I smile remembering that first instance when I saw Sam. She looked quite different than she does today. Her hair dyed brown, and her eye color was not green. Sam today is blonde with green eyes that sparkle in the sun. The first instance I saw her, I could not help but feel for her, I guess I fell in love with her instantly. Not as a man falls in love with the woman, not like I fell in love with Kathryn. I fell in love with Sam just as if I was looking at my newborn. I knew she was going to be my child, my responsibility, my joy, my frustration, my elation and everything between.
Walking the way Sam is pointing I smile saying, “The first time I laid eyes on Sam I knew I was done for. I had just married Kathryn and could not wait to become a father. Sam drops into our lives, both Kathryn and I knew from the first second be held her she was going to be a part of our lives from then on. I’m very grateful that we actually manage to adopt her.”
The Coach says, “If you didn’t I would have.” Then he gives Sam a tickle on her knee.
Sam giggles, “That would make me Mommy’s sister.”
Helen shakes her head and says, “I think my granddaughter is exactly where she should be. Speaking of that you know he just started adopting another girl?”
As we walk through the store, I tell him the abridged version about the events from four nights ago. He does not interrupt me and allows me to continue once I finished he smiles asks Sam, “Sam what you think about having a little sister just less than a year younger than you.”
Smiling down from my shoulders Sam says, “I think it’s great, I’m really looking forward to Mommy having baby Amanda. Baby sleep a lot, they are not much fun until they get older. Crystal and I can play a lot together, and we both can help with baby Amanda.”
Sergeant major smiles saying, “I think your Mom and Dad would be very proud of you Sam. I know they wanted to give you a little sister or brother but they were taken from us before they could.”
I can feel Sam tense a little at him saying that. I look the Sergeant Major directly in his eyes as I say, “I know I am proud of Sam. I am sure her mother and father are too, Sam has a 4.0 grade average and completed the third grade so far. She is a natural when it comes to martial arts just after six months of training, she can do her Karta perfectly and she’s master several advanced techniques. If she continues on the way she is learning how to swim, she probably will have a gold medal for every event she enters. Our Olympic team will be lucky if she decides to compete. If that isn’t enough to make a man proud of his daughter he isn’t much of a man.”
The Sergeant major holds my gaze as he begins to smile he says, “Reese is right, you are exactly like the man her father was. You have chosen the responsibility of being her father, and you are doing it with all your heart. That truly makes you her father, and a proud one at that.” After giving me a sideways punch on the arm he asks, “You guys didn’t fake that video of Sam tossing you did you?”
Chuckling I shook my head no and Sam says, “Daddy taught me how to do that move so the other girls in the class would know that they can defend themselves against somebody bigger.”
The Coach adds, “This makes the fifth year JJ has taught self-defense at our high school. Although this year he had to take a job in our school’s physical education department to do it, and he probably lose money every day because of that.”
In a more serious voice I say, “If it keeps one of the girls safe it will be worth it. Kathryn is the real genius when it comes to trading, her doing the trading for me means I’ll probably end up making more money.”
Giggling Sam says, “You’re probably right Daddy, Mommy is really good at trading.”
It does not take us couple of seconds more to get to the back corner, it is completely full of bikes all sizes, and every style the girls could possibly want. Sam’s eyes are large as she takes the whole place in. Sam exclaims, “I see it.”
Walking over Sam points to a bike, she says, “This one is the perfect bike for Cindy” slightly smaller bike she points out saying, “Here’s Crystals.”
There is a yellow one just like Crystal’s and Sam leans forward looking at the bike and I say, “There is the perfect bike for my Sam too.” Sam gives a happy squeal as I lift her from my shoulders. The Coach has come back with a cart that holds six helmets, and six sets and kneepads and elbow pads.
Sam is very happy as she says, “Daddy it is just like the one in my dream.”
I smile and say, “It is my pleasure to make your dreams come true my Princess, but in your dream was not there more?”
Reminded of her cousins Sam says, “Yes Daddy. Anna, Allen and Rosy have bicycles too.” Sam helps us pick out the other three bikes. Two of the bikes are the same, and we find bike plates with names, fortunately, the children’s names are common enough that were able to find one for each bike. When given the choice between Sam and Samantha, I take the plate with Samantha and Sam sticks her tongue out at me before giggling.
The bikes are pre-assembled, we get a clerk to unchain them, and Sergeant Major Sampson and I go to pay for the bikes and safety gear. The coach pushing the safety gear says, “You pay for the bikes, I got this. It is my way of spoiling my grandchildren and niece and nephew.”
We put six bikes in the back his SUV before he looks at me and says, “There is something that we have to do today. Do you have the paperwork that I told you to bring?”
I look at him still unsure of why he needed all the identification paperwork for Kathryn and me, our marriage license, birth certificates, for Kathryn, Sam, and me along with the adoption paperwork. I look at the briefcase I have and say, “It’s all in my briefcase.” Even the small picture of Kathryn you asked for.
Stop by what looks like an office building and he takes us inside, he smiles at the clerk who is in uniform and I believe is a Sergeant. Smiling she jokingly asks, “You did retire, you know you don’t come to work anymore?”
Smiling back he says, “I need to get a couple ID cards made, one for Samantha Sheridan Meyer, and her adopted father John J Meyer.”
The Sergeant takes one look at Sam and she takes a deep breath and then says, “She looks so much like her mother.” Sergeant Major Sampson simply shakes his head yes.
The Sergeant looked me over says, “He looks awfully young to adopt Sam.”
Sergeant Major Sampson says, “He is only eighteen, but he’s a lot more mature than he looks. If I understand right, he graduated high school when he was ten, did some college before he turned thirteen completed three Associates degrees. He also started two Internet companies and sold them before he turned fourteen. He ended up moving east where he met the girl of his dreams, and went back to high school and graduated with a 4.0 average. They got married this July on the fourth. Apparently, the two of them made quite a bit of money while they were in high school. He and his wife have really impressed Reese. The most important thing Sam really loves them, and they adore her.”
The Sergeant makes a double take and shakes her head saying, “He looks like just a normal eighteen-year-old.”
Sergeant Major Sampson laughs before he says, “Maybe that’s why he can walk around without a couple dozen bodyguards.”
The Sergeant is quite confused as she asks, “Why, how much money they make?”
Sergeant Major Sampson shrugs his shoulders before he replies, “Reese said I should ask, but from the way she said it was a lot more than I would imagine.”
The Sergeant quietly asks, “You think they made in the tens of millions?”
Sergeant Major Sampson says, “I asked Reese that same question, she only giggled then repeated that I should ask.”
The Sergeant states, “Reese was always one to play it close to the vest, nobody knew about her and Captain Davis until he left the service and the next day they are married.”
Sergeant major Sampson smiles and says, “Reese couldn’t come to my retirement tonight, but she made her husband show up. Apparently, he already knocked her up, and her doctor is nervous about letting her fly. I will get to see her tomorrow. Mr. Meyer has a flight scheduled for us, probably first-class on some airline. We show up tomorrow at nine, we’ll get our boarding passes then.”
The Sergeant grins and says, “It must be nice.”
It only takes about ten minutes for us to have ID cards made. The Sergeant did shyly ask how much I was worth; of course, I could wave a feather at her to knock her over after I told her. Sam was the next to have her ID cards made and she whispered into her ear how much she was worth herself, I think she dropped her coffee cup at hearing what Sam said.
The Sergeant calls Sergeant Major Sampson back and tells him what we said he blinks a few times. He begins to laugh thinking the Sergeant is pulling his leg. The Sergeant finally says, “I don’t think he was pulling my leg, and Sam told me the same thing.”
Sergeant Major Sampson stops laughing seeing how serious the Sergeant is he says, “That would explain why Reese would not tell me over the phone. Who would believe it, that an eighteen-year-old could have money like that?”
After that we leave for the hotel and I can tell Sergeant Sampson is dying to ask the question so I say, “The Sergeant told you? No, I did not lie to her. Kathryn and I seem to make it faster than we can give it away or spend it.”
He just shakes his head in disbelief before he begins to chuckle. “Reese showed me her trading, I thought it was one of those trial accounts where you can put in as much money as you want to start with, but it was real wasn’t it?”
I ask him, “Did it have around seven million in it?”
When he shakes his head yes I continue, “You must’ve seen it when she came back to start her separation, that was after a really good week.”
The look on his face has us laughing. Before he gets the wrong idea I say, “When we get to the hotel I can show you, Ron is there, he can confirm that were not pulling your leg.”
It only takes a few minutes more to get to the hotel, and we go up to our suites, I find Ron, he begins to chuckle seeing the washed-out face of his friend. Ron says, “You must’ve found out what JJ is really doing for us. That he intends to do the same thing for you, is kind of like someone handing you the winning lottery ticket and only say you need to buy one with these numbers and hand it to a friend.”
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