She gives me a small smile that I can’t figure out. On the one hand, it looks like she feels sorry for Sophie and me, as though there are things she wants to say to us but isn’t brave enough to speak out loud. On the other, there’s doubt in her eyes. It takes me a second to realize that she’s wondering what’s going to happen with the bodega. We may have made it through a full day without my parents’ help, but what’s gonna happen when the time comes to pay back suppliers? To place orders for more products? To sign Erika’s and Nelly’s paychecks?

My uncle Jorge crosses my mind. I tried calling him early this morning, but he didn’t answer his cell. We’ve barely seen him since his baby was born. I know he’s been busy, and a part of me doesn’t want to go bothering him, but I also know he’s the only person we can turn to at this point.

“I’m here to help,” Erika says. “But… if you think I should start looking for other jobs, could you please let me know? I have to pay for school, and—”

“I know.”

“—nursing equipment is expensive, so I need to—”

“We’ll figure things out,” I say as confidently as I can, but the doubt in her eyes doesn’t go away.

I touch the pocket of my jeans, tempted to pull out my cell phone and try Uncle Jorge’s number again, but I decide to wait until later, when we’re home and I’ve had a little more time to think about how I’m gonna break the news about my parents to him.

Erika nods once. “See you tomorrow,” she says, and then she walks away with her hands in her pockets.

When Sophie and I walk into the apartment, it hits me all over again—the darkness, the emptiness, the air of abandonment. And just like that, all the hope that’s been building up in my chest for the past few hours goes away.

“Go finish your homework,” I say softly to Sophie, unable to keep my voice from shaking. “I’ll start making dinner.”

I walk into the kitchen with a hole in my stomach. I open the fridge, see what’s inside, and the hole grows a little bigger. There really isn’t much.