Mommies and daddies? Oh god… A rush of memories flowed through me, memories of a boy, a boy who always wanted to play house with me, a boy who was my friend. A boy who said, “You be the mom, and I’ll be the dad.”
“What about babies?” I’d asked.
He whispered as though telling me a secret. “I’ll show you how grown-ups make them!”

Her ragged breathing brought me back to the present, as I held her in my arms and rocked. “It’s gonna be okay,” I whispered, wishing it were true. Wishing I could give her something better. “You know…” I began, and then didn’t hold back. “Someone did that to me when I was younger, too…”

Her eyes met mine for the first time since she’d began speaking. “Really?” I nodded.

“Do you hate him?” She asked, a question I’d never allowed myself to answer, and I knew what she needed to hear. “He did something wrong,” I told her. “Not you.”

“Yes I did,” she cried. “I let him!”

I tilted up her chin, lifted her eyes to meet mine. “No,” I said simply, and a smile lit her. “I promise.”