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\u2019t damaged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to miss Granny,\u201d Kevin said as he ran his fingers over a dark stain he\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy mourn for an old trout who left you this junk?\u201d Dad shook his head and kicked at a corner of the sofa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t junk, Dad. It\u2019s a memory of Granny. I\u2019ll earn my own money when I grow up, but I can\u2019t make more memories with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s lip curled into a sneer, and his eyes narrowed. \u201cShe\u2019s 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?\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Kevin hung his head. \u201cThose people aren\u2019t so bad. They let me come stay here with you for the next few days because of Granny\u2019s funeral. I wish I didn\u2019t have to go back\u2026I want to live with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll figure it out, kiddo.\u201d Dad ruffled Kevin\u2019s hair. \u201cI\u2019m going to see what I can do to get back custody of you now your nosy Granny isn\u2019t around to push her own agenda. You and I will be a family again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Kevin hung his head and hunched his shoulders. He\u2019d missed Dad so much\u2026but he was never an affectionate man, unlike Mom. Kevin shook his head. It still hurt too much to think about her. Mom\u2019s funeral six months ago had been the worst day of his life. And now Granny was gone too.<\/p>\n
He studied the apartment, but nothing had changed while he was away at Denise and Miguel\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
He sighed and sat on Granny\u2019s sofa. A stiff, pointy thing poked him in the rear. Kevin prodded the seat with his hand and gasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something inside Granny\u2019s sofa,\u201d he cried.<\/p>\n
Dad carried on staring at the TV like he hadn\u2019t heard Kevin\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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:<\/p>\n
\u2018For Kevin.\u2019<\/p>\n
The boy smiled sadly as he recognized Granny\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u2018Dearest Kevin, I\u2019m sorry to pressure you while you\u2019re 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\u2019ll explain everything and then you must decide if he\u2019s worthy of your love.\u2019<\/p>\n
Kevin frowned. He briefly glanced over his shoulder to check Dad was still distracted, then continued reading.<\/p>\n
Grandma Linda panted as she hobbled down the hall to her son-in-law\u2019s apartment. Climbing the stairs had taken it out of her, but she needed to check on her grandson. The message she\u2019d received from her late daughter\u2019s friend in the building had her worried about Kevin\u2019s welfare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"