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Back The Year the Maps Changed Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Map
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

“People helped me and mine once, when we needed them . . . when they probably didn’t have to.” Vi nodded and squeezed Nora’s hands. “This is how the world heals, I think. One small act at a time.”

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62

Call Me Winnie

News of the haven fugitive was blasting out all night from the radio. Fugitive was another policeman word. I guess it applied pretty accurately to Nora.

All the grown-ups were sitting around the dinner table with the radio on quietly in the background as they planned. Vi and Khoa had sent Jed and Lily home, and Pop had given up on trying to convince me and Sam to go to bed and get some rest.

But then Nora stood up and said she couldn’t listen anymore, so Anika and Vi helped walk her down to Pop’s apartment.

A little while later Vi came back and approached me. She reached out and ran a hand through my hair and I felt my chest untangle a little.

“Go down, see if they need anything else,” Vi said quietly, and I started down the garden path.

Even before I got inside, I could hear them.

“A-donny-tel-ker-soni?” Anika said.

“A doni të kërceni?” Nora corrected.

I stood in the doorway of Pop’s bedroom to find Nora sitting up and Anika cross-legged in front of her at the end of the bed, resting her hands on Nora’s stomach.

“A doni të kërceni?” Nora said again.

“What’s that?” I asked, and Anika jumped a little and snatched her hands back. She turned around and looked relieved when she realized it was only me.

“Would you like to dance?” Anika said. “A doni të kërceni?”

I smiled as I came in, and Anika scooched over and made room for me on the bed.

“I am asking Nora’s daughter to dance,” Anika explained, “and she replies. . . .”

Nora leaned forward and put her hand out. I placed mine in hers so she could put it on her belly—where I felt her daughter kicking and fluttering.

Exactly the same as Drumlin had.

“I talk to her always,” Nora said, smiling down at the place where my hand was on her belly, and I remembered Anika telling me once that babies would seek the warm spot.

When Nora gave a big yawn, Anika said we’d head back and leave her be for the evening. She said I should be getting to bed too.

“Is it hard?” I asked, when Anika came to the doorway of my room a little while later to say good night. “Feeling Nora’s baby like that . . .”

Anika looked behind her—Mr. Khouri, Khoa, and Vi had all gone home, but I could still hear Pop’s and Luca’s low voices coming from the kitchen. She stepped into my room and I turned on my bedside lamp.