Assuming The Worst

She was maybe 5 years old, one hand tightly holding onto the string of a red balloon, the other gripped just as tightly by the middle aged man leading her through the shopping center. They looked nothing alike. My first thought was to think that maybe the child was being lead away from her parents by a stranger, which I then chided myself for. Why did I have to instantly think the worst of people? Maybe she took after her mother. Maybe he was an uncle, or a step-parent. Plenty of explanations.

I should trust my instincts more, with hindsight.