suit and tie.
All the cardboard castles.
All the books.
All the ridiculous dinosaur noises.
All the children waiting by a window.
And one small boy who knew that even when his father didn’t arrive, Daddy Dinosaur would.
I sent Julian an email at work.
We need to talk when you get home.
The second I sent it, I realized how terrifying that sentence sounded.
Four minutes later, he replied.
Everything okay, Dani?
I looked down at the dinosaur.
Come home safely. We’ll talk then.
The next few hours felt endless.
Eventually, I arranged everything on the kitchen table.
Julian’s recovered phone.
The T. rex.
And the yellow paper crown.
I sat there waiting.
At 3:15, I heard the front door.
Julian had left work early.
“Dani?”
“In the kitchen.”
He appeared still wearing his suit and carrying his briefcase.
“You scared me. I told my boss there was
