Dan crouched down beside us, bringing himself to her level.
“Is there anywhere else you could stay? Family? A friend?”
“We tried my aunt. She has four kids in a two-bedroom place. There wasn’t room.”
Sam sat down beside her. “You don’t have to keep this hidden from us. We’ll figure something out together.”
I nodded. “You’re not alone in this. Not anymore.”
Lizie was quiet for a long moment. Then she looked at the cracked screen of her phone.
“Should I call my dad? He’s going to be upset I said anything.”
“Let me talk to him,” I said. “All we want is to help.”
Paul Came to the Door with Oil Stains on His Jeans and Exhaustion on His Face — and He Tried to Smile Anyway
He shook Dan’s hand at the door with the careful dignity of a man who has not stopped working even while everything around him has been collapsing.
“I’m Paul. Thank you for feeding her. I’m sorry for the trouble.”
