Daniel turned nine in February, and with the birthday came questions Emma had been dreading.
It started innocently enough. Daniel had a school project about family history. Each student was supposed to interview their parents and create a presentation about their family's story.
Emma was helping him organize his notes at the kitchen table when Daniel asked, "Mama, what did you do before you had me?"
"I worked at the foundation. Helping people who needed safe places to stay." Emma kept her answer simple.
"But what did you do before that? When you were younger, before you met Daddy?"
Emma paused. Daniel was nine. Old enough to understand more than she usually told him. But young enough that some truths would be too heavy.
"I had some hard experiences when I was younger. Things that were not safe. And those experiences helped me understand how to help other people who were going through hard things."
