She started sobbing in a rasping, dry way that shook her thin body so hard she had to lean against the wall. I took her arm and gently moved her into the living room, where the prim furniture was encased in plastic. I took the cover off the couch and sat her down.

33

Happy Families Are All Alike, Unhappy Families…

The Czernin house was laid out like every other bungalow on the South Side, including the one where I grew up. I moved by instinct through the dining room to the kitchen. I put water on for tea, but, while waiting for it to boil, I couldn’t resist opening the back door to see if they had a little lean-to like ours. My dad had stored his tools there; he could repair most things around the house. He’d even replaced a broken wheel on my roller skates. It seemed satisfying to find an identical one behind Sandra’s kitchen, although it wasn’t as tidy as my dad’s. My dad would never have left cut-up pieces of rubber lying around the work surface like that, or the frayed ends of old lengths of wiring.

I was turning back to the kitchen to hunt for tea when April appeared in the doorway. She was clutching the giant bear Bron had given her in the hospital; her face was still puffy from the heart meds she was taking.

“Coach! I didn’t know—didn’t expect—”

“Hi, honey. I’m sorry about your dad. You know I’m the person who found him.”

She nodded bleakly. “Were you looking at his shop? He taught me how to use a soldering iron. I even worked on a project with him last week, but I don’t think Ma will let me use his tools now. Does she know you’re here?”

“She’s in the living room, pretty upset; I’m trying to find tea.”

April opened a canister on the counter and pulled out a tea bag. While she got mugs down from a shelf, I asked how she was feeling.

“Okay, I guess. They’re giving me these drugs that make me sleepy, that’s all. You know, they’re saying I can’t play anymore, can’t play basketball.”

“I know: it’s a shame; you’re a good player, and we’ll miss you, but you can’t risk your health running around the court. You can still be part of the team if you want, come to the practices and help chart plays.”

Her face brightened a little. “But how am I going to get to college if I can’t get a scholarship?”

“Academics,” I said dryly. “Not as glamorous as a sports scholarship, but they’ll carry you further in the long run. Let’s not worry about it today, though—you’ve got enough going on, and it’s a year before you have to start applying.”