ask if the secretary knows who he had last school year for his teacher. She is kind enough to look it up and tell me. I know she’s wondering why so I tell her I want to give him a birthday party and need to know who some of his friends were last year. What better way to find out who were his friends in school. She loves the fact that I’ve taken to him.
I head down to the child development hallway and introduce myself and bounce my idea off his former teacher who is on campus like most of the other teachers either in meetings or setting up their classrooms in preparation for the first day of school. She remembers Luke well from last year and she is happy to give me some names of his friends from last year.
I take the list and when I get back to the station I use the computer to look up the parents for the kids. I make a few phone calls and let the parents know what I am planning. I only get five that say they would love to come to a birthday party. I’ve even booked the party room in the pizza joint so that they can celebrate and play games.
When I get home I see an unusual car in my drive way. It must be Luke’s grandma. I head into the house and go through my evening routine. I’ve changed and headed into the den to visit with Lilly and Luke before we eat dinner. That’s when I’m cornered.
I introduce myself to the grandmother and she goes into overprotective grandma mode. “So, I see you approved me to come into the home, don’t go thinking that you can sugar coat who you are by appeasing me.” She says almost straight off the bat.
“No ma’am I’m not. I care for your grandson and his momma. You are free to come visit them any time you want, as long as Lilly says it’s okay.” I inform her that Lilly is free to invite anyone to stay with us here.
“Yeah, you say that, but you’re a cop. You’ve already ran a background search on me haven’t you.” She’s even less trustworthy than Lilly was.
“No ma’am. I haven’t. Actually, I’ve been working on a surprise for Luke on Saturday evening.” I inform her. I can tell that her interest in me is piqued.
“Really, can I ask how you afford this house on a cop’s salary?”
“Sure. I own several oil rigs, my grandfather owned over fifty and they were split up among his kids, but my father had forfeited his rights so his share passed on to me.” I inform her of my wealth.
“How did your father forfeit his rights?” She asks me.
“Well, he killed my mom and tried to kill me, when I was four years old.” I inform her of the abuse that I had gone through as a child. I see her reaction that I had lived through a pure hell for the first years of my life.
“So you know what Jeff did to Lilly?” She asks me.
“Yes, I was the one that found her at Chris’ house hiding in the tub. I have to tell you, ma’am that she’s a very strong young woman.”
“Yes she is. So you’re the mystery man she said she was staying with to hide from Jeff after he attacked her?”
“Yes ma’am. I figured my place was more secure for her and I offered to Chris and Kathy that she and Luke could stay here without worry of him finding her.” I explain. Since she had apparently told Luke’s grandma that I had taken her in as a guest in the house.
“Well, okay.” She says finally approving of me to a degree, but I can tell that she is still skeptical. Which is fine by me it means she won’t let Lilly or Luke be abused by anyone again.
The days pass and finally Saturday has come, Luke’s birthday. We head to the pizza place and I can tell by the excitement in his voice that he knows where we are going. I’ve passed it off to him as just a family dinner, little does he know that several of his friends will be there.
When we get there the hostess shows us to the room that I reserved. It’s decorated in his favorite cartoon character themed streamers, balloons, at each child’s place is a gift bag for them to take home and a party hat that they can wear. Plus I paid for each kid to get twenty dollars in tokens that they can use at the video games and the other toys around the restaurant.
Shortly after we arrived the kids start to trickle into the party room with their parents. I am pleased at the turnout seven of his school friends showed up out of the list of twenty I had gotten. One of them is a little girl with cute blonde hair done up in pigtails. Luke can’t take his eyes off of her and he practically tries to go to every game that she plays, I think he’s got a case of puppy love.
After we get home from the party, I put the exhausted Luke to bed and then join Lilly and his grandmother in the den. She applauds the effort I took to make sure that he had a memorable day. Lilly was also very happy with what I had done to surprise him. We sit down and have a final talk. Grandma is leaving tomorrow morning.
During this conversation she finds out that I am seventeen years Lilly’s senior. She questions why I haven’t married a woman before now, or why I don’t look for a girlfriend that is closer in age to my own. When I answer her question by showing her the scars on my back, and explain that most women I have dated before Lilly have all run at the sight of them. I think that I have finally won her approval.
A week later we take Luke to pick out a new book bag and the rest of the supplies that are on the list for the first of the year. I even make sure we get him a few new outfits as well as two pairs of tennis shoes. Lilly tries to tell me that she can pay for it, but I don’t want her spending her money. A man takes care of his woman by providing the basic needs. Those basic needs in my opinion are: food, shelter, a mode of transportation, clothing, and love. Most importantly love.
We go to the welcome back event nights. I have to attend because I am the school’s resource officer, but during the open house for Luke’s grade the principal has given me the okay to meet his teacher and help Lilly with getting the supplies to the teacher. After the open house Lilly and I decide that I will take Luke to school each day and that she will pick him up since I have to stay until six in the evening at the school to make sure all the kids are picked up by their parents.
School starts and Luke is excited to ride in my squad car to school, some of the kids do pick on him about it, but he takes it in stride. Two weeks later Lilly will undergo her surgery to remove the colostomy bag. She is nervous and excited. Having the colostomy bag has been an inconvenience, but we want her well. I have romantic plans for every night until her surgery, because the doctor has told her no sex for six weeks afterwards to give her surgery site time to fully heal, again.