Chapter 14 - Sophie’s Rabbit Went Back Into Her Bed
Sophie came to live with me.
Not because grandparents automatically get custody.
There were hearings.
Home assessments.
Relatives considered.
Her needs evaluated.
Brent’s legal circumstances and conduct mattered.
So did stability.
Eventually, I became her primary guardian under the court structure appropriate to the case.
Melissa’s apartment building did not become mine.
It passed according to her estate plan for Sophie’s benefit.
Professional management remained in place.
Independent fiduciary oversight protected it.
Nobody received a magical cash windfall.
The building simply continued doing what Melissa intended:
Producing income.
Paying expenses.
Helping provide for her daughter.
For months Sophie slept with the stuffed rabbit under her chin.
Then one night she placed it on a shelf.
“Rabbit can sleep alone.”
“Okay.”
She climbed under the blanket.
“Mommy still knows where I am?”
My throat tightened.
“I think the people we love stay part of us.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Five-year-olds have no patience for philosophical cowardice.
I smiled sadly.
“I don't know.”
She considered that.
“Okay.”
Then:
“I think she does.”
May you like
I kissed her forehead.
“That’s okay too.”
