“And look at Morgan—Morgan’s not even my biological brother—she adopted him because his own mother died of AIDS. That’s what my mum is like, it’s not like we’re superrich, but she’s so generous, she’s got a big enough heart to love other people’s kids, too.

“I’m proud of her, I’m proud she had me all by herself and brought me up the way she did.” Her voice has gone loud and pugnacious, as if she’s hoping to convince him by sheer volume. “We don’t have burglar alarms and big spikey metal bars on our windows. Our home is wide open to anybody who’s hungry or sick or in trouble or needs a bed,” she charges on, glaring at him. “That seems a good way to be, not, Oh, the time isn’t right; I’m not sure if our commitment is total enough.”

He says nothing.

She stomps around a bit.

She says, “I think it was mean of you never to make a move, never to want to lay eyes on me, even if you hated my mother.”

He presses his lips together. “Perhaps,” he says.

“I think it was cowardly,” she says.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.”

She walks out.

“Hello!” Vanessa’s voice at the other end is breezy, provocative. Rat can hear the high excitable chatter of television in the background. Her mother never used to watch television in the daytime.

“Mama, it’s me.”

No answer. Rat wonders if her mother’s hung up on her. She used to hang up on Mémé Catherine.

“Mama?”

Finally, an exhalation of breath. “It’s you, Rat?” Vanessa’s voice now is very low. There’s a hint of suppressed tears in its quaver. “I never thought I was going to hear your voice again. God, I’ve been desperate. Don’t ever do this to me again, Rat. Don’t ever leave me again, without a word, without a—”

“Mama, you never told me about the money Gillem was paying us.”

“What?”

“The child-support money. You should have told me.”

“Of course I told you.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’m sure I did.”

“No.”

“Well, it’s not very much, anyway.”

“You should have told me.”

A moment’s pause, while her mother mutes the television. Then, “Ratkin, my life is more difficult than you realize. I have no parents, no husband, nobody to help me. Nobody. When I had you, I was very young and naive. I thought I could manage by myself. Promise me that when you are older, you will never have a baby on your own. Because once you have a child, you will never sleep an easy night. You can’t believe how scared I’ve been for you, not knowing where you’d gone.”

“Didn’t Jérôme tell you I was okay?”