<b> 	The new house was square with four rooms and a toilet downstairs and two rooms with a bathroom upstairs. The stairs were steep and bent in a left turn as they climbed and the railing had wide spaces between the banisters. He had found he could worm his way through the banisters as he went down the stairs, from inside to out and outside to in. His head still fit between them at the narrowest point and his body easily slid through. He had the movement refined and was working on his speed when Esme came around the corner from the kitchen and quickly yelled at him, “I told you to stop that. You’re going to fall off there and crack your head on the floor.”
	He glared at her and kept slinking through the railing. 
	“Enough!” she yelled at him. 
	He glared at her again but this time stopped on the inside of the railing and looked at her with a deep pout on his face. 
	“I’ve told you enough times,” she said.
	“Don’t worry, you’ll get it. You had the flow feeling there for a little bit. That’s what you want to find and keep it. You’ll see when you hit it.” The voice toned in his head as he stared at her. 
	“Well?” she insisted waiting for a response.
	“Okay,” he said gently as he looked down to his knees and toes of his shoes.
	“Come on,” she added, “it’s time to eat.”
	The mention of food sparked his brain and he stomped down the stairs in two footed hops then landed on the bottom floor and ran for the kitchen. He climbed at his chair until she came over and lifted him up and set him in then snapped the tray in place. She slid a bowl of protein crumble and noodles in front of him and suctioned the bowl down to the tray in a vain attempt at keeping him from tossing the bowl.
	As soon as the bowl was in front of him he was shoveling the noodles and crumble into his mouth. He loved the taste and the slippery feeling of the noodles squishing around his barely toothed mouth made him happy. His aim was better so he was able to get most of his food in his mouth and he quickly plopped his mouth on the tray in front of him and sucked up the few bits that had fallen.
	***
	The first few months were spent getting the house setup to their liking. Esme had a lot of things delivered instead of going out to begin with but as the months wore on in their new home they started to make short trips to the store and the farmer’s market on the weekend. By his third birthday they had a car of their own, at least one owned by the law firm that they got to use, and had been through the whole town and were feeling comfortable enough to go to eat at a couple of the local restaurants.
	They were leaving Pauline’s Cafe one morning that winter in the fresh snow when Esme was backing out of her parking spot. She looked all around her and did not see any cars to either side but when she let off the brake and began to reverse out of the street side parking the car was suddenly impacted at a high rate in the rear end. A vehicle had been careening down the street and hit the right rear quarter panel of the car and spun it around like a top. Both of their heads hit the windows next to them and the sound of the scraping metal and screeching of rubber as the tires ground on the asphalt was deafening until it suddenly stopped.
	He looked up to see the crowds of people streaming out of the cafe and the nearby businesses headed for them. The car doors were yanked open and soon they were being helped from the car. The town sheriff was there and the fire truck siren wound to a blaring stop as the truck parked nearby. The lump on the side of his head was smaller than others he had had and as he touched it gingerly he could hear the sheriff dealing with the driver that hit them. 
	“He’s toasted. You can smell it from here. The test is a formality at this point. He’s not hurt so he’s all yours,” the fireman said.
	“Wonderful, another for the tank. What is it with this past week? Every time I get one out another one wants in. I don’t treat them that well, you’d think they’d want to stay out of the cell.”
	The fireman left the drunk and headed towards them to join the other that was checking on Esme. 
	“He’s totally wasted and completely unhurt aside from his liver. How are you two?” he asked.
	“I have a big lump on my head from hitting the glass but I think we’re okay. The car’s only a month old,” she said as she looked over at their demolished car nearby. 
	He was too amazed by the commotion all around them to think of the pain in his head which kept him from crying and the voice made itself known. “It’s good to see you finally getting why it’s best to be silent. Notice how no one is worried about you being the Crying Child?”	
	“Shut up,” he thought.
	“Then cry and see what happens,” the voice offered.
	He shook his head as he sat next to her on the curb with the firemen overhead and soon they were being helped into the sheriff deputy’s car and he drove them back to their house. 
	“You’re lucky ma’am, that guy was way over the limit and was flying. How he even got going that fast in that short of blocks must mean he never stopped once. You’re lucky you didn’t back out sooner, he would have t-boned you on the little guy’s side,” the deputy said as he drove. 
	It was only a short ride to their house and as they got out of the car Esme asked, “what happens to my car?”
	“It’s likely totaled and you’ll just have to work with your insurance agent to get it taken care of,” he replied.
	She looked down at him as she grabbed his hand then looked back up to the deputy and said, “thank you for the ride.”
	“Try to have a good day Mrs. Ladd. I’m sorry this happened to you. Drunks are getting to be a worse problem as I’m sure you’ve seen. Take care of those bumps, a little ice would do well to help the swelling,” the deputy said then drove off down the snowy street. They quickly went inside the house to warm up and tend to their still swollen bumps.
	The next morning he was seated in his booster seat at the kitchen table spooning oatmeal mostly into his mouth as Esme talked on her pda. He had managed to get it smeared around in his hair and as he continued to shovel it began to dry and harden.
	“Thanks Bev. Hi Jim. I was in an accident yesterday and the car is totaled I think,” she said.
	“Are you you alright?” he asked with sudden deep concern in his voice.
	“We’re fine,” she calmed him. “I was backing out of a spot at the cafe and some drunk hit us in the trunk going really fast. Didn’t stop at any of the intersections in town and barreled into us. We got bumps on the heads when they hit the side windows but otherwise we are okay.”
	There was a deep sigh on the call and he said, “okay, thankfully you are both alright. I’ll contact the sheriff and get the details and I’ll let Bev know to talk to insurance as we are covered so it won’t be to big of an issue.”
	“That’s good, I’m sorry for this,” she said with a wince.
	“Don’t be sorry. You are safe and relatively unhurt so it’s all good, the car did it’s job and protected you both.”
	After a short pause she asked, “do you think I can get a rental or something? We still need to get around…”
	“Ahh, yeah, no problem. Just let us talk with insurance first and we can have something for you soon. I know it’s not the most convenient but it’s best all around as it protects us. I’m sure we can get you a rental if anything.”
	“Thanks,” she replied then asked, “has there been anything on the settlement yet? Three years now and all I have to show is the stipend you’ve given me.”
	“Actually there has been movement on that and it looks like the train is finally moving. We got word, well a form letter, that at least shows it’s in process now and could be fully funded within 30 days. Hopefully.”
	She looked at him and her face was alight in surprise, wide eyes and her mouth fell open slightly as she stared at him in shock. She shook her head slightly as the pda suddenly popped to life with, “you there?” and she quickly replied, “yeah, sorry, just in shock. It’s been so long I didn’t think this would ever happen. You said fully funded? The full six and a half?”
	“It looks like it will be the full six point five million, minus the advances of course.”
	“Oh thank god,” Esme said as her head fell back and her closed eyes looked up at the ceiling. She opened her eyes again as she lowered her head and looked him in the eyes and said with a deep sigh, “finally.”
	“One of us will be in touch in the next few days when we get more details for you and I’ll have Bev work on a rental for you to get you by until the settlement funds.”
	“Thank you Jim. I really appreciate all the help you all have given me,” she said then looking back at him added, “to us.”
	“No problem Esme. We’ll talk later.”




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