Under Pressure

The only way he could get through this was to narrow his focus to the people that mattered. Rena, working and driving Yaelli back and forth to Thrive every single day, too exhausted to serve supper beyond fish sticks and frozen pizza. Yaelli, who seemed different, like they were moving in the right direction.

“It’s worth it,” Eliyahu told himself. It’s all worth it.

Mr. Meyer ushered Eliyahu into the conference room and sat down across from him.

“We’re making good progress,” Meyer said, opening the file folder. He walked Eliyahu through the line of reasoning they would present to the judge. Breach of duty, that Colin had damaged the pressure relief valve in a clear violation of industry standards. Causation, that the boiler had exploded because of Colin’s mistake, not due to any preexisting issue. Damages, that the Shechters had suffered measurable harm, including repair costs, property damage, and emotional distress.