One side saying, The world is hard. Toughen up.
The other side saying, The world is hard. Be kind.
I used to think those were opposites.
Now I know the truth:
The world is hard either way.
But only one of those choices brings your kid home at night.
A week later, I met Leo’s friend in a diner off the highway. A skinny kid with tired eyes who couldn’t look at my face for long.
He slid into the booth and kept rubbing his hands together like he was trying to warm them.
“I should’ve… I should’ve called you,” he said.
I almost told him not to blame himself, because that’s the polite thing.
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