Chapter 2

The girl smiled politely. "I'm not here for you."Robert blinked. "Oh."She kept walking until she stood directly in front of Ethan. Up close, he noticed flour on her sleeves; a small smudge of it rested on her cheek. She looked like she'd spent the day helping bake bread.Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Finally, Ethan smiled. "Hello.""Hello. What is your name?""Maya.""Nice to meet you, Maya."She nodded. Then she looked directly at his legs—not at the wheelchair, but at his legs, like she was studying them.Ethan had become used to people avoiding that. Most people either stared too much or pretended not to notice; Maya did neither. She simply observed.Then she said something that made Robert laugh, something that made Ethan blink, something that would change everything:"I can help you walk again."Silence. Complete silence. Even the wind seemed to pause.Robert chuckled awkwardly. "That's very sweet, honey."Maya didn't look at him. Her eyes stayed on Ethan. "I can."Ethan stared at her. For a moment, he wasn't sure whether to laugh or thank her. Instead, he asked gently, "You can?"She nodded. "Yes."Robert rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that's certainly ambitious."A nearby jogger overheard and smiled. An elderly woman sitting on the next bench shook her head fondly. Children said strange things; that was normal.Ethan forced a smile. "I appreciate that, Maya."She frowned slightly—not angry, more like someone frustrated that nobody was taking her seriously. "You don't believe me."The directness caught him off guard. Most adults spent their lives avoiding honesty; children didn't."I think a lot of doctors have tried," Ethan said carefully."And none of them helped. Maybe they're trying the wrong thing."

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