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His face became careful.
It had started a few days earlier, when I saw Mrs. Adele standing near her mailbox, gripping an envelope a little too tightly.
Oliver waved from beside me.
She smiled, but the smile arrived late.
“Hello, my favorite dinosaur expert.”
He giggled. I stepped closer.
Mrs. Adele tucked the envelope behind the rest of her mail.
“Do you want me to read anything for you?” I asked. “Or go over anything?”
“No, Carmen. Thank you. Elias handles most of that now.”
She nodded.
“Since my eyes got worse, he put everything online.”
“Does he live close?”
That made me pause.
“Oh, Carmen.” She patted my arm. “You already have Oliver, work, groceries, bills. I won’t become another thing for you to carry.”
Oliver looked up at her.
“Mom carries heavy bags all the time.”
Mrs. Adele smiled sadly.
“I know. That is why I won’t add one more.”
I should have pushed harder.
Three nights later, Oliver stopped in the hallway with his toothbrush still in his hand.
“Mom.”
“What is it, baby?”
“Mrs. Adele’s porch light is still off.”
I looked out the window. Her little house was completely dark. No porch light. No kitchen lamp. Nothing.
“She might have gone to bed early,” I said, though I did not believe it.
“No.” Oliver ran into his room and came back holding his green piggy bank. “She says porch lights help people find their way home.”
I glanced at the bills sitting beside my coffee cup.
Oliver noticed.
“Are we out of money too?”
“No, sweetheart. I’m just making sure every dollar knows where it needs to go.”
“Then can some of it go to Mrs. Adele?”
“We can try to help her as much as we can.”
He hugged his piggy bank to his chest.
“I want to help too.”
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