*ADOPTED*

*ADOPTED*~Eleven~

For the next few weeks I have been busy checking out apartments and houses for rent or for sale at a cheaper price, trying like hell to get off my girlfriend's back so to speak, it just didn't feel right to me living under her roof free of charge and letting her pay mine and AJ's way thru the days and nights. While I was doing that I thought Sandy and Chloey were watching my son...but what I didn't know was that my son found his way to Criss's mansion of a house at the end of the block and that's where he stayed all the times I was away from the house. He was having a hay day playing with Johnny and all of Criss's four-legged furbabies. 

I went to several job interviews, but none of them were hiring right now, but they assured me as soon as they had an opening I would be the first one they contacted. Sure like I haven't heard that one before, but I gave them a kind smile and thanked them anyway then moved on to the next thing on my list, which was finding AJ a preschool to go to, for in another week school would be starting for all kids and toddlers. I gave a long sigh and started walking toward the school district areas where all the schools were located when I heard a horn honking at me, I turned around and saw Klayton pulling up beside me in his Dodge Challenger asking me if I needed a ride someplace instead of walking everywhere.

I moved up to the passenger side as I gladly accepted his offer, for my feet, were very sore from walking to all those job interviews since early this morning. Once he pulled out he asked me where it was I was heading, I told him as I was rubbing my foot that I was looking for a preschool for my son to go to. Klayton gave me a wide grin and said that was easy and to just put him in the same school his son went to, that way he would have a friend there already. I told him that was a great idea, then I hesitated momentarily but asked if he knew if Criss's boy went to that preschool as well. Klayton without taking his mind off the road said he sure did because it was the best preschool in the city, therefore Criss had to have his son there.

Klayton pulled up in the driveway at the Kid's CO-OP Preschool and said he would come in and vouch for me beens I was new in the city. I thanked him again for helping me out, as we both walked into the building and right up to the service desk in the main office where an elderly lady was standing filling out some paperwork. Klayton hopped on the table and gave her a silly kiss as he asked her how she was doing today, then he pulled me over to her and said that his girl was new to the neighborhood, and needed a good school for her son. The older lady laughed at Klayton as she swatted him off the desk and told him to stop gawking over an old lady. Then she walked up to me and asked me how old my son was, I told her he was almost 4 years old. Then she began the questions of if and what he knew already educational-wise.

I told her that he knew how to count to 100, he knew all of his ABC's, and he could read very well, and I had him printing his name and a few smaller words. She looked up at me as if I was pulling her leg on some of the things I taught my son already. But she then went to the other questions about mannerisms and if he got along with other kids. I told her real quick that he was a very good boy, he had amazing table and bedside manners, and always said please and thank you. But as far as getting along with a lot of other kids, I wouldn't know because he's never really been around many kids his age. But he was always willing and wanting to play with anyone as long as they were nice to him, he'd be nice to them.

After listening to me, she went back around the desk and asked me about his medical records and if he was a special needs child. I told her that he wasn't like that at all and was a very healthy lil boy and full of energy all the time. She smiled as she told me that was wonderful, then she said if there were any things that he was allergic to that she needed to know, then she said she would also need my phone number and two other people's whether it was friends or family just in case of an emergency so that they would have someone to get a hold of. I gave her my phone number, then Sandy's phone number...but I knew Chloey and Rachel would be too busy being on call all the time, so I didn't really have any other contacts to give her. Klayton looked at the paper and grabbed the pen from me and jotted his phone number down as he told Mrs. Mariner that he would be the third contact.

She filed everything and put it in the cabinet, then she walked around the desk one more time and shook my hand and said she would welcome and love to have my son here at the Kid's CO-OP Preschool and learning facility where everything was made for fun. I thanked her very much then asked her when was the first day of school so I'd be ready to bring him. She pulled a calendar sheet from the pegboard and said preschool started in 5 days and it started at 8 am, and it was pick up time around 2 pm.

As Klayton and I both walked out of the building I thanked him again for all of his help, and that I really appreciated it. Klayton looked at me and reached out for my hand as he asked me if I would like to thank him personally by going out to dinner with him this evening. I thought about it for a while, but he noticed the insecure expression, and he added that it was just a casual dinner for two as friends, and he wouldn't dream of invading my space. I laughed with him and told him I would love to go out with him if I could get Sandy, Rachel, or Chloey to watch Alex for me. Meanwhile all the time AJ was having a blast with Criss and Johnny, Criss felt the connection that AJ had for him, and actually felt good when AJ started calling him daddy...but it was just because Johnny was calling him that all the time and AJ felt left out...for not even Criss really knew that AJ was really falling in love with him.