Break The Cycle

Chapter 19:

Emma POV:

Henry was up bright and early the next day, eager to spend time with me. I made us both breakfast and then we were off. I took him straight to the nearest kid's clothing store and let him pick clothes and shoes out. By the time we left, he was all set for everything he would need.

After that, we met Regina and Ruby in the bookstore. Henry was a bit overwhelmed with the vast amount of books he was surrounded by.

"Regina, Ruby," I said, approaching the two women. Regina had her husband, Robin, and stepson, Roland, with her. "this is Henry, my son. Henry, this is Regina, Robin, Roland, and Ruby."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Henry." Regina stepped forward.

"It's great to meet all of you too!" Henry eagerly said. I could tell he had few friends in the group home. "Hey, mom," he got my attention, "can we get just a few books, please?" He begged.

"Sure, kid." He whooped and took me by the hand to the kids section, where he and Roland proceeded to pick out books that interested him.

"He's wonderful, Emma." Ruby said to me. Regina and Robin were with the boys.

"Yeah, he is." I replied, watching my son in awe.

"And how are you dealing with this?"

"I'm over the moon, Ruby!" I told her.

"I'll bet, he loves you. I can see it." She said.

I knew what she was getting at. She knew me growing up, she knew I never got much as far as love or affection of any sort.

"You have to let me get him some books!" Ruby piped up.

"No, you don't have to do that Ruby." I assured her.

"I want to! As a gift to both of you."

I let out a sigh in defeat, I'd learned years ago that Ruby always did what she wanted anyway.

She squealed with delight and pranced over to Henry. She talked to him for a minute before he hugged her and they set about picking a few books. Then she made off to the register with a pile in her hands,  sly grin on her face. That was when Regina approached me.

"We're getting him some books too, and comic books." She declared.

"Regina!" I huffed at her.

"Emma!" She said in a mocking tone. "He and Roland are going to be great friends, think of it as an investment in the both of them. They can bond over it."

"You and Ruby are impossible." I grumbled. But I let her do it, how could I deny my son? Besides, I knew I had the greatest friends in the world.

"That's the spirit. Besides, this is also a down payment for a little babysitting and sleepover duty later on." She winked. I laughed and rolled my eyes as she too approached Henry, who once again set about picking books and comic books.

At the end of the day, Henry had more books than he could read in the next year. And I had one more surprise for him.

"Henry." I asked as we were driving.

"Hmm?" He replied, still in a daze.

"Have you ever had a pet before?" I asked.

"No, none of my foster homes ever had one." He replied.

"Well, I hope you're ready for the responsibility." I told him.

"Really?" His eyes went wide with excitement.

"Yep, but I have to warn you kid, dogs are a lot of work. You have to clean up after him, and make sure he has food and water."

"I will! Thank you, mom! You're the best!" He reached over and hugged me as much as he could.

We stopped by the pet store to get some food and a leash, I got a smaller kennel because I planned on picking a companion of my own.

When we arrived at the shelter we were welcomed with open arms.

"And what are we looking for today?" She asked me and Henry.

"We're both going to pick out someone to take home." I said.

"Wonderful!" She beamed. I knew these places were crowded with animals they found on the streets. We roamed the dog area, and a rather large dog caught Henry's eye.

"Who's this?" He asked the lady.

"That is Frank. We named him after Frank Sinatra because he likes to howl when he hears music."'she laughed. "We think he's part Great Dane, and maybe shepherd."

Great, a huge dog. But I told Henry he could pick who he wanted.

"Is he friendly and trained?" I asked the woman as Henry let the dog lick his face through the kennel bars.

"Oh yes. He loves men, women, kids, other dogs, even cats. And he is potty trained." The woman assured me.

"Great. We bought a leash so we take take him home." I said.

"Oh wonderful! I'll get the papers ready! Did you say you want a little one of your own?" She asked me.

"Yes, but maybe a cat. I think that's enough dog for one house." I said.

"Sounds great! The cats are in the front. Your son can go with you and we can get Frankie out of his kennel as soon as the adoption is done."

I turned to my son. "Henry? She says we can go look at cats while she gets the paperwork ready, then she'll bring Frank out to you."

"Okay!" He said, all sorts of excited. "I like cats too!"

We went to the front and Henry and I roamed the cat room.

"What about this one?" He was pointing to a very fluffy grey cat.

"Too much hair." I said.

"Here's a pretty one! She has three colors!"

The cat was pretty, but I was kind of hoping for a baby. Not tiny, but somewhere in between. The only one that fit the description was in a cage with a sibling. A worker in the shelter approached me.

"That's Hansel and Gretel." She told me, pointing to each one.

"Like the fairy tale?" I asked.

"Yep! They're brother and sister and we found them lost, no parents."

"I really like them, but I'm not sure if I want both." I didn't want to separate them.

"Well, would it help if I said it's a two for one? When you adopt siblings, you pay for only one adoption."

I thought about it for a second. Then Henry stepped in.

"Mom, you can't separate them. They're family." He begged me. I smiled down at him.

"How can I deny that face?" I pinched his cheek a little then turned to the lady. "Okay, sold. They're coming home with us and Frankie back there." I aimed my thumb to the big dog area.

"This is great!" She beamed and scurried off to get paperwork done.

Fifteen minutes later, Frank was taking up the entire back seat of my bug while Henry sat up front with Hansel and Gretel's cage in his lap. Since I didn't plan on a cat, I hadn't bothered to buy any litter or a box. Luckily, the shelter sold them and food to make extra money so I bought it there. But I had every intention of teaching these two to use a toilet. Cats were smart, and Regina had taught hers, she could help me.

As soon as we got home, Henry rushed to take Frank outside and show him the toys we'd bought while I got the cats settled in. I set up their box in the bathroom in my room, and showed them where it was. Then I set up all the pet food. Tomorrow I would have to buy them real dishes. As the cats roamed the house, I walked outside. Henry and Frank were playing some strange version of chase, and Frank was winning with those long legs of his. I smiled. This was perfect. My son and I in a house together, with a big teddy bear of a dog and two sweet cats.