After Annie

by Anna Quindlen

Spring messed with you, stepped up, rolled back, gave you hope of better days to come, snatched it away. One beautiful sunny day, with everyone taking off their jackets and smiling up at the sky as though it were a friend they hadn’t seen in a while, and then it was for sure that two days later there would be a sleet storm.

It wasn’t that Miss Cruz said anything particularly useful, but she was a good listener, still and attentive, and Ali realized that adults rarely listened to what kids had to say, were always waiting to jump in and say yes, no, but only, and also you’re wrong, you’re late, you’re in trouble.