Gold Dust Woman- Lip Gallagher

what's a w-2?

"Fiona's getting custody of you all?" I said to Lip and Ian.

"Yeah, it's the only way we'll be able to stay a family," Ian said.

"Damn," I said.

Along with having to prove she had a stable household and a job, Fiona needed to fill out her W-2, which Lip helped with. The guy had been doing Kev's taxes since he was ten.

"You just gotta scan the W-2 and change the name," Ian said.

"It's so easy. It's like they're daring you to commit fraud."

"I don't wanna get Kev in trouble," Fiona said.

"Hey, Kev, is it cool if we put Fiona's name on your W-2?" I said.

"Sure, what's a W-2?"

I laughed. After we finished the W-2, we'd need to get a death certificate and a dead body for Aunt Ginger.

"Hey, babe," I said to Lip, "You signed up for the SAT yet? The deadline's tomorrow."

"Nope."

"Well, do it. I don't know how many times I need to remind you."

"I'll do it online. It takes two seconds," Lip said.

"Yeah, you better," I said, "So, is this the place?"

We were in front of a few stores, one of which was going to help us get Ginger's will notarized. Afterward, we went to the apartment of the gay couple Carl and Liam were placed under.

"Mayo!" Carl said, hugging me, "Is Blake here?"

"Sadly, no," I said, "But you'll see him soon, don't worry!"

I played blocks with Liam while Lip talked to Carl about everything that was going to happen.

We were able to get the dead body we needed, and unsurprisingly, it reeked. The smell was so bad I wanted to run to the bathroom and puke. But we stuck it through, put cloths around our nose and mouth, and worked to lift the dead body. Lip held up a pair of scissors after we put it on the bed.

"Who wants to do the honors?"

No answer.

"Look, the real Aunt Ginger lost a toe. Somebody's gotta snip it. V, you're a nurse."

"Not a chance."

"Hell no," Diana said.

Ian stood up and decided to be the brave one to do it. But then, he chickened out at the last second, leaving Fiona to do it.

"Glue it shut when I'm done."

Just as she was about to do it, we heard the door open. We ran downstairs and saw Debbie stuffing her face with food.

"Debbie are you ok?!"

"Can't talk. Hungry."

"Are they not feeding you?!" I said, kind of terrified.

"Do we have any more milk?"

Fiona looked horrified, "You're not going back there."

"We gotta bring food to the others!"

"Grocery bags, now," V said, "Mayo, Diana, grab bread and cereal."

__________________________________________________________________

The next day was the hearing. While Fiona, Frank, and the kids were in the courthouse, Lip and I went to get the will filed. Unfortunately, Aunt Ginger had already left that house to someone else. A cousin, Patrick Gallagher. 

The hearing went as expected. Frank tried to sell the judge this bullshit sob story, and none of us bought it. Frank's record was horrendous. He wasn't clean, and he never will be.

"Ms. Gallagher, you wanna tell me why your father should be declared unfit?"

Oh boy. Was I ready for this?

"We were living out of a car once. Uncle Nick had kicked us out. Couldn't find anyone else who'd take us in. Lip, Ian, and I were sleeping in the back seat when Frank pulled over. Told me to take the boys and sit on the curb and he'd be right back. I was six."

Lip couldn't have been any older than one, and Ian had to be a newborn.

"A few hours later, we're still sitting on the sidewalk. Ian's head is burning up. He's hysterical, and I don't know what to do. So, I ran down the street, Lip under one arm, Ian under the other, trying to flag down help. Would've been easier scoring crack than a ride to the clinic. I finally made it on foot. They said Ian had a fever of 104. Another couple hours and who knows?"

Hearing this made me so sad. You can't make this shit up.

"I didn't find Frank until a couple days later," she said, "The first thing he asked was how much money I had on me."

I started tearing up. No matter how much fucked up shit I heard, it never failed to make me sad.

"I wish I could say that was the last time, but it was only the first. My mother is bipolar, and my father is an alcoholic and an addict. He takes what he pleases and he offers nothing. No money, no support. I've done what I could to help raise my siblings. I wish I could've done more. I'm not asking for your pity or your admiration, I just wanna be able to give these kids what they deserve because they're great kids, and they deserve better."

Slowly, I wiped a tear away.

The judge and Fiona's lawyer went into the chambers to discuss and then came back.

Fiona agreed to become the legal guardian of the kids.

"Well, that'll be my order then," the judge said, "Take your children home."

We all cheered and hugged each other. I hugged Lip tightly, knowing the family would never have to be apart again. We still had to tell her about the house. But for now, celebration!