I Do Understand

"Maggie… Oh, I just realized that I haven't check if it's okay for me to call you Maggie. You don't go by any other names, do you, like Mag, Magg, or Maggy?"

"Goo." A low, unamused goo.

Veronica chuckled to break the awkward atmosphere. "I'll just call you Maggie then."

However, the awkwardness quickly returned. After all, it was hard for a conversation to not be awkward when only one party was attempting to talk.

…

At the doorway, the maids and Veronica's driver peered in. They were very careful to not disturb the duo, lest they incur the wrath of either of them.

"I know it's heartbreaking to see such a thing again, but I can't help but feel that Maggie is in good hands now."

One of the younger maids was confused by the slightly cryptic statement. "What do you mean?"

Realization struck the older woman. "Of course, you're only young; you weren't working here then. You see, Veronica's circumstances aren't so different from that girl's."

"Eh? I know her parents died, but—"

"Sh! Just watch for now, I can give you the details later."

…

Veronica continued to attempt to coax some words out of the young girl, but she heard nothing but goos. As she met with more and more failure, her smile gradually faded, and she looked at Maggie very seriously.

"Maggie, I know this isn't what you want to hear right now, and I promise to not mention it again; however, I feel I must say this to you once. Keeping your emotions bottled up isn't a healthy way to deal with this. If you don't want to talk to me, we can find a therapist to talk to you. Or would you prefer to join a playgroup? You could make some new friends there too."

"Goo!" A short, sharp goo. Anyone well-versed in goos would know that it was a rude response.

However, Veronica didn't get mad. "Maggie, I'm saying this for no one's sake but yours.

"You need to grieve properly, and talking helps… a lot."

Veronica took a deep breath as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I understand how you're feeling right now."

An ugly expression appeared on Maggie's face.

"No, I'm not like the others; I'm not just saying that. I understand how you're feeling because I have also been through what you're going through.

"I hadn't even entered middle school when it happened to me."

Veronica paused for breath. It had been years, she had grieved and moved on, but bringing up those memories also brought the corresponding emotions with them.

"Maggie," Veronica said, "I would like to tell you my experience, and I think it might help us to bond, would you like to listen?"

"Goo?" Maggie was but a young child; she hadn't caught on to what Veronica was getting at. However, looking at the forlorn Veronica sat opposite her, she urged, "Goo."

Hearing the goo to continue, Veronica smiled a terribly sad smile.

"Thank you. This is the story of how my world fell apart."