What Happened That Night

“She’s been sick, Ruthie. As soon as her appetite returns, she’ll be fine.”

“Will she? The trip is too much. Forcing her to see him is just cruel. She’s not going to have a relationship with the man who killed her mother. I’m serious, Salvador. If that means taking a second mortgage on the house to hire a more competent lawyer, then that’s what we need to do.”

“I’d do that in a heartbeat if I thought it would make a difference, but I don’t think the law is on our side. I don’t think we could win. I just think we’d end up losing a lot of money without changing the situation.”

I didn’t want Uncle Sal and Aunt Ruthie to lose money because of me. I also didn’t want them to know I was listening, so I closed the bathroom door really loud before walking around the corner into the room. At the sight of me, they both smiled and sat up a little straighter on the couch.

Aunt Ruthie crossed the room and placed the back of her hand on my forehead. “How are you feeling, honey?”

“A little better.”

“You don’t have a fever, so that’s good. Would you like to take a bath?”

“All right.”

She ran the bath water for me and placed a fresh set of clothes on the bathroom counter. “Take your time. When you finish, if you’re up for it, we can sit outside and get some fresh air.”

“Okay.” In the tub, I read Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing, my favorite book that I’d already read a million times. Then I blow-dried my hair and went outside with Aunt Ruthie. “Where’s Uncle Sal?”

My aunt looked away. “Oh, he just needed to run an errand. He’ll be back soon.”

But he wasn’t back soon. Instead, he stayed gone the whole day. Aunt Ruthie and I ate both lunch and dinner without him. In between, we watched TV, played cards, and went for several small walks. That evening, as I was showing Aunt Ruthie how to make a friendship bracelet, Uncle Sal finally returned.

“You were gone a long time,” I said, relieved to see him.

He smiled. “I know, but I’m back now.”

“Good.” I gave him a big hug, wishing for the hundredth time he was my real father.

Later, when I was brushing my teeth before bed, I heard Aunt Ruthie whisper, “How’d you convince him?”

“Don’t worry about that, okay? It’s done.”

What’s done?I thought.

Uncle Sal hadn’t done something that would get him into trouble, had he?