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Back Salt and Sugar Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. About the Author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. EPILOGUE
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I slip out of the room, headed into the side garden, ready to run away like the day of Grandma’s funeral, but the door opens behind me.

“There you are,” Pedro says, joining me.

I smile to hide the pain inside, but tears begin rolling down my cheeks. A gust of wind blows Pedro’s bangs over his eyes, and when he brushes the hair off, I notice the slight tremor in his hand.

“Lari, I know I’m very late, but is it okay if I give you my condolences?” he says. “I feel like a jerk for not saying anything earlier. I’ve actually tried to bring it up a few times.”

His words catch me off guard. I only realize now that I had been hoping he’d acknowledge Grandma’s absence to me. Because as much as our families hate each other, Grandma was one of our community’s beating hearts. Just like Seu Romário is.

“You’re not too late,” I say, my voice cracking.

“I’m so sorry. I’ll never forget the way she was there for me when I needed help.”

The tears won’t stop. “What do you mean?”

Pedro gives me a sad smile. “When I was ten, I found a family of stray cats living in that alley behind the ateliers, you know, and I was worried the kittens were too thin, so I kept taking milk from Sugar to feed them,” he tells me, his eyes glistening. “But Grandpa caught me and forbade me. Dona Julieta saw me crying, and without saying anything, she brought me scraps from Salt. Raw chicken, ground beef, any time she baked empadinhas or coxinhas, she’d leave me a bag on the windowsill, and I’d take it to the cats. It was like a secret between us. She never said anything to Grandpa, and I fed the cats until they were strong and went away. I’ll always be grateful.”

Grandma never told me about this. But that’s—that’s such a Grandma thing to do.

“Thank you for telling me.” I fling my arms around him, burying my face in his chest to muffle the sobs racking through my chest.

I feel him tense in surprise, like he did that night he gave me a ride home in the rain, but he doesn’t pull away. He holds me, letting me nestle against him. Letting me cry in his arms, one hand rubbing my back.

“I don’t want to say goodbye to her,” I tell him.

“You don’t have to.”

I don’t know how long we stay like this, standing next to the hibiscus bushes, the rain falling over the garden, curtaining the world all around us.

34

THURSDAY, JUNE 9

Pedro never told me if he’d enter the contest with me, but I take his silence on the subject to mean he won’t.