for a while.
“You’re angry.”
“I’m tired.”
“You’re an awful liar.”
I tried to smile.
“I had a fight with Nadia. Just normal sister stuff.”
It was the first excuse I could think of.
Valerie studied me for several seconds.
Then she said something I didn’t understand at the time.
“Whatever happens after I’m gone, never let anyone convince you that kindness makes you foolish.”
I thought her medication was making her emotional.
I didn’t realize she was warning me.
Three weeks later, Valerie died.
After the funeral, I filed