It was a small square of paper, laminated and soft at the corners. A child\u2019s handwriting covered it in pencil, the letters big and wobbly. IOU one winter coat. I will pay you back when I am big. Danny Morales, Grade 3. The guard\u2019s name tag said D. MORALES. He stared at the paper, then at my mother\u2019s face, as if he were seeing her for the first time in thirty years.<\/p>\n
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\u201cMrs. Hollis?\u201d he whispered. My mother nodded. \u201cYou came to school in January without a coat,\u201d she said softly, \u201cand you told me your mama said coats were for kids whose daddies stayed.\u201d His knees seemed to give way, and he grabbed the shelf of apples to steady himself. \u201cI\u2019ve carried this every day since my husband passed,\u201d she said. \u201cIt reminds me why I taught.\u201d<\/p>\n
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