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A week of training passed and I had gained in confidence and formed a close bond with Wizard. He seemed to sense my mood. Every time I was tempted to ring Rebecca, he distracted me, in a good way. That dog loved belly rubs and I was happy to give them.
Sophie led me out into the car park.
“We’ve set up an obstacle course for you and Wizard to traverse. You need him to get from one end to the other and keep you safe. It’s a bit crazy and there are lots of obstacles in the way. Hopefully, you’ll never get anything like this in the real world. Just let him guide you through.”
“Okay. Are there zip-lines and travelators to contend with?”
“Not today.”
I picked up the harness and lifted my chin. “Shame. Forward.”
Wizard began to walk, taking an immediate sharp left before curving around to the right. I had no idea what the obstacles were, but after a minute or so, Wizard made it to the end.
“That was excellent. I’m happy for you to go home.”
“Great.” I couldn’t help smiling. “Does that mean I’m qualified?”
“Not yet. We’ll still have a few weeks of follow-up so you can learn some routes in your local area. But that’s it for training now.”
“Awesome.”
––––––––
Terry met me in reception and helped me into his car, loading Wizard and the equipment in the back.
“How was that for you, Brian?”
“It was good.”
“I hear you had a bit of a shaky start back there.”
“Yeah. Just a bit of a wobble. It’s all good though.”
“That’s wonderful. Lucky Helena was there to talk you down from the abyss.”
I smirked. “Yeah. She’s great.”
“Oh, I know. Such a wonderful woman. You were very lucky to have met her. She does so much for the community.”
“Yeah. So she said.”
He pulled out of the car park and turned on a Steps CD.
I thought it might be rude sticking my earbuds in or jamming my fingers into my ears.
“I was wondering if you want to come back to Mandela House? We’ve got a session next week on careers and applying for college. I think you might really benefit from it.”
I went to refuse but thought better of it. “That will be good.”
“Wonderful. Thursday at two. I think you’ll be surprised at the opportunities. We’ve got some employers there. So, who knows?”
“Yeah. My college application didn’t exactly go well.”
“Everything happens for a reason, Brian. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
He pulled up outside my house and Terry helped me with my bags as I walked with Wizard to the front door. I rang the doorbell.
“Brian, good luck.” He shook my hand. “See you next week.”
“Thanks, Terry. Really.” I smiled in his direction as the door opened.
“Take care,” he said, getting into his car.
Mum gave me a hug. “Let’s show Wizard his new home.”