Page 45 of Small Sacrifices

"All the paperwork was in order. I honestly thought there was no chance there were pesticides in the ground. We couldn't have known they stored them there. I understand you are frustrated, and you have every right to be. But I did my due diligence."

"Frustrated? Our children aresuffering.Two of them are in the hospital. For the longest time, no one believed us. And we still don't have a proper explanation about what happened." Ms. Thomson looks like she's about to explode. A muscle in her cheek is flexing. "We are hurting. We are angry. We're notfrustrated!"

At first, Reid is confused.Couldn't have known they stored them there?There's no way he didn't, not with the place billed as a warehouse. What would a pesticide manufacturer store in their warehouse aside from pesticides? Something cold and acidic settles deep in his stomach. This doesn't feel like a mistake. It feels like a lie.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," the governor says.

He keeps talking after that, but Reid is more focused on the ringing in his ears.I'm sorry you feel that way.It's like he's taken a punch to the gut. That's not what you say when you're taking people seriously. That's what you say when you're lying.

Immediately, he tries to mentally backtrack. Surely, the governor isn't lying. He's a politician. He's just… lying. The realization washes over Reid like a freezing wave. If Mackenzie is lying about something this unimportant, what does that mean about all the rest of it?

Reid suddenly has to breathe through nausea.God.There are so many ways this could still be harmless. But why would Mackenzie lie? It just doesn't compute. Even more important: If he's lying about something so inconsequential and easy to check, what else is the governor lying about?

When Reid tunes back in, Governor Mackenzie is winding down his apology. "I'm only human. I'm not a walking lie detector. If they did indeed lie to me, then that's horrible. But I did my due diligence."

The parent's facial expressions range from furious to stony. Reid does his best to avoid eye contact. As preoccupied as he is, it becomes difficult to listen to what Mackenzie says. All of it rings hollow. Reid doesn't write it down. Seeing those empty phrases would distract him too much. Instead, he takes notes on the questions that are being asked.

Why didn't the governor immediately commit resources to help?

Why hasn't he made a public statement about Agrifarm yet?

Does the governor think that Agrifarm's campaign contributions may have biased him in their favor?

What is the governor doing about the officials who refused to listen when children started getting sick?

By the end of the mediation, Reid feels dirty. Some parents seem mollified, but it's clear that most of them aren't happy. The woman who asked how the governor didn’t know has had her lips pursed nonstop for the last twenty minutes. She's squinting—and looking anywherebutat the governor. At some point, her eyes land on Reid. He can't look away fast enough.

When the governor asks if there are any more questions, Reid can't help but feel like he's mocking the parents. He hasn't even answered half of the questions theydidask. How can he sound so cheerful? Reid would be miserable. Reidismiserable. The satisfied smile on Mr. Wright's face makes it even worse.

Twitter-Dad shakes his head, but that's not a"No"and more of an"I can't believe this."Which—same. The entire thing feels surreal. All around Reid, chair legs are scraping across the floor as the parents hurry to stand to shake the governor's hand and as the PPOs hurry to get close, just in case one of them gives into the temptation to punch him in the face.

Reid waits out the noise before he stands up. Sadly, this is only followed by more waiting. He'd prefer to look up Ms. Greene's social media to find a hint why she's not here. But while itwouldbe an efficient use of his time, it wouldn't look very respectful.

Back in the car, Reid nearly trips over his own feet as he hurriedly checks for updates from Ms. Greene. But there's nothing. No recent posts, no sign of her. It sends a chill down Reid's back.

Everett is already waiting in the car, and he doesn't look happy about it. Still, his face is smooth and expressionless by the time Reid is sitting down.

"How'd it go?" he asks.

His father chuckles. "Well, I think. Obviously, they're never going to be happy with my answers. But I think I've made them understand."

Made them understand?And here Reid thought that the entire aim of the exercise had been for him to listen.

When Everett blinks, his eyes stay closed just a tad too long. "Great!" he says. His smile makes Reid's stomach twist. Is that derision? It doesn't look like Everett is actually happy.

"So now we're gonna visit the kid in the hospital?" Everett asks. "What was his name—Robbie?"

"Robin," Reid corrects without thinking.

Immediately, all eyes are on him. He takes a deep breath and explains: "His mother doesn't want strangers to call him Robbie. His name is Robin."

Everett's smile melts into something more genuine. "Bleeding heart."

Reid clenches his jaw. How is he supposed to respond to that? Aren't they supposed to be strangers?

"She was quite angry at me when I first called him Robbie. I really wouldn't recommend it." He takes another deep breath. May as well all get it over with at once. "But there might be a problem. Ms. Greene wasn't here. She said she'd come, and then we were going to meet her at the hospital after. Has she contacted you?"

That last bit is aimed at Mr. Wright, who almost looks angry that he's being spoken to.

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