Miguel was the first kiddo picked up like yesterday.
The kid happily talked about his day and the fun he had with his friend Hayden.
Kimmy tried to tune him out and think about the farm she needed to make in her game world so she would have endless food to survive the monsters she easily died to. Despite loving video games and playing them all the time, Kimmy wasn't a pro gamer or anything like that. It helped that Stephen's friend, Josh, had an alert for his live streams to point out he too was bad at video games, which taught her to laugh off and not be mean to herself.
They climbed into the truck with the kid still talking. To be fair, Kimmy's mom often called her a "motor mouth." So she couldn't be too annoyed with him.
Kimmy watched the passing scenery through her window as they headed to the next school when a musical sound was heard. She glanced out of the corner of her eye as Ben pulled out his phone to answer it, looking through the back of the seat and the wall of the truck.
"Hey, Mom," he said with the phone to his left ear, holding his arm on the door to lean on and driving with one hand on the steering wheel. "Just making the afternoon rounds... Picking up the kids, Mom," Ben sounded serious that time.
There was a brief pause before he said, "We've been busy. Kids with school. Another pup joined our pack. But I promise to do better."
The phone conversation continued in a calm direction. Ben discussed adult stuff Kimmy didn't understand. She tried to tune him out as she stared out her window, thinking about her game again. But then his tone began to shift from calm, and she heard Ben say something about one of them would only be able to make it while the other stayed home with the kids, briefly raising his voice.
Kimmy stole a peek over at Miguel out of the corner of her eye, who was watching Ben with a look of concern.
She heard Ben take a deep breath as he calmed down again. "That's the best I can do, Mom. Either that or we bring them with us. Those are the only two options," Ben said, sounding the most frustrated he'd been since Kimmy got there.
Shortly after, his shoulders drooped, and he breathed he would talk later. He sincerely said, "Love you," before ending the call, dropping the hand holding the phone. Ben stared ahead at the road, not saying anything else.
After a moment Miguel asked, "Are you okay, Tio?"
Ben glanced up in the rearview mirror to reply, "Yeah, I'm okay, bud. Don't worry about it."
The truck was in silence the rest of the way to Claudia's school. Except for Miguel's music, with apparently a bunch of vegetables singing. Kimmy had seen and heard weirder things, though.
Her brother loved the cartoons made for preschoolers despite being eleven years old. At least Miguel wasn't wanting to listen to that Baby Shark song on repeat. That was Zach's favorite and couldn't go to sleep without someone putting it on for him.
"Shark!" He would cry until it happened and usually their mom wouldn't hear him, especially if she was already asleep. So Kimmy would have to get up and press play on his CD player for him.
Kimmy felt her face burn just thinking about her brother. Not in an angry way. Her face sometimes got warm if she got embarrassed or emotional. Living in a desert state where the temperature outside got up to triple numbers did not help when her face grew warm or hot, and sitting there with the sun on her side felt like she was in an oven as her mind raced with questions of how Zach was doing and where he was.
Kimmy ignored it though and tried to steer her thoughts back to her game.
Ben eventually pulled into the parking lot of the high school and parked by the curb where other parents were parked. He rolled down the passenger side window and gave a short honk when Claudia hadn't noticed him.
The honk startled Kimmy actually, causing her to flinch her head towards him. He hadn't noticed, though, since his attention was on Claudia. She looked in the same direction, seeing her new roommate talking to a boy around her age.
Ben pressed the horn on the steering wheel again when Claudia still hadn't acknowledged if she seen them or not, before turning the dial on the radio so it blasted the singing vegetables. Claudia finally noticed and headed their way.
"Was that really necessary?" Claudia asked once she was at the truck, opening the passenger side door.
"Had to get your attention some way," he said with a shrug. "I see you made a friend today."
Claudia pulled out the seat belt and stretched it across her front to fasten it. She then slumped back in her seat. "I met him at lunch when he asked for money for a Powerade."
"What's his name?" Ben asked.
"Jake," she replied, while staring forward.
There was a long, awkward silence where no one said anything. Miguel started singing to himself, waving his head a little from side to side, singing about someone named Jesus and how he loves someone. When the song was over, Claudia asked him nicely if she could change the music, which he willingly allowed. The radio was then switched to a rock station.
-- & --
While they were waiting for Mary's school to dismiss for the day, Ben got Kimmy's attention, letting her know this would be the school she goes to, as well. "It's a kindergarten through eighth grade public school. Mary's in the eighth grade, so you probably won't see each other."
Kimmy looked from Ben over to the one-story multiple school buildings. The campus looked newer than the schools she went to in Phoenix.
He also explained normally on Wednesdays, Mary gets picked up first since the elementary school has early release at noon. But Mary wanted to ask one of her teachers for help she was struggling with, so she stayed after for a couple of hours.
"We've had most of our kiddos go to this school and they seemed to like it, Mary included," he said, filling Kimmy in on everything. "I'm pretty sure you're our first third grader, though, so we haven't met any of those teachers."
"I will go here for kindergarten. Right, Tio?" Miguel asked, eagerly.
"If you're still with us next school year, yes, this is where you will go," he said with a confirming nod. Kimmy noticed him swallow before Ben added he needed to speak with Miguel and his sister in private when they get home.
The eagerness left the boy's face and the corners of his mouth dropped as if Ben had given him bad news. "Is it bad?"
Ben gently shook his head. "No, buddy. It will be good." When Miguel still did not look convinced, he reached back to playfully punch the boy's lower knee, offering him an encouraging smile.
Miguel returned a smaller smile.
Claudia gave the head's up, Mary was heading towards the truck, coming from the double doors that led to the eighth grade hallway.
Ben had Miguel scoot his seat over to the middle so Mary could climb in beside him, which the first thing out of his mouth was Ben needing to tell them something in private when they got home. Like her brother, Mary also asked if it was anything bad.
"Nothing bad, kiddo," he also reassured her with a shake of his head.
With Miguel sitting closer to her, Kimmy scooted closer to the door, trying to avoid any kind of physical touch of any kind. She wasn't a fan of groups in tight spaces such as crowding into a back seat, nor did she like being touched. Even if it was only by accident. She didn't know why. It had been like that ever since she was little, unless she was close with someone.
Once Ben pulled into the driveway, using the garage door opener on the sun visor above his head, he told the kids to head inside while he called Kayla.
While the other three kids rushed to the kitchen to grab a snack, Kimmy headed for the family room to continue her game. That is, until Claudia and Mary came in, each with one of those small bags of chips that come in a variety pack and a can of sparkling water.
"Nuh uh, squirt," Claudia told her, coming over to grab the TV remote. "Our show is on." She turned on the TV and switched it over to MTV. Both girls dropped onto the couch on either side of the youngest girl.
Kimmy dropped the PS4 controller on the ottoman. Both girls had their feet up so she was trapped in.
"Ask and we'll move our feet," Claudia told Kimmy, holding a chip to her lips.
Kimmy stared at her for a moment before just climbing over the ottoman. She then headed for the kitchen to search for her tablet Ben had plugged in for the night and took it upstairs to her room.
-- & --
While the kids were climbing out of the truck and heading inside, Ben had called Kayla, who answered after the second ring.
"Hey, hun, I am wrapping up a few things for the day and will probably be home in time for dinner," she said first. "How'd everything go today?"
Ben had removed his seat belt as soon as he turned off the truck, but remained in his seat, leaning back slightly. He filled her in on shopping with Kimmy this morning and letting her play Minecraft while he got work done.
"Yeah, I kind of suspected she was a tomboy, but didn't want to assume anything."
Ben at least opened his door so he wouldn't get heat stroke, even if it was September. "Mine didn't even cross that thought, but, hey, if that's what she's comfortable in."
Kayla agreed. "Anything else happen?" She asked, moving along.
"Uh..." His mind told him to get right to the point of why he was calling, but instead put a leash on it for now and mentioned Mary and Miguel's caseworker calling while at Target. "The next court hearing is next month and wanted to let us know they found an aunt willing to take both of them. Visits will most likely start following the hearing."
"Do the kids know this aunt?"
"The aunt says she knew Mary when she was six but hasn't met Miguel. I guess she's the aunt on their mother's side, who hasn't kept in contact with her sister since the mother took off on the family," Ben explained what Jennifer had been told.
"Have you told them yet?"
Ben panned around at his surroundings. "Sort of. I slipped to Miguel; I needed to talk to him and Mary when we got home."
He heard Kayla sigh. "And you think that was a good idea?" She questioned, as if reminding him of the consequences. Nobody liked hearing they needed to talk and leaving it up for the imagination to wonder and let worry creep in. Ben, of all people, should understand, considering his imagination was what caused him to want to call Kayla in the first place.
"Yeah, I know. I am an idiot. I could see the fear in both of their eyes when I said it," Ben said with a self-deprecating sigh.
Kayla never let him get away with the self depreciating talk and sure enough scolded him for it. "I usually say to wait for me for these kinds of conversations. But, since they're already partly aware, you should go in there now and tell them."
He rubbed his eyes with one hand. Ben really needed to talk to her and tried to finish the call with her, but Kayla put her foot down with him and insisted. "We can talk more tonight. Now go."
"Yes, Mom," Ben said with a smirk, and chuckled.
With no other choice, they ended the call with their usual "love you," and hung up.
But Ben didn't get out of the truck. Not right away, anyway. He sat there, leaning on the middle console. He held the edge of his phone to his forehead, holding his eyes shut.
"God, please help me put all these anxious thoughts to the side for now and help me share this info with Mary and Miguel. Help me say the right thing and be there for those kiddos," he prayed and finished with, "in Jesus's name. Amen."
Then Ben got out of the truck and headed inside.