“No recordaba.”
An exchange in Spanish followed that Memo summarized afterward.
“Abuelita says Papá was a chico malo, always into one scrape or another. He fought with a barbed wire fence while trying to steal a chicken and lost. He wanted it for a pet. One remembers the eyes that show emotion, the smile that heals, and the arms that hug, she says. Maybe it was less about forgetting and more about seeing past the scar and focusing on mi papá fuerte y guapo without ascribing any negative connotation.”
Like Alfie, Memo sometimes used words August never would. The thought behind them sounded like a step forward, though, in Memo’s own healing.
With the screensaver gone, a file was open, and a printer across the room started to hum.
“A wanted poster!” Memo had leaned in for a closer look a
