Em Gessen

After three months, Priscilla started to get O for overnight visits.

These were still awkward.

O was this new kid now, a kid who wore fedoras and brogues and had a penchant for old movies.

L was in every way his opposite, plump, boisterous.

Her English was spotty, but this didn't stop her from making clear demands of everyone she met, mostly to get picked up.

They gradually got more comfortable with one another.

O was getting to know L, Priscilla was getting to know O, and on December 20th, finally, the federal judge ruled in the Haig Convention case.

He didn't hand Priscilla an outright victory, but he wrote in his decision that Alan had brought O to Massachusetts without his mother's consent.

Priscilla could take this finding to family court now.

It could change everything.

The day after the federal judge made his ruling, Priscilla got a call from her lawyer.

The lawyer sounded worried.

Alan had withdrawn his custody lawsuit from family court.

She had not.

O was supposed to be at school, but he was not.

When Priscilla called, the school told her that Alan had told them in the morning that O was sick.

Priscilla worried the court was going to close soon.

Her lawyer had to hustle too.

Now someone had to make sure Alan knew the stop order existed.

The police had gone to his house.