Nova
I felt hollow bringing Lila to school on the bus by myself. But even worse, I could tell how sad my daughter was not to have her cousin with her.
“Do Aunt Susie and Emma not love us anymore?”
Lila’s question was like a punch to my gut.
“Of course they do, sweetie,” I reassured her quickly.
“They just don’t want to live with us anymore?”
I sighed, searching for the right words. “You know how it would be really mean to separate you from me because you’re my daughter?”
“Yeah…” she responded nervously.
“Well, since Emma is Mr. Dominic’s daughter, it’s only fair that he not be separated from her, right?”
Lila looked out the window, wiggling the zipper of her backpack mindlessly. “I guess. But it’s also kind of mean to separate me from my aunt and cousin.”
I passed my hand ove
