The Emperor's Men 3: Passage. Dirk van den Boom

have happened to the kids if they had stayed another minute in her care.

      I asked her if she liked the bedroom set I bought for her and Jackie.

      She said, “I don’t have a bedroom set. Me and Jackie sleep on the couch. Opal sells the stuff you bring. She has a yard sale.”

      I asked about all the food I bring.

      “She sells it to her neighbors. Grammy, I don’t want to live with my dad any more. Opal hates us. She said she wishes she never gave my dad the okay. Grammy, what does that mean?”

      Little Chicks

      When it came time for Christmas gifts, I asked Floyd what he thought. He said no matter what, I had to buy each one the same thing. Opal said so. I decided to buy each one a bike. Before I could buy them, Laurene asked me for a desk. I whispered for her not to tell that I was going to buy everyone a bike. She said she didn’t want a bike because she kept getting hurt. So I bought four bikes and a desk. Laurene never got to enjoy her desk. Floyd wouldn’t take it out of the box and perform the couple of assembly tasks because Opal’s daughter was jealous that Laurene got a special gift, and she didn’t. So the box sat there, month after month.

      It wasn’t long before Floyd called me to ask if Laurene could live with me.

      He said, “She stays in the backyard and cries all the time. She can’t sleep at night. She’s afraid of everything. She says she sees a man standing by her bed in the middle of the night, and she wakes us up with her screaming. She’s not happy at school, and we don’t know what to do.”

      I asked if he tried hugging her and talking to her.

      He said, “I don’t know how to deal with it, so Opal and I talked, and we want you to take her. Laurene and Opal’s daughter are too close to the same age, and they don’t get along.”

      I said, “Of course I would take her. I will always take her. How soon can I come get her?” Laurene was coming home, but it had to be her dad’s decision.

      Her homecoming was a joyous, long-awaited occasion. She was finally where she belonged. She was with the one person who loved her with a true love that would never let her down. My chick came home.

      Then came the time late one night when Floyd showed up at my door holding Jackie’s hand. They came in, and I put Jackie on my lap. She was trembling uncontrollably. I sat at my desk, and Floyd remained standing close to the door. I noticed he had a sack with him.

      “Will you take her? Opal can’t take care of her. She’s too close to the same age as my son Hector, and it’s too hard for Opal to handle. Jackie is too clingy, and she sticks to me too much. The kid scream and cry in the middle of the night. She cries when I leave for work, and Opal can’t take it anymore.” He held his head down, not giving me eye contact. He was slowly backing away as he spoke, and Jackie saw this. I could see his mind was made up.