“Then let’s do some math together!” she squealed excitedly, already dashing off before I could respond.
She returned moments later with a bright pink notebook hugged to her chest and a pencil clutched in her hand. With all the authority in the world, she motioned for me to follow her to the living room. I obeyed, both amused and strangely honored.
We sprawled out on the floor, side by side, the math book between us. Her legs kicked softly in the air as we worked through the pages. Every time she got an answer right, her eyes sparkled, and she looked at me for approval. And each time, I gave it to her—sometimes with a nod, sometimes with a quiet “genius,” and once, I even clapped, making her laugh so hard she dropped her pencil.
For that moment, everything else faded away.
Eventually, b
