'Thank you' would have been the appropriate response. "You were gone for a long time," was what actually came out of her mouth. She leaned into the embrace a little but still didn't return the hug yet. That would be a sign of forgiveness. Everybody in this family was so quick to forgive and usually Anna Min really loved that about them. But this time she didn't think it should be so easy. This time it wasn't breaking a wand or eating a biscuit after being told 'no' or even saying something really hurtful. This time it was essentially abandonment. Anna Min hadn't known what that felt like before and she wished she still didn't.