Chocolate Eyes

The inside of the building was clean and orderly. Friendly decorations hung on the cream colored walls and from the inside, you could see through the window. When Brian and Zacky walked in, the woman at the desk looked up to them and smiled widely. "Hello, welcome to Family and Child Services, what can I do for you?" she asked, standing up from her chair as Brian walked over and laid his palms flat against the top of her desk.

"I'm Brian Haner, I'm here to..." he trailed off for a second, unsure whether to say 'pick up' or 'meet' because they both felt awkward on his tongue. "To get my son," he said finally, "Evander Kent." He pulled his hands off of the mahogany desk and slid them into the pockets of his jeans.

The receptionist smiled and nodded eagerly. "Of course Mr. Haner," She motioned towards a hallway to their right and added, "Follow me. He's already here waiting for you." She maneuvered around her desk and threw a smile over her shoulder as she started to lead the two of them down the wide hallway.

Brian took a deep breath and held it as he followed behind the slender woman, suddenly becoming worried that his shoes would leave dirt on the pristine carpet that covered the floor. They walled down the hallway, passing door after door. With each one Brian grew a little bit more worried. Zacky walked so closely behind Brian that they could feel each other's presence. Brian was thankful that Zacky was right next to him though. He was comforted to have someone familiar with him because he felt so guilty about being here now, instead of back then.

The woman stopped outside one of the while doors and held up one finger. "One moment," she said before she knocked on the door and stuck her head in.

Brian tried to glance in over her head but all he saw was a light purple wall and a few feminine wall decorations that hung there. The the door was pulled open a few moments later and a black haired lady stepped out and shut the door tightly behind her, startling Brian out of his thoughts.

"Mr. Haner," she said with a slightly smile, "You're right on time."

Brian glanced down at his watch and nodded. He knew right away that this was the woman he'd talked to on the phone, Victoria Rochotte. He introduced Zack when she noticed him. "This is Zack Baker. He's in my band."

Zack chuckled and nodded his head. "I'm also one of his best friends," he added as he shook her hand. Victoria smiled, something Brian hadn't imagined her doing when they'd been talking on the phone.

Then she turned back to Brian. "Now I know you must be nervous and excited, but you must remember that Evander is scared. This is a big change for him. His mother just passed and now he's being sent to live with the father he's never known. He's in there with Mr. Taylor right now and I have a feeling it's going to be hard to separate the two. So you must stay calm," she instructed, resting her hand on his sleeve-covered arm.

Brian nodded his head and turned to give Zacky a warning look. Zacky just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be on my best behavior," he said with a laugh.

Victoria smiled and nodded her head. "I have a few things to speak to you about before we go in, do you mind following me to my office, Mr. Haner?"

Brian shook his head and let her slid past him. They walked two doors down the way they'd come and she pushed the door open. "Why don't you both have a seat, I just need to grab a few things." She pulled open a file cabinet and pulled out a file.

There was a knock on the door and Victoria called for the person to come in. A man walked in with a polite smile on his face. Brian knew by the fancy suit and polished shoes that he was the lawyer Victoria Rochotte had mentioned on the phone that morning when she called to make sure he was still coming.

Victoria smiled and greeted him. "This is Brian Haner Jr., Evander's biological father."

"Andrew Athens," the man introduced holding his hand out to Brian, "Nice to meet you Mr. Haner."

Brian stood up and shook his hand. "You too," he said nervously before he introduced Zacky to the lawyer. Zacky and the lawyer shook hands before Victoria instructed them to take their seats.

"Now, Brian," Victoria said, "I just need you to sign some papers finalizing that you are taking full custody of Evander Kent." She pushed a few papers towards him on the desk. "Feel free to read them if you would like, but I assure you that you are not signing custody over to anyone."

Brian glanced at the many papers that sat on the desk. "I thought when his mom died I was automatically Evander's guardian?" he asked, looking between Victoria and Andrew Athens.

Mr. Athens cleared his throat. "Mr. Haner, you are legally the first person who has rights to Evander Kent, but because you relinquished your custody to Claudia Taylor," He glanced down at the paper work in front of him and added, "Formally known as Claudia Kent, you don't legally own him. So, you must sign paper work that reinstates you as his primary caregiver."

"Okay." Brian nodded. "Where do I sign?"

Zacky smiled and nudged Brian reassuringly as Andrew Athens began laying out papers that had been tabbed already. Brian picked up the black ball-point pen that Victoria laid in front of him, and he began to sign his name on the dotted lines.



Victoria Rochotte gathered the papers into one neat file when he was done. She handed them to the lawyer and asked him to make a copy for Brian to take home with him.

"Thank you, Andrew," Victoria said with a smile as Mr. Athens left the room. Then she glanced back to Brian and Zack. "There are a few more things I need to speak with you about, Mr. Haner," she stated, sitting down in her chair.

Brian nodded his head and folded his hands in his lap nervously. "What about?"

"Well," Victoria stated, resting her hands on the desk, "Claudia Taylor's funeral is next Monday," she said softly, "Evander's maternal grandparents have requested that he be there."

Brian frowned. "They want to meet him at his mom's funeral?" he questioned, already shaking his head, "I don't think that's a good idea."

Victoria smiled politely. "Mr. Haner, in the long run, I think it would be good for him to attend his mother's funeral. Give the child some closure and some specified time to grieve."

Brian's frown deepened. "What about his grandparents?" he asked, "What do they want from him while he's there?"

"They just want to meet him. To let them know who they are and that they are there for him," she said simply, holding her hands in the air.

Brian sighed and tried to picture the strangers in his mind. He tried to imagine how they were feeling about losing their only child and then the last remaining piece of her. Brian looked back to Victoria Rochotte and nodded. "I'll take him," he said softly, "But I don't think it's a good idea for them to meet at the funeral."

"How about after?" Zacky suggested, "Maybe they could go get something to eat."

Victoria looked to Brian for confirmation.

Brian glanced to her from Zacky and nodded once.

Victoria smiled widely and clapped her hands together. "I will let them know," she said happily, "Do you mind if I give them your number so that they can contact you and arrange something?"

"Just my cell phone number, please," Brian replied, not exactly happy about having to take his son to the funeral of his mother without talking to him first.

Victoria nodded and looked over his shoulder as Andrew Athens entered the room. "Now that that's settled, there's one last thing I have to ask you today, and then I can take you to Evander."

Mr. Athens laid the copies in front of Brian and took his seat. "Would you like to have Evander's last name changed to yours?" he questioned, obviously told exactly what they would be discussing today.

Brian was surprised by the question. "What do you mean?" he asked automatically.

"Well, there's many ways it could happen," Mr. Athens spoke, "You could hyphenate both last names or you could drop 'Kent' completely and replace it with yours."

Brian cleared his throat. "What does Evander want?" he asked, surprising both Victoria and Andrew.

Victoria shook her head from where she sat. "We haven't discussed it with him," she stated, "We figured that since you're his father, the choice is ultimately up to you."

Brian shook his head slowly. "Does this have to be done now?" he questioned, feeling overwhelmed by the decision, "I'd like to ask Evander first."

Victoria shook her head quickly. "Oh no, this can be done at any time. We were just wondering if you have any preference when it comes to your son's last name." She gathered up the papers that Mr. Athens had begun laying out and she slipped them into the manilla folder that sat in front of Brian.

"Is that everything?" Zacky questioned, seeing as Brian had lost his voice.

A smile crept onto Victoria's face and she nodded slowly, watching Brian's expression change from serious to scared in just a few seconds. "What do you say, Mr. Haner?" she asked, "Do you want to meet your son?"

Zacky grabbed the folder off of the desk and nudged Brian. The two of them stood up simultaneously and Brian licked over his lips. "Yes," he said, trying to sound more certain then he felt, "Yes, I do."

Victoria nodded and led him and Zacky back down the hall. As she knocked on the door, and grabbed the handle, Brian held the air in his lungs and said a silent blessing, knowing that what happened in the next few minutes was going to change his life forever.