Another time, they played ball too close to her building and broke one of the panes of the lower windows. It was an accident, but their lack of remorse and good cheer grated on the nerves of everyone. It wasn’t that they always set out to make mischief, but it seemed trouble followed wherever they went.
Instead of scolding or calling anyone, she tidied her porch, swept away the rubble, and brewed a pot of tea. Then she sharpened pencils at her kitchen table and opened a notebook. A slight smile might’ve curled at the corners of her lips—but maybe that was only a trick of the light, who knew.