She thought about my answer.
Then she reached for the purple marker once more.
“Could I draw something for him?”
“Absolutely.”
She started making a picture.
A bright yellow rectangle.
Four dark circles.
A large windshield.
I watched her drawing for a moment before my phone buzzed.
An email had arrived from the school district.
Your transportation safety complaint has been received and is currently undergoing administrative review.
Beneath that notification was the statement I’d submitted the afternoon before.
This driver should not be allowed to transport children.
I looked at the sentence for several seconds.
Yesterday, those words had seemed completely justified.
I’d been overwhelmed with fear.
I’d sincerely believed Frank had placed my daughter in danger.
But now I understood precisely what he’d actually done.
He’d reported the unfamiliar man.
He’d refused to release Ellie.
He’d followed the safety instructions provided to him.
