I Was Holding My Son’s T-Shirt When His Teacher Called And Said He Had Left Something Behind

sneakers sat undisturbed on his bedroom floor.

I slid my finger carefully under the flap.

The paper inside was a single sheet of college-ruled notebook paper, folded in thirds. I recognized it immediately — the same kind he used for homework, the same blue lines, the same slightly rushed handwriting that moved faster on the left side of the page than continue reading …