”Wendy turned into an alley, then ducked through an open door and down dark steps. She turned into a basement hall and led them into and through a s...ries of utility rooms connected by passages and tunnels. As they went, she explained, “I don’t come through here in the winter. Too many homeless people getting away from the cold. Some are okay; some aren’t nice. When it’s dark, not easy to tell, and it’s too easy to get trapped. I try to take lots of different routes, but this one lets us go the. I took his hand in one of mine and stroked his hair with the other.And then I cried.It all bubbled up inside me and all the emotions overflowed. The hurt, the anger, the guilt, the sorrow, the fear – they all poured out and there was nothing I could do to stop them.Damn Henry Bell for not keeping it in his pants, for not being a father to his children, for not loving us the way Burt loved Maria and the rest of his family.Damn Kyle's new buddies for their amorality, their attitude that they were. “You, Lori, may call me Eric.” I responded with as much confidence as I could muster as I gently closed the heavy oak door to my office, leaving us as the only two people on the second floor of the building. I then took a seat on my couch, facing her, noticing she had also slid her chair now very close to the couch. We were almost nose to nose as we sat, and yes, I was sweating, trying to appear not the least bit fazed and calmly professional. But I was sweating. A lot.“Eric,” Lori asked. .”Larry tented his fingers and looked into Eva’s eyes. “Eva -- what is your expectation out of this settlement?”“Right now, all I want is out.” She sighed. “Rob can keep everything if he wants. I’m just not up for a battle. Monica is an adult...”The attorney nodded. “So there are no custody issues. Do you have a dog, cat, iguana?”“No,” Eva replied. “What’s left?”“Well ... There isn’t much. Half of zero is zero.”“What do you mean,” Janet asked. “What about the property? The house?”“Rob borrowed.