When I was young, my mother shared a secret method with me for staying safe. She taught me a special code word to use whenever I was in trouble but couldn’t openly express it. It was our private signal, something only she would recognize. As I grew up and became a mother myself, I chose to pass this lesson on to my daughter, Amy. I believed it might help her exit an uncomfortable situation, such as a sleepover she wanted to leave. However, I never anticipated she’d need to use it so soon.
Yesterday started like any typical day. I was relaxing in my kitchen, sipping my coffee in the evening, when my phone suddenly rang. It was my ex-husband, Dave. Our relationship had once been positive, but over time, tension had grown between us, as divorces often cause. We tried our best to keep things amicable for Amy’s benefit, though it wasn’t always smooth. “Hi, Claire,” Dave said, sounding unsure. “Amy wants to speak with you. She’s been asking to tell you about her day ever since she arrived.”
This caught me off guard. Amy usually enjoyed her weekends at her dad’s and rarely called me during those times. “Oh, okay. Let her talk,” I responded, trying not to sound worried. But something felt wrong. Dave’s tone seemed off, and a growing sense of unease filled me. When Amy began talking, she sounded happy, yet there was a slight strangeness in her voice. “Hi, Mom! Today was fun. We visited the park, and I did some drawings. I drew a dog, a tree, and… I wish I’d had a blue marker to draw blueberries.”