Sadie stuck her tongue out at Raquel.
“How’s Seth?”
“Stronger than me.”
“You know, I spent my whole life trying to break my parents’ rules. I was so different than they were. I wanted to know it was okay to be me. Even if I turned out different from how they wanted or expected me to be. One day I came over after a huge fight with them. You weren’t home yet. Out harvesting wild yams or something, probably. But Seth was here, and he could tell I was upset. I’d been crying. He was about to go postal on someone, thinking they’d hurt me. So I told him what was really wrong. And you know what he told me?”
“To stop complaining?”
“No.” Raquel laughed. “He said he knew exactly how I felt. That ever since you two were little, you’d been you. You knew who you were. And he still had no idea who he was.”
Sadie swallowed hard.
“I don’t think he’s stronger than you,” Raquel added. “I think he tries to be strong for you.”
When Seth and Florence came back, both of their eyes were rimmed in red, and Sadie could barely stand to look at the box her brother carried. It was deep brown with a gold plaque and a metal clasp. Gigi returned to dust. But the sorrow was offset by laughter and togetherness and a soft remembrance. A strange and delicate sort of dance that both filled and emptied her.
When Florence entered, Raquel went stock-still where she sat at the kitchen bar, her eyes ping-ponging back and forth between the twins and their mother.
“Mom, this is Raquel,” Seth said. “This is Florence,” he added.
“Well, goodness, nice to meet you,” Raquel said, wrapping her arms around Sage’s shoulders as the girl went up to hug her mother. “How darling,” she added, looking between them.
“What do you mean?” Sadie asked, brows furrowed.
“How long have you and my son been in love?” Florence asked Raquel, whose face instantly paled.
“What?” Sadie choked out a laugh.
“I—we … uh,” Seth started, but Raquel waved her hand to shut him up.
“Oh boy. Oh, I see.” Florence frowned. “Whoopsie.” She laughed uncomfortably. “I’m so sorry.”
“What the hell is she talking about?” Sadie demanded, turning to Raquel.
“We were going to tell you,” Raquel said. “It just didn’t seem like the right time. We didn’t want to upset you,” she said.
“Correction,” Seth countered. “She didn’t want to upset you. I said you’d be pissed no matter what.”
“I don’t get it,” Sadie said stupidly. “You, the two of you, are together?” The thought didn’t compute. “And you kept it from me? How long?” she demanded. Her ears were hot, her throat tight, and her chest was breaking out in hives. How many rugs did she have under her that could still be pulled out?
“Not long,” Raquel squeaked out.
“Since before I left.” Seth rolled his eyes.
“Shut up, Seth,” Raquel snapped. “We’d talked before he left, but nothing was certain until he returned. Please don’t be mad,” she added to Sadie. “Are you mad?”
“I’m not. I’m not mad that you’re together,” she said, and realized she meant it.
“I’m sorry,” Florence said again. “Me and my stupid mouth. I just thought, the way you two are”—she gestured to the twins—“I didn’t think you’d have secrets.”
“Neither did I,” said Sadie. “It’s fine,” she added in a reassuring tone, seeing the worry in Raquel’s eyes. “Fold it in half. Tuck it away. Everything will be fine.” It wasn’t the fact they were together, but that she’d been so entrenched in her own problems that she didn’t even think to look or ask. But now all the little moments she’d seen between them made sense.
“On the plus side, if I die, you won’t have to worry about it,” Seth whispered between them. Sadie and Raquel both hit him. They had decided not to tell the extended family, so they could focus on Gigi’s memorial.
“Stop joking about that,” Raquel hissed.
AT THAT MOMENT, AYANA’S girls, Ali and Maggie, aged five and seven, respectively, broke the silence with their giggling as they darted into the kitchen and then out the screen door to run through the garden. Sage followed them out. It had taken her barely a minute to make friends when they’d first arrived.