Nabil opened the door to the B&B and we walked in, dirtying the floor with our dusty shoes. I put Shira into bed. Her eyes were closed. I covered her with the blanket. Nabil looked at me and then walked out of the room, leaving me alone with Shira. Her bed suddenly seemed too big for her body. As if the girl had suddenly shrunk into a bite-size version of herself. There was a mind-boggling dissonance between what had just happened and her small, delicate breaths. I studied her for a few more minutes, making sure she truly existed. Only then did I notice my phone vibrating. Nelly had called three times, but I was too tired to answer.

After making sure there was no way the girl could escape from the window, I left her room. Nabil was sitting at the kitchen table, his hands in the air. He didn’t want to dirty the table. We sat together silently for what felt like forever. Finally Nabil put his hand on my back, giving it a gentle pat. He didn’t say a word. He got up, went to Shira’s room to check on her, and walked out of the B&B. I sat there alone for a few minutes, trying to make sense of what had happened, and failing. Then I dragged my chair into Shira’s room, sitting not even an inch from her bed. I don’t know when exactly I fell asleep, but when I woke up the next morning, Shira was standing in front of me.

She was smiling.

14.

MAYBE ONE DAY I’ll tell Nelly what happened that day. I can’t just yet. Nor do I think it would help. Nabil didn’t say a word about it. When Nelly returned from the conference she asked him with a playful smile if I had done a good job taking care of the girl. “He’s a schmuck,” Nabil said, “but a decent father.”