Lena looked up when I sat beside her.
Mara had offered to come, but I went alone.
Some moments did not need witnesses.
Lena looked up when I sat beside her.
“Am I in trouble?”
“No.”
I remembered Cara at twenty, holding a dish towel and trying to ask me about children.
“Did I fill something out wrong?”
“No.”
Her hands kept moving.
I remembered Cara at twenty, holding a dish towel and trying to ask me about children without revealing why the answer mattered so much.
I only said quietly what someone should have told her years ago.
I handed Lena the approved paperwork.
She read it, then covered her mouth. Her eyes filled, but she did not cry.
I gave no advice.
I did not mention Cara.
I only said quietly what someone should have told her years ago.
“You don’t have to decide everything by yourself.”
Note: This story is a work of fiction inspired by real events. Names, characters, and details have been altered. Any resemblance is coincidental. The author and publisher disclaim accuracy, liability, and responsibility for interpretations or reliance. All images are for illustration purposes only.
