“Will he play with me?”
“If he comes, and he is kind and keeps his promises, you can play together.”
She smiled and returned to her toys.
Children have a remarkable ability to accept the present without carrying the weight of the past.
I hoped she would always have that freedom.
Over the following weeks, Daniel began sending money for Grace’s needs. We arranged a meeting in a public place, with my mother accompanying us. He arrived early and brought no expensive gifts, only a small picture book and a box of crayons.
Grace was shy at first.
Daniel sat across from her, trying to find the right words.
“Hello, Grace. My name is Daniel.”
She looked at him.
“I know. Mummy told me.”
He swallowed.
“Would you like to draw something with me?”
She glanced at me. I nodded gently.
For the next twenty minutes, they sat together drawing flowers, houses, and animals. Daniel was awkward, and Grace occasionally ignored him to show me a picture she had made.
