“Annie, it seems like you’re answering your own question here.”

Annie hesitated. “You won’t be alone, you’ve got Raj.”

“Talk of the devil.”

Raj came in with his schoolbag and immediately began to imitate the thick German accent of Mr. Schneider, their history teacher. “Are you laties talking about me? You should haff tolt me. Ont me I am ze most foremost expert. I vould haff prepared topics for discussion, meine liebe Fräuleins. Topic vun: In vhat vays is Rajiv a clear example of the Übermensch?”

Annie walked slowly with Raj through the fields. He was now almost a head taller than she.

“Do you remember when we first met?” she said.

“Are you bringing this up because it’s our twenty-four-hour reunion?”

“Do you ever think about your mom and dad?”

He considered this. “Sometimes.”

“Do you remember them?”

“I remember my dad—used to let me swing from his horns.”

“Stop being stupid.”

“Don’t know. Sometimes I think I remember India—but I might just have made it up.”

“What do you remember?”

“I remember someone giving me water,” he said, “in a clay bowl.”

“Do you think of Ruth as your mom?”

He shook his head. “Tell you the truth, I’m not even sure she likes me. Gives me the strangest looks sometimes, like she still can’t believe I’m here. It’s like I’m not inside her house, I’m inside her. And she can be a bit short sometimes.”

“I love Ruth.” Annie hadn’t intended to sound quite so defensive.

“I don’t mean—”

“I know. I’m just saying. I see myself like her sometimes, ending up on my own.”

He tried to stifle a smile.

“What?”

“You on your own?”

“You don’t think I can be on my own?”

“Annie, have you noticed that you’re still zipping up when you come out of the bathroom?”

“What does—”

“I mean you don’t even like being in the bathroom on your own. I’m sure you’d keep the door open if you didn’t think it would offend people.”

“You don’t know me at all.”

“I know you won’t be on your own.”

It irritated her that Raj didn’t think she could be alone and she went quiet, which she knew he couldn’t stand.

After a moment, he said, “I wouldn’t let you.”

Appeased, she met his smile. Then she said, “What are we going to do about Lew?”

Raj looked confused. Annie suddenly wondered if Lew had told him about some of the physical things that had happened between them. Did boys talk like that?