Sophie watched from the doorway.
Something about the silence hurt.
From that day on, Sophie changed her approach.
She stopped trying to help Margaret.
Instead, she tried to know her.
She brought coffee.
Real coffee.
Dark roast.
Margaret approved.
She brought old newspapers.
She brought crossword puzzles.
She brought magazines about gardening.
One morning, Sophie sat beside the window.
“Capital of Norway.”
She held up the puzzle.
“Four letters.”
Margaret didn’t look up.
“Oslo.”
Sophie smiled.
“Show-off.”
Margaret’s mouth twitched.
It became a smile.
The first Sophie had seen.
That small smile became the beginning.
Two weeks later, Margaret let Sophie wash her feet.
A few days after that, her hair.
No one celebrated.
Sophie did not want Margaret to feel watched.
She treated every small step like it was normal.
Then one morning, Sophie was helping Margaret put on a cardigan.
Her fingers brushed Margaret’s shoulder blade.
