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I could spiral a million different ways going down that track.So I wouldn’t.Instead, I turned off the audiobook and tried to enjoy nature as I headed to the park.Not too fast—because I didn’t want to appear panicked.Not too slow—because I really did want to see Jeremy and Wally.

What I didn’t expect, upon entering the park, was to find about eight kids surrounding Wally under the shade of a jacaranda.

Wally had the widest grin on his face.Truly just doggie heaven.

Jeremy stood close—clearly ready to intervene.

Four people stood off to one side, having some kind of discussion.I couldn’t figure out who might be a caregiver to each child, but one of the men held an infant with a baby stroller by him.

“Hey, Phillip, great timing.”Jeremy waved.

Wally poked his head up, spotted me, and tried to take off running.

A kid yelled.“Stop.”

My dog halted in his tracks.

Before I could move, Jeremy started to move toward me.“Great job, Raphael.Thank you for taking care of the dog.”

Raphael nodded.Then pointed to me.“Stranger.”

Oh crap.

“He’s not a stranger.”Jeremy beckoned me over.

I eyed the pile of children who all stared at me.I waved.

Several waved back, and two scurried over to the adults.

“Kids, this is Phillip.Phillip is Wally’s dad.Can we all sayhito Phillip?”

A couple of the kids waved back.

Raphael advanced toward me.

I held my ground.They’re just a kid.She?He?Them?I couldn’t get a read on the kid.With the short hair, my instinct was a boy.With the extra-long bright-pink T-shirt that looked like a dress, I thought maybe a girl.Does it matter?Stop thinking in the binary.Except that was the way I’d been raised.Genderfluid, enby, and transgender were three words I’d never even heard of before I moved to Los Angeles.More proof of how isolated I’d been.Althoughgay, hellfire, damnation,andhomosexualswere ones I was very familiar with.I hadn’t known about the reclamation of the wordqueer.I’d been a babe in the woods.Easy pickings for Hank.

Oh God, do not go there now.

“Hello, Raphael.”

They narrowed their eyes.“Wally’s dad is a dog.”

“That’s absolutely true.I rescued him.I’m adopting him.So I’m his adoptive dad.”

“You’re not a dog.”

Despite the strong desire to laugh, I didn’t.“Yes, I’m not a dog.”

“So you can’t be Wally’s dad.”The child crossed their arms against their chest in the universal defiance stance.

“Well.”

“You can’t.”They stomped their foot.

In panic, I gazed at Jeremy.I really just wanted to get my dog and get the hell out of there.Kids scared me.Even when I’d been a kid myself, they’d intimidated me.As an adult, I should’ve been able to handle myself.

But I wasn’t.