Aeri looks over at me again, scanning with her golden eyes. She lays her hand on mine. She cares, and she doesn’t have to. She wants to help, and that’s something. There is a great deal of unkindness layered with indifference in the world, and her compassion is a gift. So I open my fist and weave my fingers with hers. I brace myself for questions, but she sits quietly. She’s kind enough to recognize that I don’t want to talk, and that isn’t easy for her. We silently hold on together as the world blurs by.
