“Do you have a plan for after school?”
“Yes, sir”
I hold eye contact.
“Are you financially stable?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Enough to take care of my daughter?”
I nod firmly.
“Yes, sir.”
He lets out a grunt that sounds the complete opposite of Hero’s.
“Dinner’s ready. Tilapia and—”
He doesn’t get the next word out before Syd is sprinting down the hall to the bathroom. The noise she lets out is unmistakable.
I dash right behind her and into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.
She heaves again, so I grab her hair quickly and rub her back. “Just let it out.”
A couple more heaves later and she takes a breath.
“I really didn’t think it would happen again today.”
Wow.
“What do you mean, again?”
She sighs and leans back. I slowly let go of her hair, but I keep rubbing her back. “Do you want me to go get you some water?”
She shakes her head. “Not yet. Sometimes, if I drink it too soon after I throw up, it will have the reverse effect and I’ll just start puking again.”
“You say it as if it’s happened enough times to form a habit.”
She shrugs.
“How often do you get sick?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, Syd, work with me here. I just want to help.”
Our eyes meet, and, as if she can hear my pleading thoughts through just one look, she nods.
“Multiple times a day for the past week or so. I’m sure it’ll go away soon.”
“Multiple times a day!”
She flinches, and I let out a breath. “Sorry. I just . . . why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I don’t know. It’s not like you can do anything about it. No, stop, don’t look at me like that.”
“I’m not looking at you in a certain way.”
