Elijah went on his toes and peered at her face. “Don’t cry,” he said. “Your heart will get tired.”
She sniffed. “Grandma says I can’t play with you.”
I shook my head. “Grandmas say lots of things. My mom says some of them are just air.”
Elijah frowned at me. “Not the nice grandmas.”
“Right,” I said fast. “Not the nice ones. But that lady is not being nice today.”
Myra wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. It left a wet line. I offered my sleeve too. “You can use mine,” I told her. “It’s not fancy.”
She smiled a little. “Okay.”
We sat like that for a minute—me and Elijah and Myra all squished together so the sadness wouldn’t blow her away. Then Elijah made a serious face and whenever he did that, it meant an idea was coming.
“Let’s make a promise,” he said. “A big one. Then
