My mother, Evelyn, sat at the table with her coffee, watching the moment with the soft expression grandmothers get when they realize how fast time has moved.
“Make a wish,” she told Lily.
Lily leaned forward, closed her eyes dramatically, and blew out the candles in one quick breath.
“What did you wish for?” I asked.
She grinned. “If I tell you, it won’t come true.”
Her best friend Maya arrived a few hours later, bursting through the front door with the kind of chaotic energy teenagers carry everywhere.
“Birthday girl!” she shouted, throwing her arms around Lily.
Continue on the next page:
