I did not tell her what I had seen.

I told her that grown-ups were working on the worries she’d shared and that she didn’t have to solve them alone.

She studied my face over her ice cream.

“Are you mad at me?”

“Never for telling me you’re worried.”

“Dad says people get punished when they make trouble.”

I put my cup on the picnic table.

“Asking for help isn’t making trouble.”