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that he was taking a huge chance with Cory. He hoped that he wasn’t wrong. He felt that this boy was worth it.
    “Okay. That’s settled then. But, there’s some more I have to tell you.”
    Cory continued listening.
    “Dr. Stone had seen your back and knew what had happened to you. He is bound, not just by the law, but because he cares, to report this. He has to file a report about your abuse. I asked him to hold off for a couple of days so Mark and I could work something out. When I told my attorney what had happened to you, he immediately called Social Services to get you away from your dad. He’s filing an injunction right now to keep your dad away from you. While I was there, he also called the Plymouth police to have criminal charges filed against your dad. He wants to have some pictures taken of your face and back as proof of what has happened. Your dad broke the law. What he did to you should never have happened.”
    “I know. Will I have to testify against him or something? I really don’t want to see him again.”
    “Maybe not. We’ll have to let Mark decide that or work out what he can. Maybe all you’ll have to do is talk to the prosecutor.”
    “I hope that’s all I have to do,” Cory said as he turned his eyes from Richard.
    “Anyway, Mark called Dr. Stone and asked him to file his report immediately, and he’s going to do that. Then I asked him to call Social Services again. We were trying to get them to find a place for you to live. This is where I felt a little, ah, unsettled. You see Cory, when all this was happening at Mark’s office, I kept thinking that I didn’t want to see you shuffled off to someone that I didn’t know, or that you didn’t know. Over the hour that I was there, I had made up my mind that I wanted you to stay with me. Well, the thought actually started occurring to me back at the doctor’s office. When Dr. Stone told me what had happened to you, I guess that started me thinking. Like I said Cory, you’ve grown on me. I kind of like you.”
    Cory’s face turned slightly pink. He was not used to hearing that someone liked him.
    “I’m not certified as a foster parent, so I didn’t think there was much of a chance for you to stay here. I was pretty sure that the state would have to find somewhere else for you to live. But it turns out they don’t have enough certified homes, so we worked out a deal.”
    “A deal?”
    “Yeah, they’re going to let you stay here on an emergency basis until they finish the certification process. They’re going to rush it through and it should take no more than a few months. I need to be interviewed, the house needs to be inspected, that sort of thing. They need to check me out. They weren’t going to go for it right away, but they agreed to the emergency home if I could file two character references. Mark and Dr. Stone agreed to do that for me. So when they fax their letters to Social Services, and they agree, then it’ll be up to a judge to rule on it. Then it’ll become official.”
    “So this is really real? I mean, I have a home?”
    “Yup, Cory, you have a home. Well, you will when the judge signs off on it.”
    Richard had just crossed his Rubicon. There was no turning back.
    “Hey, how about that lunch and a little clothes shopping?”
    “Sure, but one thing though.”
    “What?”
    “Just, well, thanks. You’re taking a chance with me, aren’t you?”
    “Yeah, I am. And I think you’re taking a chance with me too, aren’t you?”
    Cory looked down to the floor for a moment, but his eyes returned to Richard.
    “Yeah.”
    An understanding had just been made between the two. They were going to get to know each other.
    “Come on Cory. Let’s get in the car and celebrate at the mall.”
    “I’m already outta here.”

Six
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    The Mall
    As they headed towards the mall, Cory’s mind played with his new arrangement. He felt comfortable. That’s all he knew. He thought back to his home in Plymouth and was