The meeting with the school counselor looms over me, a shadow I can’t ignore.
Each day leading up to it feels heavier, each moment more strained and fraught with unspoken tension.
I try to focus on work, on chores, but my mind drifts back to that whisper, that quiet plea for help.
What did I miss?
In the quiet of the night, after the kids are asleep, I find myself replaying the conversation with my neighbor.
Their words echoing in my mind, unsettling and sharp.
My child, withdrawn, scared.
How?
Why?
The questions pile up, forming a barrier I can’t seem to breach.
