Chapter 25 - SOPHIA'S QUESTION
One Saturday morning, Sophia found the drawing on Valerie's desk.
“Who's Noah?”
“A boy the foundation helped.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes.”
“Does he know about me?”
“No.”
Sophia thought about it.
“Can I meet him?”
Valerie hesitated.
“You don't have to.”
“I want to.”
They met in Reed Park.
Noah was nervous.
Sophia wasn't.
She walked straight toward him with the golden retriever.
“This is Sunny.”
Noah smiled.
“He's huge.”
“He thinks he's small.”
Noah laughed.
Within minutes, the two children were running across the grass.
Valerie watched from a bench.
Natalia sat beside her.
“You okay?”
Valerie nodded.
“I'm watching two children who were hurt in completely different ways discover that they can still laugh.”
Natalia smiled.
“That must mean something.”
Valerie looked at Sophia.
“It means the story isn't about what happened to them.”
“What is it about?”
“What happens after.”
Sophia came running back.
“Mommy!”
“Yes?”
“Can Noah come again tomorrow?”
Valerie smiled.
“If his grandmother says yes.”
Sophia ran away.
Valerie looked at the park.
The place that had once symbolized death was now full of children planning tomorrow.
May you like
She couldn't imagine a better answer to the past.
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