Chapter 5 - THE BEHAVIORAL PLAN
The plan described a child I did not recognize.
Defiant.
Emotionally dysregulated.
Difficulty respecting authority.
Tantrums.
Property destruction.
Resistance to grooming and hygiene.
That last phrase made me sick.
“Resistance to grooming.”
Hair brushing.
Baths.
Clothing.
Normal five-year-old objections.
Judith had translated them into pathology.
Who wrote the plan?
Dustin.
Who signed parent authorization?
Dustin.
Where was my signature?
Not required under the trust’s existing parent-request policy because Dustin was designated primary family liaison.
Harold had named him.
Why?
Dustin was his son.
I was twenty-one when Harold died.
Harold barely knew me.
Still.
What happened when Meadow turned six?
Rebecca pointed to a clause.
Independent beneficiary-welfare review.
Fifty-three days away.
The trustee would interview both parents.
Meadow separately in an age-appropriate format.
Review provider claims.
Verify residence and care.
Reassess family liaison.
If the reports were false?
Money stopped.
May you like
Potential repayment.
Maybe fraud referral.
