*** Please Note: I have amended the Character of Evan to be not Transgender but ADHD instead. I hope that this doesn’t confuse any of the readers who followed the story so far.***
Ty's uncle looked uneasy across the kitchen table. He was holding his coffee mug rather tightly. Ty couldn't tell if it was to stop his shaking hands or just a way to quell the anxiety in him as a whole.
Ty could tell that his work was taking a toll on him. He seemed to have more silver in his reddish-blonde beard and the lines around his eyes were more pronounced.
"Well, I thought you should know that my folks have agreed to move to a retirement settlement. My Mama is riddled with arthritis and papa is struggling with diabetes. It's too much to have a full-time nurse here."
Ty was saddened by the news that his paternal grandparents were not well but he understood that it was better if they were in a facility that could help them.
"And that being said, Evan won't have anyone here twenty-four/seven anymore. I'm an old crabby bachelor. I don't even know where to begin with raising a child."
Ty didn't know where this was going. What was going to happen to his niece?
"So I was hoping that you might consider taking custody of her..."
Ty was taken aback. He had only just started to get to know his Canadian family and now he would be a surrogate father?
"I know it's a lot. And if you can't I understand. I would just have to hire a companion for her when I'm away but I think she would be better off with someone younger. I think your sister would have wanted it too."
So far, Ty had been at a loss for words. He had always wanted kids but had resigned himself to the fact that Kristjan didn't and having Kristjan meant more than having children.
"I don't know what to say, I wasn't expecting this at all."
Jesse nods. "The social worker assigned to us after your sister passed had asked if there were younger family members that could care for her then and at the time we didn't know where you were, only that you existed. If I was a younger man myself I wouldn't have an issue."
Ty understood Jesse's position. He was in his late fifties. He owned his own business and often worked long hours. His grandparents had raised her, now they couldn't care for her properly.
"And with her special needs..."
At the age of six, Evan had been diagnosed with severe ADHD and sensory issues. She could be a handful, but medication and therapy had been a tremendous help to the young girl, but she still needed structure and support. Something Jesse didn't feel he could provide.
"Maybe a trial. For the month of July. School starts where I am in August. Plus I want to ask Evan about how she feels about it. I don't want to disrupt her entire life if it will cause her issues."
It wasn't until Evan was sitting in the passenger seat of Valora's car that Ty decided to talk to her.
Evan Carron had a fondness for wigs. Not because her own hair was bad but because she just felt secure while wearing them. Today she had a bright purple one and it was tied into two braids down her back.
"Do you know why Uncle Jesse wanted you to come on this trip?" Ty asks. The girl was very intuitive. Even though she struggled with her reading and her Math was also behind, it didn't affect the fact that she picked up on things other kids didn't normally see. Ty actually found it interesting that she could sit and draw amazing pictures from her mind but yet if she had to sit and read, she struggled to stay focused on the book she had.
"He wants me to live with you and Auntie Lora, doesn't he? Because grammy and papa have to go to the retirement home."
"Yes. But I want it to be your idea. I don't want you to feel like you don't have a choice. I know you have friends in Montreal."
"I don't really."
Ty is confused. "Don't have a choice...?"
She shakes her head. "I don't have friends. Not really. The kids all remember when I used to have accidents so they avoid me now. New school, none of those kids will know about that."
She was so matter-of-fact. Like her disorder made her brain see the truth in situations that other neurotypical children wouldn't see. Evan saw it as a fresh start, rather than leaving a life she knew and was comfortable with.
"So you want to leave?"
She shrugs. "I'll miss Grammy and papa. And Uncle Jesse too. But I'm not really happy."
"We can visit. A lot. I mean I missed out knowing them for all of my life too."
"What about Uncle Jan? Will he be okay with you having a kid?"
That was a big question. One he had to ask him about. Deep down, he feared that Jan would back off. But the last time she came for a visit, he had been very supportive of her disorder. Accepting even. He especially liked that she had gotten him a beer too.
"I don't know."
The rest of the car ride was awkwardly quiet. Evan had watched the scenery through her window with silent awe. Vegas was an acquired taste for sure.
"If I do live with you, would you adopt me?"
It comes so suddenly that Ty has to fight the wheel to make sure he stays focused on the road.
"Is that something you want?"
She nods. "I never knew my Dad. Uncle Jesse said he was bad. I found out that he was a drug dealer and he got killed. And I never knew my mom because I was just a baby. I'd like to have a real Dad."
The words pulled at his heart. He stayed back in the car as she got her own suitcase and went up to the couple steps to the house. He watched as Valora smothered the young girl with hugs and brought her inside. Ty had to catch his breath. It was happening so quickly now. He had less than a month before a decision had to be made about where Evan was going to live. In his heart, he wanted her to live with him. He wanted to call her his daughter. On the other hand, he didn't want it to scare Jan away either. He loved him. They had only just officially admitted it recently too. He needed to bring it up and had no idea how to bridge the subject.
***
The West-Ward Blogicles
Season 4, Entry #5 -- “Not About Age”
As per usual, Ty West has his go-pro camera poised and filming when his face appears before it. He looks good, even with his scruffy golden beard and short moppy looking hair. He is also shirtless and it’s hard to say whether it’s for his own benefit, as it has been a rather hot summer or if it’s just to make the fans swoon. Either way, he does not look like a man that is not ready for a fight.
Ty: Ace is an accredited fighter. He has a long list of accomplishments. Accomplishments that he has earned in his long career. I take that into consideration when sizing him up for our match.
Me beating him would look good. Beating a veteran in the ring, like him... man the bragging rights would be super but based on last week's performance I have to call a lot into consideration. Like why this guy was nowhere to be seen the week leading up to his match? The only tweets I see are in regards to him being involved with his old company opening up again. That's great and all but he signed a contract with SCW. He has a commitment to THIS company. And as much as I do not agree with the Good Shepherd's message, they still deserved to have Ace at least acknowledge the match. Much like I deserved the same this week for our match.
He bites his inner cheek, trying hard to stay level headed.
Ty: That sort of disrespect is not something I take lightly. I get that twitter is not everyone's bag. It's something you have to take with a grain of salt for sure, but again, no mention of our match, or of SCW. Not a promo in sight either. Something... anything... just some sort of acknowledgment that joining was not a marketing strategy to promote your new company, especially not on the back of a promotion with notoriety and respect. I don't know for sure and I want to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe that there is inherent good in everyone, even the most wicked. Maybe it is my deadly character flaw but it is part of who I am. And I know it it is one of the things that has made me a rising star here in SCW. I will be damned if anyone comes into this company thinking that age or experience gives them some automatic respect or that any of us should cower at their feet like obedient dogs. Haven't you heard? I'm a cat person anyway.
He smirks and then winks at the camera. Truth be told, he loved dogs too. Kissa was one of his best fur buddies
Ty: I know I have had my ups and downs here. I know that a lot of people doubt that I will ever be able to reach that brass ring I have been trying to get since the beginning. I don’t expect anyone to believe me when I say that I am going to win the SCW championship... eventually. Whether it be against Austin or Vinnie... or even someone else. It doesn’t matter. I will face anyone and everyone on this roster to get what I desire. You know what I admire most in a champion though, a man that can take any challenge. Austin has already beaten me but yet he is willing to step into the ring with me again and I know he’ll never turn down a match with me. I dunno if it’s just that he’s a fighting champion or if he actually feels I am someone that challenges him, either way, I have been pushing for this for an entire year. This is my year. This is the year of Ty West. I am not going to let anything stand in my way. So... I hope that Ace doesn't disappoint me, or the fans. I hope he sees this and actually steps up. I hope that he is just another challenge on my journey to gold. And Dare I say, I hope that if he doesn’t show interest in our match that Christian tosses him out on his ‘experienced ass’. Just saying...
He shrugs and then chuckles.
Ty: It takes five minutes minimum to record even a short video about our match. That's it. I'm sure the rebuilding of a defunct company will not fold again over his absence for five minutes. Either show up one hundred percent focused or don't bother showing up at all. And I am ready to give my one hundred percent. I don’t feel that way about Ace. I think that SCW is just a stepping stone and I’ll be god damned if I am going to let someone treat MY company that way. I want to believe that he’s just busy but my instincts are saying no. I suppose we’ll see. I may not be a champion yet but I will act like I am. SCW gave me a chance when everyone thought I was just some washed-up B Actor. I won’t ever forget that. SCW had me meet the love of my life. I won’t forget that either. SCW is my home, and I will defend my home.
He blows a kiss, as per usual, to the camera before it fades out into blackness.
***
That night had Ty lying in his bed, wide awake. He had worries. Worries about his future with Jan should he adopt Evan. Worries about whether he was good enough to be a father to her. Worries that he could deal with her ADHD and Sensory issues. Worried about the proper school and whether he was a good role model. He went over them, one at a time and then over again. It was a knock on the door that had him finally thinking of something else. Lora quietly opens the door and enters. In her hand is a mug with steam rising from it.
“Camomile tea? I figured you would still be up.”
She enters the room, dressed in her bright yellow bathrobe and worn out bunny slippers that matched. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and Ty knew she probably had just finished her ‘beauty regime’ as she called it. Night creams and face washes. All in an effort to calm her skin from the onset of menopause. She sits on the edge of his bed and hands him the mug.
“You know me too well...”
“You forget that for the first ten years of your life I lived next door and then for the other seventeen I have always been there for you. I know when something is bothering my boy.”
She pats his leg over hte blanket. His Aunt was like a second mother and at this point, a mother to Evan as well. He wanted her to have a good female rolemodel. Since his own mother was in Arizona and not really able to be there for him with her arms full with baby Taryn.
“It’s just... What if...”
She shakes her head and shushes him.
“You have to do what feels right to you. No one else can make that decision. Not even Kristjan. You have to make this decision and then tell him what you have decided. I'm sure if he loves you as much as he says he does, then this will not be a deal-breaker. Besides, he liked Evan last time.”
“I know... I just worry. I don’t want this to mess up my or her life. But she seems like she wants to come here to live and she really wants me to take up that Dad Mantel she’s been missing. Am I good enough?”
Valora stood. “You know you are and you definitely don’t need my validation for that. Whatever happens, we are not going anywhere. I promise.”
With that, she leaves and it makes Ty feel a little better but it hadn’t helped him reach his decision yet.
