"I will miss her forever," Annie said. Her children's heads were beautiful. She could see them through her tears.
"Forever," Roberts said. He put his arm tenderly around her and drew her close. "It's true. You will."
As the cantor chanted his wailing ancient words, Annie cried loudly, as loud, even, as her sister. Then she rested her head on Roberts's steady shoulder and cried some more.
Acknowledgments
I am happy to have this opportunity to again thank my editor, Sarah Crichton, for being so good-humored and patient; and my equally good-humored and patient agent, Molly Friedrich, for being so utterly unlike Miranda Weissmann. Thank you also, Adam and Liz, for reading; thank you, Barbara, for giving me a place to read; and thank you, Janet, for reading and reading and reading.
A Note About the Author
Cathleen Schine is the author of The Love Letter, Rameau's Niece, and The New Yorkers, among other novels. She has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, and Vogue. She lives in New York City.