Morning comes. When the kid gets up Bruce has already started some paperwork. After breakfast, the boy leaves the apartment. He puts his work aside as the phone rings. It's Alfred. He starts talking about Alfred's trip and how some things are hard to manage when he is away. As usual Alfred has a solution to most of the issues. But he understands that some things are unsustainable. Bruce replies "on speaking of unsustainable…"
He talks about the situation. How he feels everyday, about family, guardianship and adoption.
He realizes that quite sometime has passed since the whole thing happened. Of course Alfred asks if he and the boy has discussed the matter. Alfred asks him to look closer at the options available. They agree that Bruce should wait a little to contact a lawyer. At least until he and the boy have had a good talk. Alfred lets him know when he will be reachable again. As he hangs up he knows that that talk probably won't be done by the time he speaks with the other man over the phone again.
The door slams. Shoes flying into the wall and the bedroom door slams shut. The man once more puts the paperwork aside. He goes to check out the situation. Knocking on the boys door. Opens a small crack. "May I come in?" No answer. The boy is standing at the chest of drawers. He has pulled on a sweater and looks really angry. "What's up?" "Nothing!" "You want to help me with…" "NO! Or I mean…" The kid strikes out with his arms and jerk. He presses his hand against his right arm. There had been enough light grimace to understand that something is not right. "What have you done?" "Nothing!" "Sure! Pull up, I want to see." Reluctantly the kid comes a little closer. He is still holding his arm. How? the big guy asks when he's not allowed to pull the sleeve up but instead carefully works the sweater over the boy's head.
The kid bites the bullet and looks straight at him. "Don't say anything! please...?" "Do not say what, I do not understand. Oh!" The shirt is broken and his arm is bleeding. But... then he says nothing more. He only gets the first aid kit and washes it clean. The wound is not deep. The shirt goes in the trash. He is thinking for a long time about how he should begin the conversation. "Where did you go? How does your arm feel now?" No answer.
New tactics. He says he has talked to Alfred. That he has looked at the options available. Then the boy clearly says Stella. He looks at him questioningly. "The arm? Why?" The kid nods but does not answer. "Due to the can? Or something else?" Silence. "Please tell me. I will not talk to her or her parents if you don't want me to. But I must know what is happening." The kid squirms and sits down. "Then... soon, I... I went... she was out." After that, he sits quietly. "Did you hit her?" The anger flashes in his eyes. "She said…" Then it gets quiet again.
He waits, patiently waiting. Know that the story will be told. "She's lying!" "Does she?" "Yes, she says I have told everything. But I haven't. Just the can, not what she has done." "What has she done?"
He just shakes his head. "I pushed… she clung to my jacket." He raises his eyebrows questioningly. "She was angry, it hurt. They laughed." The boy puts his hand on the injured arm. "Who laughed?" The kid chewing a bit on his lip. "Where there more kids than Stella?" "Yes." "What did they do?" "They laughed ... when I ran." He puts his hand on top of the boys on the table. The guy whispers, his voice trembling a little. "She spat, right in my face." "We have to fix this. Somehow, we need to talk to Stella. You can not have it this way." "NO!" The boy pounds his hands on the table. "Aaaa, You can't!" He lays his head on the table and hides under his arms. "But you are not alone with this, ok? I have an idea, but then you must tell me the important things." The boy lifts his head from the table. A small spark of hope is in his eyes. "Have Stella done anything criminal?" Silence. "Did she do something worse than the can?" A nod. "Much worse?"
The gaze is in the distance. "Another thing…" "Did she do something different?" "No, she took another thing." "In the same store?" He nods. "An expensive thing?" Silence, a new strategy.
"Is your jacket still outside?" A nod and a shrug. "Then let's go and get it." A slight nod in response.
There is no jacket outdoors. "Perhaps Stella took it? Do you know where she lives? Then we go there and ask." "Wait!" He looks scared now. "You may not ... do not say ... please." "I promise to only ask for the jacket." They go to the right door. The kids steps are heavy. When they ring the doorbell Stella opens the door. She screams straight out and slams the door. They look at each other. The man scratches his chin. "I guess she was surprised?!" The kid nods. It is a dreadful life inside the door. Someone shouts, feet running, a door slamming shut. Someone opens the front door. It is a woman. "Whats happening here?" "Hey, we're looking for a lost jacket. Stella might know where it is?" Stellas mother looks crestfallen.
"A jacket? But why did she scream?" "Yes, a jacket. The kid has lost it. It's green." Stellas mother looks around the hall. A green dirty thing in the corner catches her gaze. "I do not think... green?" She picks up the green crumpled jacket and holds it up. "This one is not ours…" Woha! he exclaims. However he quickly gains control. "There it is!" The jacket is torn. On the middle there is a black mark. It almost looks as if someone has tried to burn holes in it. Stellas mother gives the jacket to the boy who quickly snatches it and then flees. She cast a quick glance after him. Then she turns her attention to the man. He raises his hand to show that he intends to follow the boy. Stellas mother nods. Before he has time to disappear, she says "I want to know more". He pulls out a business card and with a "call me later" he follows the kid.
He takes a few quick steps and expects to find the guy around the corner. But he is not there. When he sees him along the street in the opposite direction of home he starts running at full speed after him. The boy runs into the park. The man beats the pace when he sees the kid pushing the jacket into the trashcan. Then he kicks the barrel and pound his fist into the nearest tree. When the guy falls down on the park bench the man sits next to him. He lays his hand lightly on the boys back. The kid looks up. "She burned it! It is only getting worse! What should I do? She will take revenge!" "Hey, hey calm down. We'll fix it."
He takes off his own jacket and put it over the boys shoulders. The guy sighs heavily.
"First of all Stella is responsible for what she does, not you. When it comes to telling me you have not said anything. Everything Stellas mother learns Stella must tell herself. You have just taken your jacket. She will be angry, yeah, probably. But you do not have to solve it yourself. We can meet Stella and her mother together if you want." The boy nods slowly and threads his arms into the large jacket. "Your jacket is warm…" "We'll have to get a similar for you."
They trudge towards home in silence.