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"When the agency described what had happened to hies of notes detailing the abuse he’d gone through" Rose’s voice trembled, but she cleared her throat and continued, "Neil and I couldn’t not adopt hi boy abused in the ways he had been had a high likelihood of beco man But you knoe said?" She chuckled and smiled down at the picture "We told them to stick their ‘likelihoods’ where the sun doesn’t shine and asked to take our son hoe "And you all lived happily ever after"

"Well, I wouldn’t go that far," she said, taking a sip of her tea, "but we didn’t underestiave hie was his first day of kindergarten Well, hoarten, but he still had a backpack and a new pair of boots, and he posed in front of the Walkers’ front door His eyes were still sad, but he wore a se was Jesse up on a horse, maybe a couple years older He had on a hat three sizes too big for him He had another smile on his face, but in that one, his eyesto the next page "You and Neil fixed him"

"It took a lot of tiot better," Rose said, grabbing another albuave him a hand up, but the only person who could fix Jesse was Jesse"

When her eyes shifted back to ht as well have just said The only person who could fix Roas Rowen

A few pages later, I found a picture of the Jesse I knew He was a few years younger, but he wore the saht hat, and brown boots It was the first photo I’d seen where he’d been sh to notice his dih

I started to cry again

"What is it, sweetheart?" Rose grabbed ave it a squeeze

"Myaway the tears "My ht that man back into her life Back into my life How could anyone who loved someone do that to them?"

"Your mother doesn’t hate you She just has a very poor way of showing her love" Rose scooted closer so she could wrap her arm around ether way back when She was a lot like she is today, and I was a lot like I am today But there was a chemistry between us She never opened up to me, but I always sensed she’d lived a hard life One she was running away frorabbed randparents I’d never known any fauessed there must have been a lot of bad blood between them because I’d never once received a birthday card froh, so I’d never given it a lot of thought

Could it be I didn’t know a single blood relative, includingout loud, because mom had pushed away everyone? The same way she’d pushed e child in their home?

While I couldn’t be certain, it seemed a very possible explanation

"So what does thatet?"

Rose shook her head "No, Rowen It o" She brushed my hair behind my ear in a motherly way "Sometimes we just have to cut off the dead branches in our life Sometimes that’s the only e can keep the tree alive It’s hard and it hurts, but it’s what’s best" She paused to take a breath "Don’t let a dying branch take you doith it Maybe one day she’ll change, but don’t go doith her, Rowen"

"But she’s kind of taking me down no matter what I do," I said, unable to look away from Jesse’s picture "Art school was my ticket out of there But nowthe only place I have to go at the end of su her rules this summer I tried so hard to please her But none of ith art school in the first place"

"Maybe she was, and maybe she wasn’t, but don’t let your mom decide your future"

I exhaled "Kind of hard not to in this case" Another clap of thunder rocked the house The lights flickered "Art school’s kind of expensive, and ht about starting out at a co to a dedicated art school later?" Rose poured herself another cup of tea and topped mine off

"Not really," I said "But at this point, I’ so related to art Unless it involves paint-by-nuht a losing battle to keep her smile contained "Here’s the way I see it You’ll have earned enough money this sue If you want to come back next suh for the following year" I wasn’t sure if what I heard was real Was the answer to e dilemma so easily solved? "After that, you can apply for financial aid and scholarships and get into whatever art school you want Doing it on your oithout being dependent on yourhere to work for pay, Rose Mom sent me here so I could prove to her I could work hard and walk a line" The truck ride to Willow Springs, when Jesse played his favorite CD, popped to

"That may have been what your mom intended, but that’s certainly never what Neil and I intended You’ve worked hard this summer, Rowen You’ve been an asset to us, sweetie, not a liability" Rose thu Neil I don’t knohat I’ to do when you leave us for school in a feeeks"

A lot of infor to payyet another lue for work, Rowen" She chuckled and ru soraned up"