Tentative Trust
When we were alone again, Ruby kept glancing at me with an obvious mix of newfound respect and curiosity. I felt her eyes follow me, follow every minute movement as if she was expecting me to change. Sorry, Toots. What you see is what you get. I smiled when she wasn’t looking, when her attention was completely on the sweet little boy she was playing with on my childhood bed. His squealing giggles filling the space with precious happiness as she blew raspberries on his tummy. Her own laugh – low, soft, and heart-stopping – mingled with his easily. There really was no comparison to the bond between mother and child. Soft and strong with the kind of quiet courage that saw her through the fight of a lifetime. A battle for freedom that left deep scars on her heart, soul, and body that would
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