I stared.
The guitar we had saved for.
The guitar he polished like it was a museum piece.
The guitar he played every single day.
“Why would you sell it without asking me?”
He swallowed.
Then quietly said:
“Sophie needed a wheelchair.”
And suddenly, the conversation became something completely different.
SOPHIE FROM WILLOWCREST MIDDLE SCHOOL
I knew Sophie.
Not well.
But I had seen her plenty of times during school events in Bellmere.
She was in Ethan’s grade.
Bright girl.
Always carrying a book.
Quick smile.
She used a wheelchair because of an accident when she was younger.
What I didn’t know was how bad her chair had become.
Ethan started explaining quickly.
“The wheels keep sticking.”
He looked upset just talking about it.
“And one of the armrests is loose.”
“Ethan…”
“The seams are coming apart too.”
He continued before I could stop him.
“Last week she missed lunch twice because it took so long to get from class to the cafeteria.”
That hit me.
“She told you that?”
“No.”
He shook his head.
