I Saw Her Leave Two Children at the Gate

when they’ve run out.

Aunt Jen

Jennifer Raines called just after noon.

She was crying too hard to get words out at first. I had stepped into an empty family restroom area for quiet, and still I had to press a finger in my free ear to hear her over the echo of hand dryers.

“Are they okay?” she kept asking. “Please tell me they’re okay.”

“They’re safe,” I continue reading …