The school received the information needed for attendance, authorized collection, and the current safety arrangements through the proper channels.

Mia did not have to warn a teacher about Derek each time she entered a classroom.

Those tasks took most of the morning.

They were not dramatic.

They were the way the plan became something more than signatures.

In the car afterward, Mia asked whether we could stop for toast.

“Toast is at home,” her mother said.

“With cinnamon?”