“Thank you. That’s a kind offer. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Her gratitude is genuine. It would be wonderful to have a guardian to whom she could turn if she needed advice. (And hopefully the cringe inducing memories of this conversation will be easier to swallow knowing that something good came of it.)

After a final polite smile, she hurries down the steps and off to speak with a paranoid mum about her juvenile delinquent son.