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We were helping them move. She had almost nothing packed and her young kids were struggling to pack their belongings in the boxes she'd haphazardly tossed into their rooms. We concentrated on helping the kids, who were confused and scared because she'd told them anything they didn't pack was going to be thrown away. I had to remind her twice that day to feed her children.
She had a dog she kept in the basement. The dog had almost no human interaction save the odd walk when her owner was having a manic episode. During the packing, I went downstairs and opened the door and let the dog go, silently urging it to run far and fast. I wish I could have done the same for her kids.
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