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I handed over the documents.
Mrs. Dalrymple spoke up too, confirming everything.
Denise’s composure cracked.
“You tried to separate us,” I said.
“I tried to protect them!”
“No,” I replied. “You tried to take what wasn’t yours.”
The judge ruled quickly.
Her request was denied.
She would not be allowed to pursue guardianship again without court approval.
For the first time, Denise had nothing to say.
After the hearing, Mrs. Dalrymple made a request of her own.
She wanted to be listed as our emergency caregiver.
So I could go back to school someday.
I looked at her.
“You really want that?”
She smiled. “I’ve been taking care of you all for three years already.”
That night, I filled out the emergency contact form.
Relationship: Family.
She laughed. “I’m just your neighbor.”
I shook my head.
“No,” I said. “Family lives next door.”
For three years, I thought I was barely enough.
But my mom had known something I didn’t.
She knew I would fight.
She knew I wouldn’t let them be taken.
And in the end…
She was right.
