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“Look, Daddy,” Grace said, sitting up straighter as they drove through town “There she is There’sfuriously “Did you see her, Daddy? That’s a cool bike she has It’s ic I think she’s a movie star She said she ate an ostrich once ”

Daddy kept driving A few minutes later, he turned into their driveway and parked

“You believe me about the ostrich lady, don’t you? She says she—”

“Enough, Gracie No pretending tonight, okay? Daddy’s had a tough day ”

“I wasn’t pretending,” Grace said, stung by the accusation She dragged her blanket off the seat beside her and wrapped it around her neck Her daddy was in one of thoseto her; even when he looked at her, she got the feeling he wasn’t paying attention Like he was seeing someone else in his head And he looked sad

Grace had grown up around sad She kneas best to stay quiet and cuddle when he was like this But she’d been quiet all day, and she was desperate to talk to someone To him

In the house, Grace went right to the fridge and pulled out the heavy casserole Nana had oes in the oven, Daddy,” she said, holding it out proudly

He took it fro to

go take a shower I’ll put a DVD in for you ”

She started to say she didn’t want to watch aroom

She climbed up onto the sofa with her blanket and sucked her thu any attention to her, anyway It seeest shower in the world, and, when he was done and walking around in his baggy sweat pants, with his wet hair dripping onto the red USC T-shirt, she followed hi she could think of

“On the way to the hospital, I got to sit in the front of Papa’s car We followed the am’blance And he let ood driver I saw a killer whale eat a seal It was gross ”

Nothing made him pay attention He hardly even looked at her, and his face just got sadder and sadder, so much that Grace started to feel sad herself Lonely

By the time he put her into her ja

Dad curled up alongside her “I’ in the hospital reminded me of my sister ”