Alejandro left the room, dressed for work, with his usual calm demeanor.
“I’m not going to the store today,” I said without looking at him.
He nodded, suspecting nothing.
“That’s fine. That way you can rest a little.”
But I didn’t want to rest.
I wanted to understand.
When Alejandro left the house, the sound of the door closing was louder than usual.
I waited a few seconds.
Then I approached Sofia.
“We’re not going to school today,” I said gently.
She looked up, surprised.
“Really?”
I nodded.
“Let’s do something different.”
I didn’t tell him what.
Because even I wasn’t entirely sure.
All I knew was that I needed to get her out of that environment.
I asked her to change and, an hour later, we were sitting in a small children’s office in downtown Guadalajara.
The psychologist’s name was Laura.
She had a calm voice, a warm smile, and a way of speaking that made even me feel lighter.
Sofia didn’t speak at first.
She sat there, hugging her stuffed animal, cautiously observing everything.
Laura didn’t pressure her.
He offered her colors.
A notebook.
And time.
After a few minutes, Sofia began to draw.
