41Remember when we ran backwards in the sand, just to
watch our footsteps wash away?
Mom bought me a Zen water fountain with a soothing sound to help me sleep during the nights before we left. I hadn’t slept in days. Probably, subconsciously, I was afraid I wouldn’t wake up. And even if I did, I knew the morning would just be another nightmare.
Javi was there and it took all three of us to assemble the damned fountain. He sat on the floor trying to read the directions. I had put the water in before thinking about it, so we were doing everything backwards.
“See, this tube has to go down the hole in the middle of this big stone ball.” Javi held the ball up and I tried to stick the tube in.
“That’s not going to work with the water running,” said Mom.
“Yes it is,” I said. “Move your damn
