Adopting Clark turned out to be quite easy. The old couple saw Benjamin and May's strong desire for a child. As long as it caused them no trouble, they were happy to help the young couple with the adoption.
Ben even paid extra for the old couple to temporarily keep the UFO. Once back in New York, he'd find a way to slowly move the aircraft there.
As for the adoption itself, it was even simpler. For the state, if someone is willing to raise a child, why refuse? Since no orphanage was involved, the process was straightforward. They didn't even need to go back to New York; the paperwork was completed right there in Kansas. All they had to do was report it again once they were back in New York.
So, with all their affairs settled, the Parkers started their drive back to New York with their new child.
Looking at May and Clark playing and laughing in the back seat, Benjamin had never felt life was so bright. With his skills, he wouldn't have been just an ordinary employee at the company. But to be with May, to live a life with her by his side, he'd given up his "bright future" and built the family he loved.
And now, their family was truly complete. For Benjamin, his life was perfectly happy. All he needed to do was live each day well.
"May..."
"What is it, Ben?" May paused her playing with Clark, ignoring the increasingly grumpy look on his face because she still held his favorite toy ball.
"I'll always love you..."
This simple sentence held Benjamin's deepest feelings for May and their family. Even though she already knew his feelings, May still found tears in her eyes.
"Why say things that make me cry..."
"Waaah! Waaah!"
As the two looked at each other in the rearview mirror, Clark seemed to have had enough and burst into tears. In an instant, the touching atmosphere vanished, replaced by laughter that filled the car once more.
"Don't cry, Clark, Daddy loves you too. I'll love you for a thousand years."
The family returned to New York, their journey filled with laughter and warmth. The Parkers, firm in their decision, made big changes to their lives after telling their relatives about Clark.
To give Clark a good environment, they sold their city apartment and moved to a leafy community in the Queens suburbs. They used all their savings to buy a small, detached house.
This new home was very close to Midtown High School. When Clark reached middle school age, he could even walk to school without much hassle. The area was beautiful too. While it would make Benjamin's commute to work difficult and cause May, who had been a community worker, to lose her job, they had no regrets as long as it was good for Clark.
At the same time, they bought many baby items. As new parents, they used everything they had to provide the best for Clark. During this time, Benjamin and his brother, Richard, were constantly on the phone. Even though Richard also had no children, Benjamin kept asking him all sorts of questions, as if his brother, who worked at the Oscorp Group, knew everything.
Richard and his wife, Mary, also grew curious about Clark. They were happy for Benjamin and May and wanted to meet their new nephew.
So, one evening, a week after Benjamin and May returned to New York, Richard brought his wife to visit Benjamin's new home.
"Oh! Ben, you need to lose some weight."
After a warm hug, Richard clearly felt his brother's excitement and the strength of his arms, which nearly choked him.
"Haha, yes, I need to stay healthy and spend more time with May and Clark."
Richard and Mary exchanged smiles. Benjamin was happy, and as his family, they were happy for him too.
Benjamin led them to the living room, which was almost entirely decorated like a child's room.
"Oh my goodness! Benjamin, it's fine to decorate one room for the children, but the whole living room is like this. How inconvenient for you to move around!"
The floor was almost covered with toys, so much so that even after taking off their shoes, they felt like they had nowhere to stand.
"Haha, the ventilation in his room isn't great, which is bad for his health. Besides, Clark plays in the living room; it's a bigger space. It'll be easier for May to watch him when she's home."
It was a simple explanation, but it showed just how much they loved Clark. Even Mary was touched, wondering if she and Richard would be the same after they had a child. However, she and Richard were both very busy with work, so it would probably be a few years before they could have a child.
"Richard... Richard, what are you looking at?"
Benjamin and May had already started inviting them to sit down as dinner was about to begin, but Mary noticed her husband was distracted. She followed his gaze and saw that Richard's eyes were fixed on Clark, who was playing with toys.
"This is..."
Mary, who worked with Richard, naturally noticed something unusual about Clark. Based on his appearance, Clark should have been only about a month old. But now, this baby, who normally would only sleep in a cradle, was sitting on the ground, playing with a solid rubber ball in his hands. He had already learned the game's rules and was bouncing the ball off the ground and catching it.
Whether in his ability to understand things or his physical strength, Clark's actions were far beyond those of a normal baby. Benjamin might have been too happy to notice this, but Richard, who was more of an outsider and worked in biology, was keenly aware of Clark's extraordinary nature.
"Richard... this..."
"Don't say anything..." Richard signaled for silence, then pulled Mary to sit down. The family began the dinner May had spent all day preparing.
But amidst the laughter, Richard couldn't help but look at Clark, who was playing with toys and drinking milk from his bottle when he was hungry.
After dinner, Richard and his wife said their goodbyes because they had to work the next day and got into their car.
"Is there really no need to talk about it? Clark is clearly not an ordinary person."
As employees of the Oscorp Group, a company known for its military industry and biotechnology, the couple naturally knew a lot. Ever since Captain America in World War II, the world had never stopped trying to create super soldiers.
Mary worried that Clark's true identity might be the product of a failed experiment. If he ever lost control or got sick from side effects, Benjamin and May, who were unprepared, would be heartbroken.
Richard closed his eyes tightly, then slowly opened them after a long moment.
"Mary, please keep in frequent contact with May from now on. We need to keep an eye on Clark's condition. Benjamin loves him, so he is my nephew. Speaking out now will only cause more trouble, but I can't just do nothing."