The Camp Sent Her Something
A month later, an envelope arrived from camp.
Inside was a letter.
It was from Denise.
She wrote that the other campers had been asking about Mia.
Apparently, they’d made another rule.
This time, it was called:
“The Mia Rule—Part Two.”
Nobody could refuse help twice in a row.
If someone offered to carry your bag, you had to let them sometimes.
If someone wanted to share their snack, you couldn’t automatically say no.
If someone offered you a turn, you had to consider taking it.
At the bottom of the letter, Denise had written:
“Tell Mia that generosity goes both ways.”
Mia read the letter twice.
Then she smiled.
The Following Summer
The following summer, Mia asked if she could return.
I wasn’t sure what would happen.
Neither was she.
But we decided to try.
Before she left, I hugged her and said:
“You don’t have to prove anything.”
She nodded.
“And remember,” I added, “you don’t have to make yourself smaller to deserve good things.”
She smiled.
“I know.”
This time, she came home with a different story.
She told me about the horseback rides she actually took.
The friends she made.
The chores she shared.
The times she accepted help.
And one afternoon, she told me something that made me smile.
“A girl offered to carry my bag.”
“What did you say?”
Mia grinned.
“I said thank you.”
That might sound like a tiny thing.
To me, it was enormous.
