The Doctor Who Didn’t Look

The system had its chance: a beaten student is sitting in a doctor’s office. But the doctor shines a light into pupils, not into a life — a couple of routine questions, a weary nod, a prescription. And Simon answers the way victims almost always answer: “just overtired” — a phrase learned earlier than lying itself.

This is called masking: depression and abuse hide behind socially acceptable words, and they can only be noticed by someone who asks seriously and waits for the answer. Bruises under the clothes, “not sleeping well”, a switched-off face — every marker was there. Each adult who “didn’t look closely” becomes a co-author of what happens next.