Chapter 22 - Ethan Holds Scissors AgainEthan was nine when the art teacher placed child-safe scissors beside him.
He stared.
The teacher noticed.
“Want me to move them?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
Then he did nothing for five minutes.
Eventually:
SNIP.
One piece of paper.
He stopped.
Nothing happened.
Another.
SNIP.
Across the table, Amara saw.
She returned to coloring.
No applause.
No:
You did it!
The object became normal because nobody demanded a victory scene.
After school Ethan told Melissa.
“I used scissors.”
She smiled.
“Okay.”
“That’s it?”
“Want a speech?”
“No.”
“Then okay.”
He laughed.
Nicole had apologized to Ethan months earlier in person after he chose to see her.
She said:
“I saw scissors in your hand and decided what happened before I knew. I was wrong.”
Ethan answered:
“I didn’t cut.”
“I know.”
“You yelled.”
“Yes.”
“I was scared.”
“I know.”
Nicole did not say:
I was scared too.
Not his burden.
The apology lasted four minutes.
No hug.
Enough.
Mrs. Dalton had tried to turn Ethan into the villain of Amara’s story.
She failed.
He remained simply Ethan.
May you like
A child who had been frightened.
Then healed.
