Sorry Wasn't Ready Yet

Noor broke Sam's tower. Not on purpose. Mostly not on purpose. A little bit on purpose.

The tower had been very tall. Very tall and very annoying and Noor's elbow had simply decided.

Sam's face did the thing. The crumple thing.

Noor's tummy did a different thing. The sinking thing.

She needed to say sorry. She knew she needed to say sorry. Her mouth knew she needed to say sorry. Her mouth wasn't ready yet.

She went to the kitchen. She came back. She went to the kitchen again. The kitchen didn't help.

She stood near Sam. Not too near. Near enough. Sam was looking at the blocks. The fallen-down blocks. All seventeen of them on the floor being fallen down very loudly.

Noor picked up one block. She put it down. She picked up another block. She put it next to the first one.

Sam watched.

Noor kept going. One block. Then another. Then another. Her hands were saying the thing her mouth wasn't ready for yet.

Sam picked up a block. Put it on top.

Noor put one on top of that.

They didn't look at each other. They just kept building.

The tower got tall again. Taller than before actually. Embarrassingly tall. Structurally questionable.

It wobbled. They both looked at it. They both looked at each other.

"Sorry," said Noor. Just like that. Now her mouth was ready.

Sam looked at the tower. Sam looked at Noor. "It's taller now," said Sam.

It wobbled again. It fell down. They both watched it fall.

They looked at each other.

They started building again.