The warning signs had been there.
Sofia stopped talking about school.
She stopped asking me to buy things for her.
When I called home, Patricia increasingly answered before Sofia could reach the phone.
“She’s studying, Gabriel.”
“She’s taking a shower.”
“She’s already asleep.”
Sometimes I asked Sofia directly if everything was all right.
“Yes, Dad,” she always said.
I accepted those answers because I wanted my family to be happy, and because I trusted my wife.
That trust nearly destroyed my daughter.
Three days before my scheduled return, the company canceled my delivery after a problem at the receiving warehouse. My supervisor offered to assign me another route, but I decided to take the unexpected time off and go home.
I imagined surprising Sofia, taking her out for dinner, and spending a few days together before work called me away again.
I didn’t tell Patricia I was coming.
I wanted the surprise to be genuine.
