37 www.rnca.ca continued Neglect shivered as she removed her winter coat and wrapped it around little Olivia. She turned the car heater to high as she helped the seven-year-old into her car and called 9 1 1 on her cell phone. Nikhita had stayed into the evening at the school to mark exams. It had been snowing for hours when she came out, so she was shocked to find her young student huddled beside her car in the parking lot. The girl's hair and sweater were glistening with snow. Her voice was barely a whisper when she told Nikhita that no one was at home and her house was locked. No, she didn't know where her parents were. Olivia had only been at the school for a month, but Nikhita had already expressed her concern about the girl to the principal. She looked tired all the time and rarely brought a lunch to school. Now that it was winter, it was clear that she didn't have a winter coat or winter boots. The other kids had sensed Olivia was unprotected and taken to teasing her. Nikhita knew the principal had tried calling the girl's parents, but hadn't got through. Clearly, the time had come for stronger measures. It would be up to the police to figure out what was going on at home. This kind of neglect was too much. Olivia and her family needed help. Nikhita put her arm around the little girl to keep them both warm as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Designed by Freepik Nikhita
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