Chapter 24: What Noah Remembered
Noah began meeting regularly with a counselor who helped him sort memories from things adults had told him.
Rebecca did not share the private details of those sessions.
She did tell me that Noah no longer believed the kitchen flood was his fault.
That was enough.
One afternoon, Rebecca asked whether Noah could visit for a supervised neighborhood picnic organized by Priya.
The plan had been reviewed with the people responsible for his care.
I agreed and kept the afternoon simple.
We set folding chairs under the maple tree and served sandwiches from paper trays.
Hannah showed Noah how to repair a torn kite with narrow strips of paper.
He was fascinated by the way a small reinforcement could change how the frame held tension.
I told him that wood and paper were both stronger when their weak points were understood rather than hidden.
He considered the idea with great seriousness.
Then he asked whether I could teach him to build a birdhouse someday.
I said I would, if his mother agreed.
He grinned and ran toward the lawn.
For a moment, he looked like any child enjoying an ordinary afternoon.
I had no desire to ask him what he remembered about the gray SUV.
I wanted him to have one hour in which nobody required a statement from him.
