But the truth was no longer trapped in a blue metal box.
***
When I was asked to describe the day of the playground accident, I closed my eyes.
For a moment, I was nine again.
I could almost feel the swing beneath me.
The wind against my face.
The sudden push.
Then the impact.
I opened my eyes.
The courtroom was silent.
"I remember thinking that if I could just open my eyes, everything would be okay."
My voice trembled.
"But when I woke up after the hospital procedures, I couldn't see."
I took a breath.
"For years, I believed one little boy had destroyed my future."
I looked toward Nigel.
His eyes filled with tears.
"Then I learned the adults around us had been making decisions we couldn't understand."
I looked toward my mother.
"Decisions about money. Research. Medical treatment."
My throat tightened.
"And they decided I didn't deserve to know."
