Walking Out Together
It was raining when Callie and I left the courthouse. A warm summer rain covered the sidewalk and darkened the shoulders of my blouse. I had forgotten the umbrella in the car.
Normally, I would have run. That afternoon, I did not.
Callie reached for my hand. We walked slowly through the rain.
Halfway to the parking garage, she looked up at me. “Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“Is Dad ever going to come into our house at night again?”
I stopped. I crouched so we were eye level.
“No, sweetheart. He doesn’t have that power anymore.”
She searched my face. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
Then she smiled. It was the first completely relaxed smile I had seen from her in months.
