Chapter 21 - ESMOND DOES NOT CHOOSE THE JUDGE
The child advocate refused to put Esmond in court.
Good.
His preferences came through age-appropriate interviews.
He said:
“I want to live in Daddy’s house with Uncle Rhy.”
Then:
“I don’t want Uncle Ulric to have bat.”
Of course.
Then:
“Do you want to see Uncle Ulric someday?”
Esmond thought.
“If he’s not mad.”
That became important.
No:
Never.
No:
I forgive him.
Conditional child logic.
Then he asked the advocate:
“Can Daddy’s paper make Uncle Rhy daddy?”
No.
The advocate explained:
Rhydian is Uncle Rhy.
Guardian is different.
Esmond liked that.
Good.
I had been afraid guardianship meant I needed to fill Tavian’s shape.
I didn’t.
At home, Esmond still said:
“Daddy used to cut apples thinner.”
Fine.
“Daddy knew dinosaur names better.”
True.
“Daddy let me stay up.”
Probably selective memory.
No competition.
Then emergency phone.
He kept it charged.
One night he called me from his bedroom.
I was downstairs.
My phone rang.
I answered.
“What happened?”
Esmond whispered:
“Testing.”
I almost laughed.
“Works.”
“Okay.”
He hung up.
Dr. Lena said:
“Let it be silly sometimes.”
Fear objects become safer when they can exist outside fear.
May you like
So the phone became a tool.
Not a relic.
