You can do it,” her mother whispered. Driven by her mother’s optimism, Rikki silently rooted for Chaya, too

Rikki flung her backpack onto the floor, then slammed the door shut behind her.

“Rikki?” her mother called. “Is that you?”

Rikki didn’t answer. She marched into the kitchen, her fist clenched. “Ma!” she said, then stopped. Chaya was sitting at the table, a spoon in her hand.

“Hi, sweetheart,” her mother said. “How was school?”

“Horrible.”

Rikki saw her mother’s shoulders drop, but only for an instant.

“Come join us,” Mrs. Levy gestured toward the empty chair, “and tell me why your day was horrible.”

Feeling bad to have charged into the house on a sour note, Rikki took a calming breath and sat down. She watched Chaya bang at the bowl of macaroni with her spoon, trying to catch one of the cheese-covered elbows. Judging by the filled bowl, she hadn’t been that successful.

“Good try, Chaya,” Mrs. Levy said.

Chaya ignored her mother and continued to beat the pasta with the spoon.

“I have to hand it to her. She’s been trying to eat on her own for about a half-hour, and hasn’t given up.”

“You’ve been sitting here for that long?”

“Yes. She won’t let me or the nurse feed her, so I thought I’d let her give it a try.” Her mother laughed. “At least she’s having fun.”

The spoon unexpectedly caught a single elbow, and Chaya murmured happily. She pushed her head forward and clumsily brought it towards her mouth.

Rikki noticed the hopeful glint in her mother’s eyes as the spoon made its way to Chaya’s opened mouth. “You can do it,” her mother whispered. Driven by her mother’s optimism, Rikki silently rooted for Chaya too.

She held her breath as the pasta shook uncertainly in the shallow, wobbling spoon.

Halfway to Chaya’s mouth, the pasta tumbled to the floor. Mrs. Levy tried to suppress a moan.