Harpo tiptoed back to his room and sat down with his back pressed up against the door, in a nest of thrown clothes. He loved this place. He’d protect it. He loved that little girl too, and he’d protect her from anything. He’d find a way. Susan wanted kids. He thought, for the first time in his life, that it might not be a bad idea. For the first time ever, he imagined himself as a daddy. And all because of Blima. She needed help with her mom, and Harpo had a lot of experience with this sort of thing. He knew what Ayala was trying to say. He’d just have to mitigate the rest of it. Mitigate!
Mitigate, four across, from the crossword with Groucho the morning after Frenchie’s funeral—it occurred to Harpo, and not for the first time, that it must be some higher power that set the crosswords, n
