Running behind. Can you wait?
There was no apology. No please. Not even an explanation.
I waited anyway.
When Sophie finally ran out, her cheeks were flushed, and she looked embarrassed.
“Sorry, Mrs. Sarah,” she whispered as she climbed into the back seat. “Mom couldn’t find her yoga mat.”
I remember glancing at the clock.
We were already running late, but I smiled at Sophie and told her it was fine.
It wasn’t her fault.
That was how I always justified things. If I refused, somebody else might suffer. If I helped, I could avoid making a child feel bad.
Vanessa, meanwhile, always had something pleasant to say whenever she saw me.
“You’re a lifesaver, Sarah.”
“I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’re the best neighbor anyone could ask for.”
She never offered money for gas, and I never asked for any. The school was on my route, after all.
