Chapter 5 - The File Nobody Wanted Opened
Amanda met me at the county office the next morning. She was tired-eyed, direct, and careful with every word.
“June Grant adopted Eli when he was an infant,” she said. “After she died, a temporary caregiver arrangement failed. He moved between placements. We're reviewing why a nine-year-old spent nights without reliable supervision.”
“Can I see him?”
“We'll first verify your relationship and ask what he wants. He's been through enough adults making decisions without him.”
I swallowed my impatience. She was right.
I gave her the photograph and copies of what little I had. My attorney, Naomi Price, agreed to work with the county. She explained the part I hadn't wanted to hear: an adoption had ended my parental rights. Being his birth mother did not automatically make me his legal parent again.
“Then we follow the process,” I said. “Whatever it takes.”
That afternoon I went back to Westbridge. I wanted the principal to address the bullying, not bury it because the boys' families donated money. Principal Preston Hale received me beneath a wall of framed benefactors.
“We treat all children with respect,” he said.
“Three students threw food at a hungry boy. I witnessed it. My daughter witnessed it.”
“Eli Grant is not enrolled here.”
“Then he matters less?”
Hale's smile went thin. “Mrs. Bennett, your mother's generosity has done so much for this school. I'd hate for a misunderstanding to become a public spectacle.”
I set my phone on his desk. “I want the bullying report in writing.”
His eyes flicked to my screen. “Do you understand that the child has a documented history of aggression?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“From the agency handling his care.”
“Which agency?”
He stood. “This meeting is over.”
May you like
Outside, the school counselor who'd helped Eli approached me beneath the covered walkway. Her name was Mrs. Torres. She glanced toward Hale's office before slipping a folded note into my hand.
The note listed the names of the three bullies. Beneath them was a sentence written in hurried capital letters: ASK WHY THE PRINCIPAL KNOWS ELI'S BIRTH NAME.
