“Why here?” I asked.
“My mom used to bring me here when I was little. It looked different then. Looks nicer now. I learned about vegetables and how to plant herbs. I always wanted to try doing it at home. Mom promised we’d get pots one day, but then—”
She didn’t have to finish. My heart broke for the little girl that had dreamed of having her own herb garden only to be taken to a house where she was left to wilt like a plant with no access to water.
“You can come here anytime you like, but please tell us when you do. We were worried sick.”
“You were?” Her voice was uncertain, but it carried a tinybit of hope.
“Of course,” Max said, taking her face in his hands and pushing her curls away from her eyes. “You’re my little sister.”
Lucy cried and hugged Max again. He comforted her but kept his eyes on mine. I mouthed “I love you” and he mouthed “I love you more” back.
I wanted to ask her why she’d felt she had to run here in the first place, but it was cold, and I didn’t know the last time she’d had anything to eat.
“Guys, Fernando and Diogo are meeting us at Grand Central. Let’s grab something to eat with them and then go home.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Max said, taking my hand in his and keeping Lucy tucked under his arm.
* * *
We met Diogo and Fernando in a café in the food court. They waved at us to come straight to their table. I had to laugh when we got closer because in true Portuguese fashion, there was an assortment of pastries and sandwiches, enough to feed a small army.
There was also coffee and hot chocolate with a mountain of marshmallows on top.
“Guys, you must have spent a fortune.”
Fernando dismissed me with a wave of his hand and told us to take a seat before the drinks got cold.
“Fernando, Diogo, this is Lucy, my sister.” Lucy looked at Max with adoration as he introduced her,but I didn’t miss her shy smile when she looked at Diogo, and she raised her hand in a small wave.
Max didn’t miss Diogo’s reaction, either, as he looked at Lucy with wide eyes like a rabbit in headlights.
“Max, do you want coffee or hot chocolate?” I asked to get his attention.
“Er, coffee,” he said without looking away. He had his eyes fixed on Diogo who was blushing slightly and picking at a piece of pastry.
“Baby,” I whispered in his ear as I pulled him closer,“your big brother act is cute, but chill out. Here, have something to eat.” I put a sandwich in front of him, and he seemed to remember he hadn’t eaten all day.
Now that we had Lucy, everyone seemed to relax and enjoy their food. Fernando talked about how he’d finally figured out the subway system, and Diogo told us about their first trip to the market and then how Fernando had been chatting with all the people and it took them two hours to do their food shopping.
“I was practicing my English,” Fernando said in his defense. “Besides, who knew there were so many types of, well, everything!”
“What school do you go to, Lucy?” Diogo asked in such a quiet voice that it surprised me I’d heard it from my side of the table.
“Oh, er…” she looked at Max before she replied. “I go to Park East.”
“No way! I went to Park East, too. Is Mrs. Mason still there?”
“Yeah, she is, but she’s retiring next year.”
“About time. I swear she must be at least a hundred.” They both laughed at the joke.
Lucy leaned forward on the table as if to share a secret with Diogo. “It is true there’s a locker at the school that’s full of candy? I heard a rumor, but we never found it.”
“It was true when I was there, but I’m not sure about now.”
“Really? Where is it?”
