“I want her to know Emily may need some patience and a quiet place to ask for help,” I said.

“She doesn’t need the account numbers.”

We reviewed the practical conditions and the people authorized to collect her.

The school kept the necessary information through its own procedure.

I asked for confirmation that the changes had reached the staff who needed them, rather than assuming handing a page to one person had completed everything.

Emily waited beside me with her spelling book pressed to her chest.

“Will everybody know?” she whispered when we left the desk.