Emma Signed Over Her Kitchen Island to Keep Toby Safe in Massachusetts

footsteps coming down the stairs.

Toby took three quick steps and kicked the ball again, his eyes bright. The yellow pencil he had used for his vocabulary list earlier was still tucked behind his ear, a habit he had picked up from his new teacher.

I watched him run, the simplicity of his movements filling the quiet space between the houses. We had four continue reading …