A few days later, I found her sitting on the bathroom floor, back against the cabinet, forehead resting on her knees. When I touched her shoulder, she flinched like a startled animal.<\/p>\n
That was when I stopped asking.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I told Richard I was taking Maya out to buy school supplies. He barely looked up. \u201cDon\u2019t spend too much,\u201d he muttered, already irritated.<\/p>\n
I drove straight to the hospital.<\/p>\n
In the waiting room, Maya kept apologizing. \u201cDad\u2019s going to be angry,\u201d she said, as if his temper mattered more than her pain. That realization felt like its own kind of failure.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour body isn\u2019t lying,\u201d I told her. \u201cAnd you never have to earn care.\u201d<\/p>\n
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