“This is all I have of my family. A picture of their suitcase. They took it with them when the Nazis ordered them to gather in the scorching heat at the platia. That was a grassy area with walking paths between the Old Fortress and—”

“Grandmama, my stomach hurts.” Joey pushed the photograph away, and as it flew off the table, she realized the magnitude of her action. She dove to catch it, but she was too slow, and the photo flopped onto the linoleum.

By then, her grandmother had already bent over. She grunted. She brushed off the floor lint from the picture of the suitcases. Joey’s breath caught in her throat as she saw a patch on the upper right quadrant where she’d deposited Lucky Charm residue. She’d ruined her grandmother’s favorite picture.

“I’m so sorry, Grandmama,” Joey said, her eyes blurring with unexpected tears.

“It’s all right, my darling.” Her grandmother ran a fingertip over the Lucky Charm smudge. It wasn’t on the Batis part, at least. “We won’t speak of this photograph again. What shall we talk about? Not these awful things.”

“My birthday party.” Joey started talking fast, eager to change the subject and to brighten her grandmother’s mood. “It’s going to be ceramics. And Mom’s not going to lead it. We got a professional. We’re going to glaze and everything. You’ll come, won’t you? And Grandfather?”

“That’s nice,” said her grandmother. She put the picture back in the empty tissue box. She put the box under her arm. “Of course, we’ll come. I’ll be right back.”

Joey never saw that picture again.

But a year later, when she was ten and in Corfu that first summer, she stood outside the Romaniote synagogue, waiting for her father. An old lady wove through throngs of people. A tour group in knee-length shorts and white orthopedic shoes. A man shouting, “Spyro, ya Spyro.” Another man dragging his daughter’s pink wheely suitcase.

But the old lady went straight to Joey.

“Open your hand, child.”

Joey yanked back her palm, but the lady crept her strong, bent fingers around Joey’s and pried them open anyhow. Inside she placed an evil eye charm.

“You know what it is, child.”

Joey backed away as spittle flew into her face. She suddenly longed to get back to Leo and their beautiful terrace where the sun dappled through the cypress trees.

The lady said, “It’s to ward off the evil eye. Today is Tuesday, yes? The worst day of the week. The most unlucky. You must keep this with you. Then you will have good luck. You understand? You be safe. Poo, poo, poo.” She spit three times. Joey was too stunned to duck.