Adopted

Hayden started the motor and revved it, signaling to the girls they'd better hurry of else.

"Yes you could be right," he said.

"I'm picking Kelly and Jacki will bond like sisters for the remainder of their lives. They have that kind of feeling for one another like the feeling that flowed between Connie and me; although we were aware it existed we never spoke of it because we knew words were unnecessary. You look after the kids at the graveside darling; Kelly will need me."

At last Hayden was underway and he breathed a big sigh of relief to relief tension.

"Uncle Hayden, it will be protocol for us to try to arrive last or near last."

"No way will I... "

"Just do what Kelly says dad," Jacki said softly. "She knows best."

Hayden slowed and two minutes later every one looked at the police speed trap they passed without anyone saying a word. But Monique reached for Hayden's hand and he held it briefly, squeezing it.

They did arrive last.

A guy standing at the gates waved them over. "Hi Uncle Hayden, dad made arrangements for you to drive right up."

"Great, hop in the back. Move over girls. Kelly this is Nancy and Victor's younger son Harry, who's doing a degree in police technology in Quebec where his girlfriend and family live."

"Hi Harry."

"Hi Kelly. God you are beautiful."

The Shutter sisters giggled and Hayden asked, "Is Camille here with you Harry?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Kelly laughed and said, "It was just a comment spoken before thinking Uncle Hayden; give Harry a break."

"Ohmigod, look at the crowd," she said, looking ahead, voice quavering.

"It will our biggest extended family gatherings ever because three babies have arrived since Ruby's wedding," Harry said. "We are all here except for Uncle Seth's son Murdock who is in England."

As arranged by Victor, a police chaplain conducted the ceremony as a memorial service.

Victor and the chaplain took Kelly by an arm and escorted her to the gravesite and then stepped back three paces and gave Kelly a few minutes alone with her thoughts. When she was finished she kissed the headstone and then turned and made a short speech.

"Thank you everyone for coming here today to help me honor my mother, Connie Shutter, who died nineteen years ago when struck down by a car three weeks after my birth. I was in her arms and the police report compiled from what witnesses testified was she fell in such a way to hold me out of danger and to cushion my fall as the vehicle ran over her, killing her instantly. That occurred in New York where I now live under the loving care of my adopted parents. My father had disowned me. Thank you."

There was brief silence and then Monique and Jacki clapped and that quickly spread.

Kelly stood against Monique being hugged and Nancy came up and hugged her from the other side as the service commenced. It was simple and yet moving, entirely appropriate.

When it was finished the chaplain said Victor, head of the Shutter family, wished to speak.

"Thank you for assembling her today for this memorial service. For nineteen years as a result of family grief and despair, my brothers and I refused to acknowledge Kelly as our niece. We were nineteen years younger then and our mother was quite mentally disturbed over our sister's death and larger under my influence we came to believe that Kelly was indirectly responsible for Connie's death. God we were so stupid and sinned against you Kelly but we now have acknowledged you as our niece and this commemorative day for Connie is also for you Kelly. Kelly, our enormously brave Kelly who came fearlessly into our den to turn us around; we honor you. Would my brothers please join me.

Hayden, carrying a bowl of rose petals, Seth and Nolan, went up to Victor. Victor then said, "Kelly I publicly acknowledge you, as my sister's child and hope you'll come to forgive me for my appalling behavior in shutting you out and for stupidly influencing my brothers because of the way I felt."

Quite unrehearsed, Kelly walked forward and hugged Victor and repeated that when the other brothers renounced their appalling behavior.

Hayden said although originally his mother's emotional state and Victor's hard stand had influenced him Victor's way, as the hurt diminished he had the option of acting responsible and seeking to involve himself in baby Kelly's welfare, but he chose to do nothing.

Seth echoed those sentiments and it was Nolan who surprised.

"When Connie died I lost the best person in my life. Being the youngest brother I received great upbringing attention from her. At most times she was sweet but could rile and give me stick, I'm telling you. But I just adored her and her death plunged me into darkest grief. I'm asking your forgiveness Kelly for shutting you out and to say I felt driven to do it because I had to hit out at someone for my sister's death. Now I wish I had chosen to hit a brick wall instead of you, a defenseless baby. God how I violated your rights."

Kelly hugged Nolan longer than she did with his brothers and as she was pulling away whispered, "Consider adopting a child Nolan. Everyone needs to be hooked into children. It's how life works."

Hayden then handed Kelly the rose bowl and whispered something to her. She scattered some petals on to her mother's grave and her uncles filed past and each of them took a handful of petals and scattered them.

Victor then said that completed the ceremony and invited everyone to attend a banquet and announced the address of the venue.

Monique told Hayden to arrange rides for the girls and him to the venue, that she was taking Kelly home to change and it really was no longer a black dress day for his niece. They arrived at the banquet half an hour later and Kelly, wearing her favorite blue silk dress, was clapped as she walked to the top table with Monique. Kelly only had a salad entrée and then clutching a glass of wine went from table to table talking to people and before long was fully aware her acceptance into the Shutter family was complete. She was being greeted and treated as if she were a bride.

Kelly boarded a flight for New York at 9:30 next morning after a tearful farewell.

Late morning Monique received a call from Kelly saying she was with her parents at the airport waiting for retrieve her luggage.

"How are they?

"Ecstatic. Every so please to have me back but delighted I have totally connected with the other side of my family. I'm just calling to thank you yet again for being such a wonderful mother and companion to me. You made me feel blessed. Bye."

Weeping, Monique called Hayden who was pleased to learn Kelly had received a great welcome home. He'd heard the sniffing and knew what that was about.

"You have lost a dear friend haven't you?"

"Yes."

"You'll see her again darling, many times I reckon."

CHAPTER 7

Kelly returned to college having dropped her thought of changing to a social services degree and finding work in monitoring the welfare of adopted children. Her grandmother Virginia Ricardo had been influential in leading Kelly into another direction.

"You need business experience to be an attorney and will get credits for your business degree. You should seek advice as soon as you return to college and you could benefit by modifying this year's study program. I advise you to finish up with JD/MBA degrees as you are capable of achieving that joint goal. After you have settled into law with general experience under your belt you can then specialize in family law, becoming known for your expertise in child adoption, custody and child welfare.

Kelly considered that overnight, having that suggestion supported by her mother and father and in the morning decided to head for law school when completing her current degree.

Next day Kelly reunited with best friend Sarah Wilks, expecting to be told Sarah was virtually in need of a new vagina after fucking away summer.

"Excessive sex, who me?" Sarah laughed. "What actually happened was Leo Childs met me by accident the week after you left for Canada. He's a year ahead of me also doing education. His girlfriend back here had gone to Miami with her parents for ten weeks so he asked would I be his companion till she returned."

"Oh how convenient," Kelly laughed.

"I kid you not. Apparently I was so good in bed I blew his rocks off, er figuratively. He prefers having sex only every other day and no more than two climaxes a session and I gradually got used to that reduced workload. I had such a great time with him. We interact so well and his parents just love me. I now wonder why I was running around madly trying to get guys to shaft me."

Kelly giggled and said, "Oh darling, you have grown up. What has happened to the girl friend?"

"Nothing except termination. She found a guy she really likes and has arranged to transfer to his college."

"Those kinds of transfers for that reason don't always work."

"I know Kelly but Leo is now saying he loves me."

"Wow, I better take a look at this Leo for you. You'll need my assessment."

Leo turned out to be quite okay, a rather good match for Sarah, Kelly thought and he appeared to approve of Kelly.

The year as a sophomore passed smoothly for Kelly. She'd been to Buffalo twice to stay with Monique and her family at her parent's home in Buffalo and the family including Monique's parents came to stay in New York with Kelly and her family at Easter. Kelly, Jacki and Ella stayed with grandma Ricardo and Virginia went really out of her way to introduce the two young Canadians to New York culture and they bonded to her exceptionally well. Jacki by then seventeen was striving to become more sophisticated but screamed in delight when Mrs Ricardo said yes to Kelly's request for Jacki to go with Kelly and two of her friends to a club run by parents to keep young adults safe at night entertainment. The condition was they had to return home immediately the club closed at 2:00 am.

"You had better call mom and ask permission," Ella, now fifteen, said.

"No that's not a good idea," Mrs Ricardo said. "You mom might say no, unaware just how well run the club is run and the thought of a seventeen-year-old being out till that late might be a cultural shock for someone from Ontario. Now to help keep your mouth shut young lady, you and I will go to a show of your choice on or off Broadway."

"Oh yes, is the 'Lion King' still running?"

"I think so. Come with me and we'll find out."

"What about ballet?"

"The season may have finished but we'll see. Remember this is Easter but will looked up 'What's On' on TV."

As they left the room hand-in-hand Jacki and Kelly stifled their laughter when Ella said in awe, "Mrs Ricardo you are such a wonderful grandma."

Back at college Kelly spent a mid-Friday afternoon to mid-Monday morning weekend away with a new college friend Samantha Matthews. Kelly knew her brother Lewis was at Skidmore taking a degree in conservation but had never met him until her arrived in his old Ford to collect them. He looked okay.

"Hi Lewis," Kelly smiled.

"Hi," he said staring. "I've seen you with Sammy in town several times. I didn't realize you looked this good."

"Excuse me?"

"He's sex mad so don't expect him to back off Miss Cold Ass," Samantha giggled. "You sit in the front with sexo. It's safer than having him to turn round to speak to you in the back seat."

"No you take the front and I'll sit behind sexo."

"Are you babes finished stuffing around or do I go without you?"

The girls tossed their soft bags into the back seat and Samantha pushed in ahead of Kelly and told her to sit with their host and not be rude to him."

Kelly wished she'd worn trousers... the ape was looked at her knees and at as much as he could see above her knees. God sexo was right.

"Nice tits," he whispered.

"Lewis!" Samantha shrieked from the back seat and then broke into a giggling fit.

Kelly was reaching for the door handle and thinking about evacuating when the car short forward and Lewis said, "Sammy tells me you are a top student, that you and another girl have headed off the guys in your business studies."

"Well guys at Skidmore are less than committed until their third year, or so I was told."

"Oh yeah, and why is that?"

"They are dedicated to sport and sex."

After saying that Kelly colored, thinking god she'd fallen into his trap.

He grinned and said, "Then lucky for you I'm third-year."

"Will you work for Vermont's Department of Conservation when you graduate?"

"Did Sammy tell you that or did you work that out for yourself?"

"Does it matter?"

He grinned and said that was an even more intelligent response. "Well my first preference would be fish and wildlife."

"Why."

"I fish and hunt and take only what my family including our grandparents can eat. My aim is to spread the word of avoiding fishing and hunting excessively, to help farm and improve those wild resources, take inventories and enforce the law and educate the careless."

"That makes you sound intelligent."

"Oh god, I'm going to sleep," Samantha yawned, knowing they had a three-hour journey ahead of them and her brother wouldn't stop because there was water in the car and he never minded going without food between breakfast and dinner.

An hour later Kelly said she was hungry. "Lewis go off at the next opportunity and we'll grab some burgers."

"Yes princess. At your service."

When Lewis threw a hamburger at her Samantha couldn't believe some bossy boots had made him pull off to stop for food.

Mr and Mrs Matthew came out to meet them.

"Hi Mrs Matthew," Kelly said with some familiarity as she'd met Mrs Matthews twice before when she visited Skidmore.

"Hi darling and please call me Kath and this is my good fellow Dan. Call him Dan."

"Hi Dan, I understand you are a conservation manager and Kath is a midwife."

"That's correct."

"Both of your occupations involve close dealings with people, I mean dealing with people closely."

"It's not a trick question dad. Kelly is highly intelligent."

Kelly smiled and said, "You'll know your son is such a tease."

Dan just grinned.

Lewis carried all the luggage in and said to Kelly, "You can decided whether to room share with me or my sister."

"Do you mind if I delay my decision?"

He grinned and dumped her two bags on to the second bed in Samantha's room.

"Thanks Lewis, you a such a gentleman."

"My pleasure."

Samantha grabbed Kelly giggling. "God he's really on his best behavior and attempting to impress you. I've never seen him behave so coyly with a young female like this."

"He's probably growing in maturity and accept the need to improve on his wanton ways."

"Oh yeah?"

They giggled and turned away to unpack.

Dan poured white wine before dinner and said to Kelly, "What do you think of this?"

She looked at the color, tasted it and said, "Very nice, a Riesling I think."

"Very good, a product of Vermont, from near here actually."

"But it's freezing here with huge snowfall in winter, isn't it?"

"Yes but those conditions are no too dissimilar to climate in France where local vine rootstock originated."

Their dinner wine was a Vermont Pinot Noir to go with roast beef.

When returning to college early Monday morning Lewis asked, "What was your best experience this weekend?"

Kelly wished she could have said having sex with him but Lewis had not made a single pass at her. "Going out into the woods with you and your father on Saturday and Sunday mornings and seeing deer and I saw my first bear tracks ever and my first time at watching beaver at work and seeing birds I've never seen before."

After Lewis hauled their bags from the trunk her kissed his sister and said, "Goodbye Kelly. I really enjoyed your company and know you just bowled over my mother."

"Aren't you going to kiss me?"

"Well..."

"Lew you fool. She wants you to kiss her."

It was a bit better than a peck. "Are you going to date me?"

"Please give me your phone number."

After they waved him off Kelly said, "Do you think he'll date me?"

"Of course. Despite what I said my brother isn't a fool. Of course."

They dated and that relationship lasted almost eighteen months before a junior trainer in conservation studies lured Lewis away from Kelly.

* * *

The years rolled by and Sandra Wilks who'd gone on to the same university at Kelly, graduated with a doctorate in education and Kelly graduated with a double, JD and MBA.

She maintained close links with Monique and family and saw all of her extended Canadian family in Toronto when she went their with her adoptive parents to attend Jacki's wedding that occurred three months into Jacki's 21st year. Contrary to rumors she wasn't pregnant; she and her long-time boyfriend Jacques were married a week after he graduated with his teaching degree.

Kelly still intended to specialize in family law but first needed general law experience. She applied for a position at a law practice her father recommended and was disappointed when she was not selected for one of the six juniors to be admitted into the firm.

Leonie and Stephen were almost as disappointed as Kelly in being one of the twelve candidates called back she'd failed to make final selection. Leonie called her mom who also expressed disappointment and asked if she could speak to Kelly.

"I'm a failure at law already grandma," Kelly sighed.

"Well arrived here at 8:30 in the morning with full documentation and asked for me," Virginia said. "I shall guarantee you as a six-month probationary junior. In which department would you like to start?"

"Can you do that?"

"Yes. It means if you fail to generate income to match your salary at the time of your review in six month I pay the difference between your net earnings and your salary."

"God you are taking a risk."

"Oh I see. You think you'll be that bad as an attorney?"

"Well I have had some experience in business law the summer before last and in last summer spent time in both traffic cases and immigration."

"So you are familiar with Green Cards, citizenship, work visas in particular H1A's, H1B's, consular processing, adjustment of status, H4's, P4's and deportation?"

"Yes, reasonably so."

"Good, then we'll assure you of income by having you placed there, working under supervision."

"Oh grandma."

"Thank me at the end of six months, possibly earlier darling. We have fifteen attorneys plus paralegals in that department and there are complaining of being overworked so your admission is virtually assured. I need to present you to a three-person assessment panel but believe me that is simply pro-forma as I guarantee you and you have a quality law degree."

After her relationship with Lewis Matthews ended, Kelly had progressed through law school with just the two romances, both quite longish so she was comfortable about waiting for the right kind of guy to come along rather grabbling at any guy who rated less than likely. She had learned not to panic, that it would happen. She'd spent two months in immigration, generating excellent income from satisfied clients and had handled two more difficult cases under direct supervision and those two performances had been reported favorably. She was then seconded to work on minor court defenses that mainly covered drunk driving, general traffic violations and minor assault cases.

Then it happened. Kelly was one of three junior attorneys invited to apply for a vacancy in family law and won the position. She was teamed with a thirty-two year old Galina Belet. They became friends and Galina invited Kelly home where she met Galina's parents as well as HIM, Galina's charming brother Vincent, or Vince as he preferred to be called. Vince, who was rising thirty, had a girlfriend who Galina told Kelly privately was 'a right little rich bitch."