TWENTY-ONE

AS THE sun reached its zenith on the following day, Doris found Nora nestled at one of the lounge chairs by the pool. She was absorbed in a book, completely oblivious to the world around her. Her jet-black hair was swept back in loose pigtails, and a bucket hat shielded her eyes from the bright sun.

Doris was struck by the tranquility of the scene, and at that moment, she wondered how such a tiny human was shouldering a lot all by herself and yet remained so placid.

She, for instance, would run to her father for every little thing even when she was a teenager and there was this younger child, smiling despite what she was going through.

The back of her eyes prickled with unshed tears as she watched her. She was like an adult in a child's body, concealing her difficulties all by herself which was not healthy one bit. She was a child and was supposed to behave like one.

Doris exhaled sharply, shook off her emotions, and approached Nora. She knew she needed to be level-he