"Nothing. It just gets lonely without jelly."
He stared at her.
Then laughed.
It surprised him.
He had not laughed much that week.
Nora smiled faintly.
It was the first time he had seen her smile since her mother died.
He looked toward the creek.
"Want half?"
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
He tore the sandwich in two.
She accepted her piece with both hands.
They ate in silence.
Afterward, Nora looked toward him.
"Do you come here often?"
"Sometimes."
"Why?"
Daniel thought about telling her his father was cruel when he drank.
He thought about describing the broken cupboard, the shouting, and the way he sometimes lay awake listening for his mother's footsteps.
But he did not.
Instead, he shrugged.
"It's quiet."
Nora nodded.
Then looked toward the water.
"That's why I came."
Daniel studied her.
The large white house where she lived seemed very different from his own.
He imagined long hallways, expensive carpets, and rooms full of wonderful things.
He had never considered that such a house could be lonely.
Nora pulled her knees toward her chest.
"People keep asking whether I'm sad."
Daniel looked at her.
"Are you?"
She stared into the creek.
"Yes."
He waited.
She continued.
"But I don't want to tell them about it all the time."
Daniel nodded.
He understood that.
More than she knew.
After a while, he said, "You don't have to tell me."
Nora turned toward him.
Something softened in her eyes.
"All right."
They sat on the bridge until the afternoon sun turned golden.
Then Daniel climbed down.
"I've got to go."
Nora looked disappointed.
"Will you come back?"
He considered the question.
His home would still be loud tomorrow.
The creek would still be quiet.
And perhaps the girl in the white dress would still be there.
"Probably."
She smiled.
"Good."
Daniel started walking.
Then turned.
"Hey."
Nora looked up.
"What?"
"If you bring jelly tomorrow, I'll bring the peanut butter."
She laughed.
The sound carried across the creek.
"Deal."
And that was how everything began.
They returned to the bridge almost every afternoon that summer.
Sometimes Nora brought sandwiches prepared by the Whitfield household cook.
Sometimes Daniel brought apples from the tree behind his house.
Once, he brought a bag of stale cookies his mother had purchased at a discount.
Nora declared them the best cookies she had ever eaten.
Daniel accused her of lying.
She admitted they were terrible.
Then ate three more.
They told each other things they could not say anywhere else.
Nora spoke about her mother.