The other woman approaches my girl and nudges her with an elbow, saying something in the process. I snap to attention immediately, ready to head over and wring the shrew’s neck for hurting my tiger cub, but my girl just giggles. Why is she allowing it? Why is she not fighting back, defending herself? Even if it was just a little shove, she should be returning the hit, or others will start mistreating her. She definitely shouldn’t be hugging the woman as she’s doing now.
My eyes narrow into slits while I try to analyze this strange behavior, but come up with nothing. Did I misunderstand the woman’s intent? Give me a target, and I’ll have it eliminated in under twenty seconds. But this—ordinary people—I don’t get.
I’ve lived in foster homes with a lot of different kids. A lot of boys who,
