My five-year-old son befriends the woman. It starts with voices in the yard. When I come out to check on Daniel, his face is pressed on the fence （篱笆）.
The woman says, "You wait right here; I'll be right back. "
She returns with a saw （锯子）. There's a whirring. A circle in the wooden fence drops out of sight.
"Dad! Sandy just drilled out a hole in the fence. so Sandy and me can talk!" Daniel spins around.
I hadn't known her name was Sandy. We've lived here a month before Daniel was born.
Daniel's and Sandy's murmuring voices continue. Whenever Daniel is outside, he circles near the fence that isn't a fence any more. Some days my son just goes to stand at the hole, yelling, "Sandy! Saaaaandyyyyy!" Sometimes I hear bits of their talk.
"We painted a ghost at school. "
Or: "Wheeler and Jackson were playing football, and they told me. I couldn't play "
"That wasn't very nice, "says Sandy. "Did that hurt your feelings? Did you let them know that?"
I can't hear how he replies. A moment of envy runs through me. He never talks about his school things with me
Daniel and Sandy not only keep chatting through the hole, they also exchange gifts. A coloring book, then a Hot Wheels car. It's unclear what Daniel gives Sandy in return.
One afternoon, I hear Sandy's voice floating over the top of the fence with the hole. "I thought maybe Daniel could come for a play date. "
We ring the bell on Sandy's porch. She's a middle—aged woman with smiling eyes. Sandy's yard is sweet with the smell of flowers. We have a pleasant afternoon with Sandy, my son's adult friend, the first friend Daniel has made on his own. ________
A month later, Sandy leaves to care for her mother in Kansas. She left behind a box of presents: a coloring book, sidewalk chalk, the missing orange part in the Hot Wheels track.When I look at Daniel, he's looking down at his shoes.
He sometimes wanders down to the fence. Instead of calling "Sandy! Saaaaandyyyyy!" he cries. "Hello! Helloooooo!''
One day, Daniel receives Sandy's postcard. They write frequently, warmly.
