Intensely Strong

**Part 1**

It was the year 2001. Alex was moving to his grandmother’s house in the small town of Mothertown, about 93 miles from St. Andrew, his hometown. His father, a soldier, had gone abroad on a peacekeeping mission. Because of this, Alex and his mother, Alice, moved to this place.

He was sad because he had to say goodbye to his friends, schoolmates, teacher, and everything connected to his daily life, starting over from scratch in a new place alongside his mother. She had decided to move to Estelle’s house her mother-in-law not only to avoid being alone in a big city but also because the elderly woman could no longer live by herself. Moving her to a fast-paced big city wouldn’t have helped her at all.

When the moving truck arrived with all their belongings and essential items, Alex climbed down from the truck in a foul mood and refused to enter the elderly woman’s house. Both his mother and grandmother insisted he go inside, but he wouldn’t budge; the boy wanted nothing to do with that house and sat stubbornly at its entrance.

Frustrated, both women went on to organize the house while Alex remained sitting by the door. The afternoon was sunny and a bit warm, and on the street, some kids were playing soccer. Among them was Jacob, his neighbor from across the street, who accidentally hit Alex with the ball, causing him to bump his head against the doorframe and get a minor injury.

All the kids panicked and ran away upon seeing Alex hurt. He, meanwhile, ran crying and screaming for help into the house.

His mother played down the situation, telling him it was just a minor bump and to stop crying. Estela, however, reacted differently. She rushed to the door to scold the other kids, but they had already left. After his mother treated him, leaving him with a small lump on his head, the elderly woman insisted he not take a nap for a few hours to prevent a seizure.