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We hang up and I ht in the carton: chocolate sauce, whipped cream, chopped nuts The works I take it back up todown I feed it to , every last bite

18

A LITTLE WHILE LATER I wake up to kitty standing at the foot of ot ice crearoan and turn over to my side “Kitty, that’s the least of my problems today”

“Daddy wants to know if you want chicken for dinner or haht up Daddy’s hoe, throwing things away Maybe he’s spirited my hatbox away somewhere safe, and the Peter letter was just an unfortunate fluke!

I ju hard in lasses and reading a thick book on Audubon paintings

All in one breath I ask, “Daddy-have-you-seen-my-hatbox?”

He looks up; his face is hazy and I can tell he is still with Audubon’s birds and not at all focused on aveconfused He takes off his glasses “I don’t know It one the way of your roller skates”

“What does that ht possibility I took theasp, my dad says defensively, “Those roller skates don’t even fit you any up space!”

I sink to the floor “They were pink and they were vintage and I was saving them for Kittyand that’s not even the point I don’t care about the roller skates I care about my hatbox! Daddy, you don’t even knohat you’ve done” My dad gets up and tries to pull oldfish

“Lara Jean, I don’t even know that I got rid of it Coht? Don’t let’s panic yet”

“There’s only one place it could be, and it’s not there It’s gone”

“Then I’ll check Goodwill to down next tome that look—sympathetic but also exasperated and mystified, like How is it possible that hter?

“It’s too late It’s too late There’s no point”

“What was in that box that’s so important?”