"You let the time slip away."
"What? No."
"Rich family. Lawyers. And me with a leaking roof."
"Nobody’s taking anyone. I swear."
"Swearing is cheap."
He took a velvet pouch from his coat.
"Meredith gave me this. It’s Ellie’s."
"Swearing is cheap."
"I don’t want it."
"Then hold it for her. Please."
He walked back to the SUV.
I locked the door and sat at the kitchen table. The pouch lay in front of me.
What if they want to take her?
They had money. Lawyers. I had a leaking roof and a weak heart.
What if they want to take her?
Ellie came downstairs in her socks, hugging her stuffed rabbit.
"Who was at the door, Grandma?"
"They went to the wrong door."
She slid a drawing across the table.
Four stick figures. Me, Ellie, and two stars above us.
"That’s Mommy and Daddy," she said. "They’re watching."
