Two women with their toddlers are camped out by the side of the road, holding scrawled signs that plead their case. “Please help us.” I've seen this before, lots of times. But this one jolts me: the lockdown is squeezing hard. These women are struggling to get the basics. And the children they held in their arms, clinging to their mommas, are waiting there in the hot sun. The need is all around them as they sit and wait for someone to notice. My heart goes out to them, and I stop to give them money. As the woman approaches, I begin to speak, but my words stop in my throat. I see the child's eyes. A blank stare, tired and hollow. This is not how a small child should look. For a moment my tears slice through the hard world, and I drive away with my small dogs wriggling beside me, safe and sweet.