Ten-year-old Kevin is stunned when he finds a box hidden in the shabby sofa he inherited from his Granny. However, the letter and legal papers inside the box contain even more surprises and help the boy understand a devastating truth about his family. Kevin will have to make a choice that will determine the rest of his life.
Kevin stared at the slightly shabby and stained sofa Granny left him in her will. He cringed when the movers dropped it to the floor with a loud thump. He waved away a cloud of dust as he moved closer to check the sofa wasn’t damaged.
“I’m going to miss Granny,” Kevin said as he ran his fingers over a dark stain he’d caused when he spilled juice on the sofa once. Granny had been so forgiving that day, and seemed more concerned with refilling his drink than the damage done to the sofa.
“Why mourn for an old trout who left you this junk?” Dad shook his head and kicked at a corner of the sofa.
“This isn’t junk, Dad. It’s a memory of Granny. I’ll earn my own money when I grow up, but I can’t make more memories with her.”
Dad’s lip curled into a sneer, and his eyes narrowed. “She’s done nothing but cause trouble for us since your mom died. Have you forgotten that your grandmother ratted me out to Social Services? And what about how she handed you over to that other family?”
Kevin hung his head. “Those people aren’t so bad. They let me come stay here with you for the next few days because of Granny’s funeral. I wish I didn’t have to go back…I want to live with you.”
“We’ll figure it out, kiddo.” Dad ruffled Kevin’s hair. “I’m going to see what I can do to get back custody of you now your nosy Granny isn’t around to push her own agenda. You and I will be a family again.”
Kevin smiled. He stepped closer to hug Dad, but the man had already turned away. Dad got a drink from the fridge, sank into his armchair, and turned on the TV. Immediately, the apartment was filled with swearing and gunshots from whatever Dad was watching.
Kevin hung his head and hunched his shoulders. He’d missed Dad so much…but he was never an affectionate man, unlike Mom. Kevin shook his head. It still hurt too much to think about her. Mom’s funeral six months ago had been the worst day of his life. And now Granny was gone too.
He studied the apartment, but nothing had changed while he was away at Denise and Miguel’s place. This was still his home, and he refused to leave it again. Dad was going to fix things so he could stay here for good.
He sighed and sat on Granny’s sofa. A stiff, pointy thing poked him in the rear. Kevin prodded the seat with his hand and gasped.
“There’s something inside Granny’s sofa,” he cried.
Dad carried on staring at the TV like he hadn’t heard Kevin’s shout. He seemed to be totally engrossed in his TV show. Kevin lifted the sofa seat cushion. Underneath, he found a torn flap of material loosely sewn into place.
Kevin fetched scissors from the kitchen. It was a bit too big for the job, but he clumsily cut the stitches and revealed a small, rectangular box. It was taped shut along the edges and had two words written on it in black marker:
‘For Kevin.’
The boy smiled sadly as he recognized Granny’s writing. He slit the tape with the scissors and sat back on the sofa to examine the contents. He found a sealed envelope, which he set aside to study the folded pages of some legal documents. Then he saw a letter written by Granny.
‘Dearest Kevin, I’m sorry to pressure you while you’re so young, but your well-being and your future depend on you making a smart choice now. You need to know that your father only returned for his inheritance. I’ll explain everything and then you must decide if he’s worthy of your love.’
Kevin frowned. He briefly glanced over his shoulder to check Dad was still distracted, then continued reading.
Grandma Linda panted as she hobbled down the hall to her son-in-law’s apartment. Climbing the stairs had taken it out of her, but she needed to check on her grandson. The message she’d received from her late daughter’s friend in the building had her worried about Kevin’s welfare.
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