Page 236
“No. She is coming with me tonight.”
She knows. Neither of us says it.
She goes upstairs.
Tova comes down first with her backpack. Astrid is behind her with my favorite suitcase.
Tova looks at me.
“Do I have to go?”
Astrid answers before I can.
“Yes. You have to go. I am your mother.”
Tova looks from her to me.
“Why?”
Astrid sets the suitcase beside the door.
“Because I am angry with Colt, and I am not sleeping in his house tonight.”
“Because of school?”
“Partly,” Astrid says. “And because there are things he did not tell me.”
Tova looks at my hand, then at me. I don’t know what she sees.
“I broke a promise to you too.”
“I know.”
She says it without any anger at all, and that’s worse.
“But it stopped.”
“Yeah.”
“You said you’d do it again.”
“I did.”
“Would you?”
“Yeah.”
Tova adjusts the backpack on her shoulder. Astrid takes the suitcase.
“Where are you going?”
“Gabi’s.”
“You call her?”
“No.”
“Gabi just got home. At least let me call her.”
