You cannot skip ten birthdays and return through small talk.
"I haven't played with dolls since I was seven."
After dinner, Greta cleared the bowls while Amelia wiped the table. Katherine stood to help, then stopped when she realized no one needed instructions.
On the bookshelf near the living room window sat the old storybook.
The Adventures of Little Fox.
Its red spine was held together with clear tape. One corner had been chewed during Amelia's teething year, though she denied it whenever Greta reminded her.
She realized no one needed instructions.
Katherine noticed the cover.
"You kept that?"
I rolled toward the shelf.
"You remember it?"
"I bought it before Greta was born." Katherine's voice softened for the first time. "I thought I'd read it to both of them."
"You remember it?"
I took the book down.
The front cover sagged open.
Inside were pencil lines marking the girls' heights through the years.
