On the 388th morning, Daniel didn’t arrive. At first, I assumed he was sick or had school responsibilities. Margaret entered the line, searched the road, and asked whether her usual customer had appeared. I told her he hadn’t. She looked unusually worried. The next morning, his Honda was missing again. By Friday, Margaret was asking every customer whether they recognized the boy. I finally admitted that his name was Daniel, but I knew nothing about his family. Her expression changed immediately. She remembered a hospital patient with that name and urgently called her former colleague.

An hour later, Margaret returned with trembling hands. Daniel had been admitted following a serious accident on an icy road. His grandfather had listed the hospital as his emergency contact. Margaret grabbed her coat. Before leaving, she turned toward me and whispered, “Bea, I think that boy needs us now.”