Then I looked at Daniel.
What is this?
He didn’t answer.
I looked at Lily.
“Honey…
He covered his face.
Daniel said quietly:
“Lily, we have to tell him now.
I felt nauseous.
Tell me what?
Lily slowly lowered her hands.
I put them there.
I looked at her.
“Where?
He pointed to his mouth.
For a moment, I didn’t understand.
So Daniel finally explained.
Three weeks earlier, Lily had splintered one of her baby teeth at school.
He was ashamed of what he looked like.
Every time she got nervous, she started putting small things in her mouth.
A little piece of paper.
An eraser.
Plastic of a toy.
Anything I could hide.
Daniel discovered it one night when he saw her chewing something that was not food.
He panicked.
The next morning he took her to the doctor.
The doctor warned him that this habit could become dangerous if he accidentally swallowed something or choked.
That’s why every night, Daniel started checking Lily’s mouth.
The small metal object was a dental mirror.
The box contained everything he had taken from him.
I looked at him.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Daniel lowered his head.
“Lily begged me not to.
I turned to her.
Why, honey?
His lip trembled.
I thought you’d be mad at me.
My heart broke.
