I swallowed and looked at her again. “Kindness doesn’t mean people can walk into our lives without knocking.”
“I know. Your son told me the umbrella belonged to his father. It caught my attention, Carina.”
“No, that’s not true. Eli still sleeps in Darren’s sweatshirt when there’s a storm. That umbrella wasn’t just an accessory.”
Jenelle wiped her cheek. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Eli. I’m sorry, Carina.”
A teenager picked up his phone again.
Jenelle turned to him. “Stop filming this family. This is their home, not a set.”
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This time, everyone obeyed.
When the sidewalk was finally clear, I turned to Eli. “Let’s get all this inside.”
“Can we open some first?” she asked.
“Well, Eli.”
“Please, Mom. Maybe some people just wanted to be nice.”
“They scared us.”
“I know. I don’t like it either.”
“Eli, they turned your father’s umbrella into a municipal project.”
Eli looked at the blue umbrella she was carrying under her arm. “Maybe Dad would have liked that part.”
I wanted to disagree, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Eli shook his head. “No. I want to see why people came.”
I looked at his face. “A few boxes.”
He gave me a slight smile.
Box number 2 contained a note from Mr. Collins, Eli’s bus driver.
“Carina,
Nobody has given out your address. I need you to know that first.
After Jenelle’s post was published, people brought umbrellas and notes to the Route 47 bus stop. Some left envelopes at the bus station or gave them to me.
I should have called before bringing them. I thought I was doing something nice for a child I care about. Now I see I should have called first.
I looked up from the page.
“Did Mr. Collins do this?” Eli asked.
Jenelle blinked. “I didn’t know that.”
On that occasion, I believed him.
A familiar voice called from the sidewalk. “I owe you an apology, Carina.”
Mr. Collins was standing by the mailbox, wearing his raincoat, twisting his cap in his hands.
Eli straightened up. “Mr. Collins?”
The older man looked at him with kind eyes. “Good morning, young man.”
I picked up the note. “Did you put all this here?”
“Yes, ma’am. Two church volunteers and me. Before dawn.” He peered over the umbrellas. “I didn’t give your address to anyone. I brought them myself because I’m driving Eli home.”
“So why don’t you call me?”
He swallowed. “I walked by here last night, but the lights were off. So I just went with the flow. People kept saying, ‘That kid deserves to know.’”
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