Prologue

Where are they? Where is she? Why aren’t they here today?

What if something happened? Something bad? I want them to come and tell me that everything is okay. I don’t like worrying. I don’t like feeling sad. If something bad happens, mama always makes the pain go away. If their mama doesn’t make it go away, my mama will.

I know. They’re playing a trick. They’re playing hide and seek. She must be hiding behind that tree. If I run over there and look, I’ll find her. I’m sure she’s there.

She’s not there. I want them to come and play with me. She is my best friend. We always share our lunches. Her mama and my mama make very different food. I like her mama’s cooking. She says her mama doesn’t make lunch for her. She says her mama is very busy and always working. Her papa pays a woman to cook for them.

He…is the prettiest boy I have ever seen. Sometimes he’s very nice to me, sometimes he doesn’t have time for me. I like him. I like looking at him. He has pretty blue eyes. She doesn’t like him playing with us because he is her older brother and always bullies her. She told me she gets jealous when I pay attention to him. She doesn’t want him to take me away from her.

Where are they? They wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye, would they?

Would they?