Medal in Hand: A Stand for Justice

My granddaughter, Giselle Tanner, was an orphan. For that reason alone, the school bullies made her their target.Giselle had been dragged into the school restroom and beaten for seven hours straight. Now, she was fighting for her life in the intensive care unit. The ringleader, Tricia Fleming, chewed her gum without a care. "Go ahead, sue me. I'm not scared. I know the law. Since I'm underage, the most they'll do is me on the wrist. I'm not going to jail." She spoke with ease, her face showing not the slightest trace of regret. Tricia's father, Harold Fleming, was just as dismissive. "Quit acting so petty. You just want more money, don't you?" he said with a sneer. "We'll pay you. But you're signing a statement saying your granddaughter's injuries came from a fall and had nothing to do with my daughter."Then, he yanked a wad of cash from his bag and hurled it at my face. It was 100 thousand dollars in bills. Harold laughed with contempt and added, "Your granddaughter gets a b

After pulling myself together, I returned to Giselle's hospital room. When she woke up, she stayed curled beneath the blanket, unwilling to come out. Seeing her trembling under the covers broke my heart. Without missing a beat, I approached her and pulled her into my arms. Giselle pressed herself against me and sobbed. "Grandpa, it hurts so much. I feel awful. Tricia and the others beat me up and bullied me. They even said I was born to be picked on because I was an orphan. "But I do have a mom and dad. Didn't they promise they'd come home when I turned ten? I'm 15 now. Why haven't they come back? Did I do something wrong? Don't they want me anymore? Was it because I snuck ice cream home when I was little?"Grandpa, can you tell Mom and Dad I know I was wrong? I'll never eat ice cream again. I'll be good. I miss them so much. If Mom and Dad were still here, they wouldn't dare bully me."Her cries hit me like a punch to the gut, and my hand closed around the medals in my pocke

The next day, I walked up to the courthouse with the legal papers I had drafted overnight. At this point, I had no other choice. This lawsuit was the last hope I had left.But as soon as I stepped inside, I came face-to-face with Harold. He was chatting and laughing with a court official. His expression darkened the instant he saw me. Without missing a beat, he ordered the security guards at the entrance to stop me. "This old man is crazy! Don't let him through!" he yelled.The guards immediately pinned me to the ground. No matter how much I resisted, I was powerless against them. Harold stood over me, smug. Then, he flung the shredded remains of my papers into my face. "I told you, didn't I? The ones in charge of this courthouse are all my relatives. "This isn't a place where you'll ever find justice. You could sue me all you like, and it still wouldn't matter. If you know what's good for you, you'd sign the statement. Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens next."Their l

It was the first time in days that I'd felt truly respected. With Isaac's assurance, the weight on my chest finally eased. He insisted on driving me home, but the moment he stepped inside and saw the wreckage, he froze in disbelief. Apparently, while I was away, Harold had sent men to break in and destroy everything inside. Fortunately, I had sent Giselle to her maternal grandmother's place beforehand. Otherwise, if she had seen the devastation, it would have left her even more traumatized. There wasn't a single piece of furniture left intact. Even the pots and pans had been smashed to bits. Isaac trembled with rage at the sight. Then, right on cue, Harold called. I put the call on speaker in front of Isaac. In an instant, Harold's arrogant voice blared out, "Back home, old geezer? It doesn't feel good seeing your house wrecked, does it?"Furious, Isaac snatched the phone from my hand and shouted, "Do you think you can push people around like this? Aren't you afraid th

As soon as Harold heard that, he grabbed his phone and called someone. Before long, several cars pulled up, and influential figures from the city—politicians, lawyers, and businessmen—stepped out. Among them was Louis, the principal who had expelled Giselle.My heart sank when I saw the crowd. It was no wonder Tricia had bullied her classmate without fear. As it turned out, her family's connections were far too powerful. The moment his reinforcements arrived, Harold scrambled to his feet and hurried over to complain. He claimed that we had been the ones to mistreat him. But he hadn't expected that the very people he had summoned would go pale at the sight of Isaac. Without hesitation, they hurried forward and lowered their heads in respect. Harold froze in shock. What was going on? Weren't these his reinforcements? Why were they siding with Isaac?"General Ziegler, we didn't know you were here. We're sorry for not welcoming you sooner," one said. A wave of disgust hit Isaac