SIPPING COFFEE
MIDDLETOWN, NEW YORK
Around the Same Time
When Layla saw the notification on her iPhone, she wondered whether to delete the email. Why didn’t Daniel call her? Why did he send an email of all things and not a text? Those thoughts and others crossed her mind. She struggled with being upset at him and offended. But Amirah’s words surfaced repeatedly: “The happiest that I’ve seen you, mom, is when you’re with Daniel. Even when you are just talking about him, you glow like a teenager.” Layla was surprised that just the thought of Amirah’s comments made her smile. But the smile quickly turned into a frown. She wished that she hadn’t received the email because it meant that she had to deal with something that she avoided for a long time, but she was certainly curious about it.
