Eventually, he asked, “Pardon?”
I replied, “It is nothing. I am incredibly proud of you.”
Later that evening, while we washed the final metal tin, Noah came up behind me and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.
“You never lost faith in me,” he murmured gently.
I turned to face him. “Never in a million years.”
At 5:12 the next morning, someone started pounding against my front door.
It was not a polite knock.
It was violent hammering.
Every muscle in my body immediately tightened.
Noah sat straight up on the sofa where he had fallen asleep while watching a movie. “Mom?”
My heart began racing.
I looked through the curtain.
Two uniformed police officers.
Carrying weapons.
I opened the door only three inches.
Noah appeared behind my shoulder almost instantly, gripping the fabric of my pajama shirt.
“Mom,” he breathed out, “what is going on?”
I had no answer.
I opened the door slightly farther. “Can I help you?”
One officer, a woman who appeared to be in her forties, asked, “Are you Emma?”
My mouth went completely dry. “I am.”
I glanced back at Noah.
He looked terrified.
“And your son Noah is currently present?”
I felt Noah move even closer behind me.
“He is right here,” I stated. “What exactly is this regarding?”
The female officer looked directly into my eyes and stated, “Ma’am, we need to discuss your son’s actions from yesterday afternoon.”
My entire body went cold.
My mind immediately raced through every horrible possibility at once. Contaminated ingredients. Trespassing. An elderly resident choking. Someone accusing Noah of doing something illegal.
I opened the door a little wider. “Please step inside.”
Noah breathed nervously, “Mom, did I commit a crime?”
