Page 82 of The Secret to Belonging

your surrogate family

it doesn’t feel right keeping her secret from him

but it also isn’t your secret to tell

you’re setting a healthy boundary

Alison knows what she’s doing

When you arrive at Espen’s parents’ house

they serve a middag of lamb stew and apple cake

present everyone with hand-knit norsk mittens

strikket av ullen vår, his mother, Berit, says

proud of the wool from their own sheep

tusen takk, you say, offering the napkins

Elinor helped you weave

His father, Terje, shows you and Alison

up to a tiny room with twin beds

it’s still early afternoon but already dark

Alison excuses herself and crawls under the covers

you’re embarrassed

you wish she’d rally

you start to say something

but Espen puts his finger to his lips

you leave her to sleep

he takes you out to introduce you to the sheep

leads you down a stone path to the seashore

shows you the drying racks for lutefisk

the white beach glowing in the moonlight

he points to a rocky island

in summer, thousands of puffins nest there

i can’t wait to see

you smile

he grins