I pulled it out.<\/p>\n
It was a handmade unicorn.<\/p>\n
Or at least it was supposed to be. One leg was unfinished, the horn crooked, and the whole thing leaned to one side.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was for you,\u201d Emily said. \u201cFrom craft class.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy a unicorn? Ethan loved dinosaurs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily wiped her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you liked unicorns.\u201d<\/p>\n
The memory hit instantly.<\/p>\n
Months earlier I had joked about my old unicorn coffee mug. Somehow he had remembered.<\/p>\n
Beneath the yarn was a folded Mother\u2019s Day card written in Ethan\u2019s messy handwriting.<\/p>\n
Mom,<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not finished yet. Don\u2019t laugh.<\/p>\n
Emily says the horn is the hardest part.<\/p>\n
I love you more than cereal breakfasts.<\/p>\n
Love, Ethan.<\/p>\n
A sob escaped before I could stop it.<\/p>\n
Emily started crying too.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered, \u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the bottom of the bag was a crumpled note.<\/p>\n
I unfolded it.<\/p>\n
\u201cDear Mom,<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry I ruined the Mother\u2019s Day display.<\/p>\n
I know you\u2019re tired of problems.<\/p>\n
But I promise I\u2019m not bad.<\/p>\n
Love, Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Confused, I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Parker made him write it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill spread through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore he collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n
She explained that another student, Mason, had accidentally ruined part of the Mother\u2019s Day display. Ethan got blamed because he was holding glue while helping Emily.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kept saying he didn\u2019t do it,\u201d Emily whispered. \u201cHe said you knew he wasn\u2019t a liar.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the note again, seeing how hard he had pressed his pencil into the paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was scared you\u2019d be disappointed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The thought crushed me.<\/p>\n
My son had spent part of his final day worrying that I would think less of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anything else happen?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Emily nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said his chest hurt again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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