“Why do dogs have tails?”
“To wag when they’re happy,” he replied with a smile.
“Why don’t cats have big tails like dogs?”
“Because cats are sly – they don’t need them as much,” he said, which made her giggle.
When dinner was over, I realized we were out of drinks. Since Tom still hadn’t arrived home, I asked Brian, “Would you mind staying with Emily while I run to the store?”
Brian shrugged. “Sure, no problem. Go ahead, we’ll be fine.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back in ten minutes,” I said, grabbing my keys. Leaving Emily with Brian seemed like the most natural thing – after all, he was like family.
When I returned, Brian was standing by the door, looking tense and somewhat distant. He avoided making eye contact with me and quickly grabbed his coat.
“Everything okay?” I asked, concerned.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said hurriedly. “Something came up. Tell Tom I’ll see him later.”
Then he left. His abrupt departure made me feel uneasy, but I simply dismissed it. It was Brian – he’d never given us any reason to distrust him.
But the next day, Emily became mute.
At first, I thought she was just upset because Brian had left so suddenly. Kids have their off days, after all. But when she didn’t say a word during breakfast or show any reaction to her favorite waffles, my worry intensified.
“Emily, sweetie,” I asked gently, “are you angry about something? Did something happen with Brian?”
She just stared at me with her big, tear – filled eyes, then shook her head and retreated to her room.
Tom also attempted to talk to her. “Em, you know you can tell Daddy anything, right?” he said softly.
Emily just nodded and clung to the stuffed puppy Brian had given her as if it were her only source of comfort.
Days passed, and her silence endured. She refused to go to the park or play with her toys. Her once – lively chatter had been reduced to single – word responses – “yes,” “no,” “fine.” It broke my heart to see her withdrawing.
