“I’m thirteen today,” I announced with more confidence than before. “Oh my God.” Grace covered her mouth, and I thought for a moment she was going to throw up, but she shook her head, closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds, then opened them, and there, in her eyes, I could see the tears she was trying to hold back. “You’re the same age as my youngest daughter.” She spoke on a whisper and then she took a deep breath, threw her head back and stated, “This isn’t happening. This… it’s not happening.”
