When the timer goes off, I take the lasagna out of the oven, and Jorge helps me carry the plates to the table.

“Have you been eating well?” he asks as soon as we sit down, and I can almost hear my mom in his tone.

“Yeah,” I say. “People are still bringing us food—less than before, but we’ve managed just fine.”

“Do you need money?”

I put a bite of lasagna in my mouth and shake my head. “We’re good for now. Thanks.”

“And have you thought some more about coming to stay with Amy and me?”

I put my fork down. Suddenly, I can’t remember the reasons we decided to stay here in the first place. “I still think we should wait,” I say. “We have to see if our mom and dad find a way to come back.”

Sophie nods quickly, but I wonder if she’s also getting tired of having to do it all on our own.

Jorge presses his lips together. I can tell he’s not going to argue. When it comes to important things, he’s always treated us like adults, always been willing to listen to us, and it’s no different now.

“The offer still stands,” he says. “You’re always welcome in our home. No matter what.”

I pick up my fork again and keep eating. I hope Jorge knows how grateful I am to him for being here, for trying to look after us, but I just can’t find the right words. Instead, I hope the gentle silence that has fallen between us will tell him all the things I’m unable to say out loud.

After Uncle Jorge leaves, I help Sophie get ready for bed, and then I hop in the shower. Once the hot water is falling over me, I’m able to think a little more clearly.

With Jorge’s words still spinning inside my mind, I can’t help but feel as though I’m gonna have to make a decision about our future soon. Sophie and I can’t live like this forever. The thing is, if we moved in with Uncle Jorge, what would happen to our apartment? It wouldn’t make sense to keep paying rent if the place is empty, but if we end our lease, we’ll never be able to come back. Ma and Pa found this place before I was even born, and they always talk about how ridiculous rents are in Manhattan, how we would never be able to afford an apartment like this if it wasn’t rent controlled, how lucky we are to live here. If Ma and Pa find a way to stay in the US and we’ve given up our apartment, what would happen to us then? Where would we live?