Protecting My Niece's Greenness

Last weekend my unusually smart, witty, and cute niece, Kennedy, came over. It was right after I’d gotten off and I hadn’t done my grocery shopping. My son wasn’t home, which meant, if I was going to grab us something, I would have to take her. The old me, you know the one who used to leave her five-year-old son at home alone all the time, would have left her here and quickly ran across the street to Fiesta. But the older, more mature me who now realizes I should have never done that to my son, got dressed and made her come. As we walked down the dark alley, she quickly grabbed my hand. This caught me totally off guard for two reasons. One, because I’m not used to hand holding. I’ve been celibate for 15 years and two, she was 11. At first, I thought she was ‘too big’ to be holding my hand. But then I had to check myself and so should you.