My heart is fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings. “Are you going to call him?”

Right then, her phone chimes, making us both jump. She pulls her phone out of her pocket, and as soon as she sees the screen, her eyes go wide with relief. “It’s Simon. They found him.”

– 34 – Mason

Emma tells me not to move. Not one muscle, not one finger, not one hair.

The mom at the park is named Deja, and after she talks to Emma, she insists on waiting with me. For several hours, we sit on the bench in the shade, eating baby Andre’s Cheerios and yogurt bites as the sun slowly begins to shift from the center of the sky. I’m nervous, but settled too. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I do know that waiting here is the right thing to do.

“You don’t have to stay the whole time,” I tell Deja.

Andre is staring at me with enormous eyes, and she jiggles him on her knee. “Yes, I do,” she says. “Because if Andre ever has hard times, I want someone to be there for him too.”

That makes my eyes sting a little. “I’m actually a pretty good kid,” I say. “Even though I’ve made some bad decisions.”

“I know. I could tell by looking at you. And all good kids make bad decisions sometimes.” Andre makes a gurgling noise and she chucks him under his chin. “You hear that Andre? Every one of you.”

Emma must speed the entire way, because she makes it in just under three and a half hours. The minivan comes screeching into the parking lot, and when she sees us she honks twice.

“This must be her,” Deja says.

“Yeah.” My heart is beating so hard, I can hear it in my ears. Emma throws open the door and jumps out. She’s still wearing pajamas, and she doesn’t bother to close the car door.

We meet eyes, and I freeze. How am I going to apologize to her? I don’t have time to work it out, because Emma comes flying up to me, pulling me into a crushing hug, and knocking all my words out of me. She’s crying, her breathing heavy, and for a moment I’m too stunned to react. This was not the reaction I expected.

She steps back. “Mason. I was so worried. I was so worried.” Tears are running down her face, and when she looks me in the eyes, I believe her. This person—this stranger, really—does care about me. The thought pierces straight to my heart.

“I’m okay,” I manage.

Next she turns to Deja. “Thank you so much. This means a lot to me that you waited.”

“Happy to,” Deja says. She smiles at me. “Good luck, Mason.”

“Thank you,” I manage. Deja buckles Andre into his seat, and they wave to me as they stroll away.