this was the conversation on the way to school one morning last week.
susanna: i don't think i really need you to walk me to my classroom anymore, liam.
me: you mean like he did the first few days of school, when i asked him to?
susanna: i mean like he has been ever since i started.
me (with an incredulous look in the rearview mirror): liam, have you really been walking susanna to her classroom for three months now?
liam: well, i didn't want her getting scared. that hallway has lots of kids in it and they're mostly older than her.
me (tearing up a little, i admit): well, you can stop doing it now if you want to. i think susanna's saying that she can handle things on her own.
there's a pause while susanna apparently mulls things over.
susanna: well, maybe i'll be lonely. so can you keep going with me, liam?
liam: sure.
the kids clambered out of the car, just like they always do, slinging their backpacks onto their shoulders and heading up the sidewalk to the entrance of the school, side by side, just like they always do. but that morning, i held up the carpool line for just a few extra moments to soak it all in.
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