“Being angry all the time takes a lot of effort, and it uses up so much of your energy, you don’t have much strength left for anything else”

Shoshi couldn’t sleep. She thought about the afternoon out with her mother and sister. The start had been awkward. The atmosphere had been more like a waiting room in a doctor’s office than a mother-daughter outing.

“So,” Shoshi had exclaimed after several minutes of total silence. “This is really nice, huh?”

Both her mother and Yocheved had turned toward her in the back seat, their expressions identical.

Shoshi had looked from mother to sister and burst out laughing. Her mother had laughed before Yocheved, but then Yocheved laughed too.

With the ice broken, the outing had turned out to be enjoyable, for the most part. It wasn’t easy finding topics of conversation. Shoshi wished she could bring up the issues that bothered her about her Share and Care pen pal, but she knew it would upset her mother and sister.

Yocheved had done her job, making conversation by complaining about how quickly her ice cream melted and that she didn’t have enough whipped cream.

Shoshi smiled. You had to love her!

Now, lying in bed, she turned onto her side and stared at the cocoon-chair that hung in the corner of the room. Had her mother ever tried it while she was away at school? Shoshi squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember if she had ever invited her mother into her room or if her mother had ever come in on her own.

Her eyes opened. She didn’t have to think too hard. She hadn’t. Shoshi’s lips pressed into a determined line. Things were definitely going to change.

Devory tossed in bed, unable to get comfortable. The day had been okay. She grinned. Okay, so it was actually nice. The start had been awkward, but that hadn’t lasted too long. She and her stepmother had eaten lunch together. Nothing fancy. Macaroni and cheese, but it had been so good. Everything, not just the pasta.

“Tell me, Devory,” her stepmother had said over a forkful of bubbling cheese, “would it make things easier for you if Miri shared a room with Malky?”

“Yes!”

“I was going to tell you to think about it, but I guess I got my answer.”