Trust Your family, Family Has Your Back

Part 2, chapter 1

Part 2 Chapter 1
Sang

   "Ok Sang, Today we going to write words, you got very good at writing your alphabets and signing your alphabets. I got flashcards with pictures of things and animals. Right now we going to practice writing and signing the first 5. Dad is taking index cards and taping the spelling of objects around the house for you to practice. It's only been 2 weeks since we started these lessons. You are doing wonderful." Da saids. Hes is Jason's dad and Dad is his other dad.
  They been teaching me my letters and numbers. Even though I don't talk or make sounds. I been away from my old family almost 3 week. I been staying at Uncle's house, because he can be here for me. My guys, well they they not really mine, but I feel like they are mine. They are working alot. North, Luke, Silas, Jason, and Nathan are working on something called a church to remake it into something called a diner called 'Grandpa Bob's diner'. Sean has been working at the hospital where they first took me to. He always saids he has to go see the babies. Kota is doing something called team lead jobs. Victor, Gabe, and Owen as been working on something they call the school assignment. The guys they call the Tomas team Axle, Brandon, Corey, Raven, and Marc. They are doing some other assignments or helping the guys at the church. Uncle who is North and Luke's real uncle is busy with something call city hall and business stuff to open this diner.
  Da and Dad are so patient with me. We first just watched alot of what the call kids shows. Luke and Kota would stay and teach me sign language with Da and Dad.
  Shadow is under the table as always she rarely leaves my side. Magic as been spending alot of time with Victor like she can sense he needs her. She still likes spending most her time next to me. Midnight goes from sitting on my lap to napping in the sun on a seat underneath a window. Shes growing. She is gaining weight. Shes got something called spayed last week. My poor kitten was so sore. The guys said it was better for her to be spayed. She now feels better. As much as she loves to be with me, when Owen is here she likes to nap on his lap. She purrs and rubs against him leaving her black fur over his grey outfit. I think she does it on purpose.
  Da shows me my first picture. It is a apple. Yummy. They been feeding more types of food and least 3 times a day. If I get hungry or thirsty all I have to do is sign food or drink. My father only brought me a pack of crackers every few days.
Da wrote the word on something called a dry erase board. I would sign the letters. He saids good job. He have me write the word 10 times and sign the word between each time I wrote it. I hate writing it looks all weird compared to everyone else's writing. He always saying it get easier and better more I practice.
  Next picture is of a dog. I point to picture then my Shadow. Da smiles. "Yes Shadow is a dog. Good job."He saids.They never scold me. If I get something wrong they tell me good try and show me again. My old family always telling me I did something wrong. They just punished me and never told me what I did wrong.
  Da shows me on the broad how to spell it. He also saids the word like he was teaching me, how to say it even if I cant talk. He said so I know in my brain how to say it.
   I think they hope one day I will talk. I don't remember ever talking and I'm scared to try. When I was really little, back when my father was still doing stuff for me, before he said I was 2 and can take care of my self now. Mother us to hit my face and then put tape on my mouth. She tell me to stop crying and making  sounds it was giving her a migraine. Any sound I made she would punish me. If I cryed or made any sound while she punished me she do it longer telling me I just need to learn not to make a sound. I finally stopped making noises.
   I copied him in sign. Then wrote and signed again 10 times. We do this for 3 other words, circle, horse, and carrot.
I'm getting hungry and thirsty. I signed for food and drink to Da. He looks at the time. They were doing my school work like real school when we started doing writing and numbers. But they only have what they call class for 30 minutes to a hour. And only 3 classes a day. First is writing letters or alphabets. Second class is numbers, and third is something call gym. Dad is in charge of that one. He has me walking out side. They have these things called weights. But I only use the little pink one. Dad calls it a one pound hand weight. He just has me lift it in each hand a few times. He saids we have to go slowly to gain strength. I need to gain more weight.
Between classes we do other things. Like I normally have a snack or juice. Dad at what they call lunch as been teaching me how to boil water for foods like instant grits, oatmeal, and hot cocoa. He just will  not let me pour it. He saids I'm still to weak and might accidentally pour hot water on myself. I really like hot cocoa. He's also teaching me about the microwave. I can put something called a microwave sandwich in and make it hot. It's very tasty but not as good when Uncle, North, or Owen cooks for me.
  "Ok Sweet Potato, let's see if Dad as a snack ready. You did very good." He started calling me Sweet Potato when he met me when my guys has something called a cookout 2 weeks ago. He met me and took me from a sad Raven. Jason had told him I never been to school and never was taught anything at home. He put me on his lap and pulled up some app that showed how to write the alphabet. Dad sat next to me. One or the other would take my finger to trace the letters. He would say "good job, Sweet Potato. Dad say "way to go Pumpkin".
  Everyone calls me different names. Owen calls me Miss Sang, Sean calls me  Pookie, Kota calls me 10, North calls me Baby, Luke calls me Cupcake, Silas calls me Aggele moi, Victor calls me Princess, Nathan calls me Peanut, Gabe calls me Trouble, Jason calls me Love Bug, Axle calls me Chickadee, Raven calls me Kitten and sometimes Little Dove, Corey been calling me Nano Bytes, Brandon and Marc mostly call me Sang but sometimes they call me others stuff like sweetie and honey. Uncle calls me his Sparrow. David from the rescue where my kitten, dogs and my bird Grey Wings came from calls me Pretty Bird.I haven't been back there yet. Owen keeps saying I might bring home a elephant or giraffe. David just said he doesn't have any.
  David brought me Grey Wings when Axle had a big flight cage made for him. My smart bird figured a way out of the cage. Axle still cant find where Grey is getting out. Axle went out first time to see how Grey was doing and couldn't find him. He was sure we would never see him again. I went outside to let Shadow out as she didn't like to leave my side. I was walking around and Grey came flying to me saying " My Pretty Bird". I put my arm out and he landed on my arm. He then crawled up my arm to my shoulder and hid under my hair. They all was shocked when I came back in with him on my shoulder. Axle tryed get him off my shoulder to check him but he bit Axle's finger. Axle saids some bad words and had to have Sean put some tread in his finger and a bandage. No one has tryed to touch Grey when is on me.
Grey and Shadow gets along. Shadow let's Grey ride on her sometimes. No one touches Grey but me when he's on Shadow. Axle and David saids hes a strange bird.
  Me and Da walk into the kitchen everything had  card with words on it. Dad was sitting at the table with Uncle and Sean. They was drinking sweet tea. Uncle said it was a staple in the south. I don't know what that means. Oo they eating homemade oatmeal and raisin cookies. I signed food and drink. Uncle got me a cookie and a glass of tea. Yummy cookie is still warm. I sit and eat happily. I hear them talking.
   "Those boys are really getting the diner ready. That trailer even looks like part of the building." Uncle saids
  "I love the idea Nathan thought of. Offering 1 or 2 cooked meals. Depending on what is available seasonal. I can even  freeze stuff. Maybe buy like a cow at a time and free range chicken. There are alot of farmers that sells produce. Make more southern dishes like my Grandpa Bob use to make. Morning have eggs bacon sausage pancakes fruit. Buying from the farmers will help our community. I'd still have buy some from a food warehouse. I can save left overs for people that don't want what we having that night. I'm really opening for Academy members. I like his idea of using the old church pews and find or make big tables to have a more family style dining." He talks excitedly.
  "I could make it open different times shifts. Like morning 6am - 9am. Lunch 11am - 2pm, dinner  5pm - 10pm. That way we have time to clean between shifts. The boys would only be able to do weekend and short shifts during the week.  We have retired and young Academy members that need jobs. The Academy can set it up like the guard stations at the hospital. The children can't but the teenagers and young adults can use it as a training opportunity 3 or 6 months gets either favors or Academy cash. Depending how they do. Like the guard stations they only work 2 or 3 hours." Uncle saids.
  "Do you think you would get alot customers like that?" Dad ask.
   "I'm not worried about that. I'm mostly here for the Academy to have a place to work and eat. If it doesn't work I'll go for a regular dinner. I might draw people in just to experience something new. I could even be seasonal. Close when seasonal ingredients are hard to get." Uncle replies.
  "I can close during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to try something new this year. We all as a team have areas we help. We could hold food drives, collect turkeys and ham. I and my cooks could cook all the food. The teams could ask for donations for money to feed the poorer families. They can use that money to buy the food we make and take to their neighborhoods and basically have a neighborhood  block dinner. The money we collect from the teams for the food will go for the next cooking event." He saids
   "We normally go to a place that cooks for the poor, but there are normally a lot of people doing that. I can see feeding our neighborhoods as they might not be poor enough to go to food kitchens. But still not  have money to splurge on Turkey." Sean saids.
   "We can bring it up to the Elder council. Maybe not this year as we would not have time. But next year we could do Fourth of July. Maybe we can get get a rancher or 2 to donate a old cow. Maybe the place that process the cows would donate their time. That be alot of hamburger meat. Could do hamburgers. Maybe as the Academy we could rent a place near where they have fireworks and have the neighborhood families come there. It be good for the families to meet." Dad saids.
  I start to yawn and rub my eyes. I still tire easily.
  "I think Pookie is getting sleepy." Sean saids. I nod yawning again. I don't know why I'm so sleepy. With my own family I was always cleaning. When I was in the basement I was scared to sleep unless I knew everyone was asleep.
  "Go take a nap." I nod and get up. I look at Shadow. Its been awhile since she has been outside. I go and hug everyone. Then point to Shadow, then I point outside so everyone knew where I was going. I scared everyone first time I took her out and didn't tell them.
   I go onto the closed in porch and Grey Wings saw me and few to me and climbed onto my shoulder. He rubs my cheek with his head. "My Pretty Bird." I reach up and scratch his head. I then open the door letting Shadow out and following her out. I walk around outside enjoying the sun and fresh air. I see Sean watching me. The guys are so protective of me. I get Grey on my arm and let him fly and stretch his wings. I love the fresh air after living my whole life that I can remember inside. Maybe father took me outside when I was a baby but I don't remember. Soon Shadow came back and I held my hand up and Grey flew back to me. We go back inside. I put Grey on his perch on the porch. I checked his water and food. I went back into the kitchen. I hugged everyone again, before I went to my room to sleep. Shadow jumps up beside me. I hug her as I fall asleep.