“I acted like an awful person,” she said.

“There’s no other word for it.

I was an awful person, up there, for twenty minutes, to a child.”

I did not tell her she was wrong.

I want to be honest that I did not comfort her, did not reach for the easy grace of oh, it’s all right, we all have bad days. Because it was not all right, and I was not going to pretend it was, and I think she needed, just then, for someone not to pretend.

“My daughter didn’t give your wallet back to teach you a lesson,” I said.