Chapter 35

Roberto made small talk as we drove, trying to make me feel comfortable as we headed toward this new of my life. I think he could tell that I wasn’t paying close attention, that my thoughts were elsewhere. When he pulled up in front of the restaurant, he put his hand on my knee, looked into my eyes, and said, “I’ll miss her, too, Rabi.” That was all he said. But in that instant, I understood that he had also had feelings for her.

True to his father’s promise, there was a huge stack of dirty pots and pans. I set to work on them immediately, without being asked. I had to keep myself busy so that I would stop thinking about her. I could dream about her at night, but thinking about her, missing her during the day would drive me crazy. When Roberto’s father came downstairs to the kitchen, he was surprised to find that I had already finished all the dishes and was starting on cleaning up the counters.