Chapter 75

“If something happened to him…Ku areba raku ari.”

“We’ll rally. All of us. We’ll get him better,” Erika promised. “Remember, Papa said a lot of things.” She tried to smile, even though the same idiom was torturing her as well. “If something bad did happened, we’ll all get through it,” she said again. “The four of us. Together.”

“Skater Boy!” The voice, the wild hair bouncing as he ran toward them, Erika melted and Tom Alan took off at a sprint.

“Oh my God!” They met partway, in front of fruit tree number eight. Tom Alan threw his arms around Milo’s neck and kissed him hard enough to nearly knock him over.

“They brought us up on a bus.”

There were a couple dozen other people around, but neither seemed to notice. Tom Alan had Milo’s face in his hands. “You didn’t answer. I was so scared.”

“I’m sorry, love. My phone flew right out of my hand when the bloody train lurched. I’m afraid it’s busted.”