Chapter 15
Canada, Twenty-Eight Years Ago
The boy squatted on his heels next to the mound covering his brother. He patted the snow with both hands. “Bye, bye, Sheshebens.” Tears streamed down his face and as they fell on the snow, landing as tiny glistening beads that froze into crystals. He stood, grabbed his father around the waist and squeezed tight. He didn’t mind that Daddy’s belt buckle dug into his chin. He was sure the warmth of his father’s body would absorb his pain, transmute it into something safe and ordinary. Noshi stroked the boy’s hair. He dropped down to his knees, and held his son away from him with both arms and looked into his face. “It’s fine to cry now, but we have to be brave. We have to take care of Mommy…”
Northern California, Present Time
Jimmy asked Maggie to
