I asked Alicia what would change the recommendation. She said stable housing and a clear plan for income would be enough to keep the family together. The words settled inside me with surprising clarity.
I offered them the spare room in my modest two bedroom apartment. The proposal shocked both Ivor and Alicia. It was unconventional, but not prohibited. After several conversations and written agreements, the plan was approved.
Over the next sixty days Ivor worked tirelessly to regain stability. With support from several local programs and the resilience that had always been part of him, he secured temporary lodging, then found steady employment at a distribution center nearby.
Six months later, on a warm June afternoon, I stood with him outside a small home he had proudly purchased. Finn played in the yard with a lively terrier pup, while Mira arranged stickers for her new bedroom door. Ivor carried boxes into the house with an ease that had been missing during those bleak autumn days. His smile came freely now.
He walked to my side and thanked me for believing in them when the world felt unbearably heavy. I told him the truth. Helping his family had reawakened a part of me that grief had silenced.
That day marked their new beginning. In many ways, mine as well.
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