chapter 4

He shouted,"Yes, I do!"

Momma did all she could to fight back the tears her eyes was desiring to shed for her newly found son. She didn't want to take the young boy out of his moment of bliss.

She spoke,"You get to play with toys and many brothers and sisters of all sorts of ages."

The brat spoke,"I do not know how to do that."

Momma spoke,"You soon will learn, so don't worry.

The duo was entering a tiny town of less than one thousand people. The brat was looking on with glee from the sight. They entered the driveway of a large farm as Momma parks right in front of a large white mansion that kids were flying out of towards the red car to Momma's delight and the brat's confusion. Kids that had been in the yard playing when they all stop in their tracks to see her.

The brat speaks,"Where are we and who are all these people? They all must like you a lot to stop playing all of a sudden."

Momma turned to the boy and smiled like a Cheshire cat.

"They are your new brothers and sisters and I am their mother."

The brat looked confused for a second, until he finally broke his moment of silence.

"You gave birth to all these kids and you are still alive?"

Momma smiled, as she spoke,"I didn't give birth to any of them, I raised them as my own all the same. Family is more than just a blood bond, those that are close to you and love you."

The brat was still new to this concept and he didn't know what to make of it.

Momma saw that the brat was crying, like an endless running waterfall. She clutched the boy into her arms, like a newborn in his mother's arms. The brat did not know what to make of all this

and he was scared to death. He had know only abuse and pain all his short life and within three days it had all gave way to a life of possibility. She held him for a few minutes, as she told the children to all give the boy some space.

The brat was led by the tender hand of the hunched over mother.

One of the older boys yelled out,"Who is the baby, you have brought with you this time? It you

a long time to only get just him."

The brat took offense to being called a baby, since he looked like a one or two year old, but he was at least four years at the best guess from his former captors. He was called a lot of unmentionable

names in the past, but he would not take being called a baby. He would not have it for even a single second.

The brat broke free of his Momma's hold over him and ran over to the boy that he had felt had slighted him this day. The lad kicked the older boy in his shin, who was over twice his size. The large boy bent over to clutch his leg out of pain, when the brat punched him cleanly in the left eye. The blow would leave a black eye on the older boy.

Momma grabbed the brat by the shirt color and forced him off the ground.

She said,"Boy that is enough! Now say you are sorry!"

The brat spit in his victim's bruised face and the large boy had enough. He was prepping to charge at the brat, when he was grabbed up by five other boys his own size.

The victimized boy spoke,"Let me at this punk! I am going to beat him black and blue! I promise you all that! You will see!"

Momma broke her normally calm demeanor and bellowed out,"Boys, keep him in his room until supper and I will deal with this little honey badger!"

The five boys all said,"Yes Momma," as they dragged the upset brother into the aging mansion.

Momma spoke,"Now, boy I know you are new here, but you do not fight among the brothers

and sisters! If you too are still mad at each other you settle it in the ring, like gentlemen!"

The brat spoke,"Nobody calls me a baby! Nobody! I will cut..."

Momma covered his mouth with her hand, before he could finish his sentence. She knew that the brat was small was his age but would probably fill out under better nutrition her at the local orphanage. The boy's battle with his adopted mother soon relented to a tender embrace.

A little girl walked over to the pair out of wonder and let out of her mouth both a simple, yet difficult request.

"What is your name, buddy?"

Both the mother and son both looked at the girl with the realization that they had spent the time

to come up with a proper name on the ride home.

Momma finally broke the silence and said sadly,"When I found him, he did not have a name or much else for that matter. But, let's leave it lay for right now. Let's have the best pizza party, we ever had!"

All the kids jumped up and down in joy as Momma carried the lad into the mansion.

Five young woman come to meet Momma with her new found child. All the woman were in their early twenties, when compared to Momma, who was in the mid thirties. These woman were all wearing vintage maid outfits from over one hundred years ago. All the skin they were showing was their hands and parts of their uncapped heads. They were not forced to wear these clothes, but they all decided to do it together out of fun.

The smallest woman named Emily spoke,"Momma, who do you got there in her arms? He looks

like a strapping young man?"

Momma spoke,"Emily, he has yet to find a name, but we will give him the time to find one on his own accord. He had seen things I can't repeat and I will die before I force to bring it up without his

own inclination to do so. We have to be patient and loving with him, until he integrates completely into

this wonderful family at his own pace. He needs to have extra food to get him back on track physically and once he settles into his surroundings to start his school. He is bright, yet forceful lad. He has got

the temper of a pissed off rattlesnake."

The brat had placed his upper lip into a pouting position, as if he was upset that he had just crapped his pants.

Momma spoke,"Let me give the little angel a nice warm bubble bath with me, since we had not been able to clean up right, while on our trip. If you five would be troubled to pacify your beloved senor and make all the kinds of pizzas that you're able to make. This boy can eat like you have never seen before, so be prepared. Take as long as need and prepare all the tables to hold the table sized pizzas. We have got to give him a warm welcome to every child that enters our doors, especially this one. Is that not right, big guy?"

The brat spoke,"Yeah!"

The two travelers went off to get cleaned up as the five sisters went off to get supper ready. Three of the woman went into the kitchen to get the food ready to cook, while the two others went into the large dinning hall to get it ready for the feast.

The mother and son were in a large bathtub big enough for two grown men, yet alone a slender lady and a small boy. He sitting on a plastic stool that Momma had placed in for the lad to set upon, so that they could be covered in water. He was playing with a rubber duck and toy boat, making all sorts of noises. She was just enjoying being in her favorite bathtub on the mansion's enormous property. The two got dried up as the boy begun to cry.

Momma spoke,"What's wrong?"