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“Um…” Her following sentence tumbled out quickly. “Do you like my dad?”
Oh, boy. Why did I ask if there was something else? “Yes, I do like your father.”
She chewed her lip nervously. “Did you break up with him?”
I averted my gaze for a moment. “Did your dad say something to you?”
She shook her head. “He’s just really quiet again. For a while, he was smiling all the time, and he seemed happy, but now he doesn’t.”
Well, damn. “Tonya, come have a seat here for a moment.”
She followed me over to the bleachers, and we sat on the bottom row. “Your dad and I weren’t really dating. We were just friends, but what we want for the future isn’t the same thing.”
“Why not? What did you want?”
“That’s kind of a complicated answer.”
“I don’t know. I always thought that if you liked someone, you should let them know, and if they liked you back, you would be together. That’s what happened with all my aunts and uncles and in the movies I watch.”
“Normally, that would be the case, but things are different with us—or maybe I should say with me.”
“I don’t understand.”
How did I explain this to a twelve-year-old? I thought for a second. “You haven’t met my children yet. I hope you meet them soon; you and Lauren are the same age.”
“We are?”
“Yep.”
“Cool, I can show her around the school. Maybe she can show me tips for soccer too.”
“She doesn’t play soccer.”
She looked slightly confused. “What sport does she play?”
I sighed. “Lauren is sick. She has a bad heart, so she can’t play sports anymore.”
Tonya looked around, and her hands fidgeted in her lap for a minute. “What else does she like to do?”
“She likes puzzles and reading.”
“I do too. We could do that together.”
“That’s really sweet of you, Tonya. I bet when Lauren gets here, then she would love to do that with you.”
“Does your other daughter play soccer?”
I shook my head.
“Does she have a heart problem too?”
“No. Have you ever heard of autism?”
“Yeah. I have a girl in my class with it.”
“You do?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah.” She grinned momentarily, then grew serious. “Does your daughter have autism?”
