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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

Anika came to sit on the edge of my bed, where I could see she was smiling a little sadly.

“It is,” she said, “but I’d rather be reminded and think about Drumlin than forget him, y’know?”

I nodded, because I did.

“That’s what I tried to do at first. Just sit in my room and try not to cry—try to empty my brain of thinking about him. . . .” Anika reached out, tucked my bangs behind my ear, and said, “But grief is an expression of love, and I loved him so much. He changed everything for me, the same way you did.”

I looked down at my hands, but Anika gently lifted my chin until our eyes met. “I love you, Freddo—you do know that, don’t you?”

I couldn’t speak, because I didn’t know. It wasn’t too long ago that I’d felt like Anika and Sam were coming in and rearranging all my family’s borders and leaving me off their new map. And without needing to explain any of that, I think Anika suddenly saw it all.

“Oh, Fred—I love you, and I didn’t want to worry you with that. I know you miss your mother something fierce, and Luca told me that you were scared of forgetting her, so I didn’t want you to think I was replacing . . .”

“Luca says love doesn’t work like that.”

Anika smiled. “Well, Luca is a very smart man.”

I closed my eyes and heaved myself out from underneath the covers so I could crawl over to Anika, and let her arms wrap around me as I leaned into her and did the same.

“Anika?” I said.

“Yes, Fred?”

“Do you think you could call me Winnie from now on?”

She squeezed me a little tighter and said, “I think I can do that, yes.”

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63

Named for a Place

That night when I fell asleep I dreamed of Drumlin; he had Luca’s eyes and Anika’s curls. He was such a happy, bouncy baby and we all loved him.

But then I blinked my eyes open and thought I could still hear him, even in waking. It was then I realized that the sound I heard was coming very faintly from down the garden path, and I wasn’t dreaming—there really was a baby screaming.

Nora’s daughter had arrived.

I got up and opened the back screen door, walked down the path just as pink morning light was breaking, and when I came through Pop’s door and stood at the entrance to his room, I found Anika and Vi on either side of Nora, all three crowded on the bed, and a wriggling bundle wrapped up in a towel sitting on Nora’s chest.

“Come, come,” Nora said when she saw me.