The Knock Came Before I Could Dial 911

stillness once kept her alive. I washed her hair slowly. She had a scab behind one ear and another at the nape of her neck. I kept my face calm, because she was watching my expression more than my hands.

Then I asked her to lean forward a little so I could rinse the soap from her back.

And that was when I saw it.

It wasn’t a bruise.

It wasn’t a scratch.continue reading …