Page 27 of Before We Break

“Who’s the stray?” she asks, nodding toward Auggie.

I wave to get his attention, then sign and speak at the same time. “Lexi, this is Auggie. Noah’s nephew. He’s hitching a ride home with us.”

He gives her a timid wave.

“Guess I’m riding in the back!” she says, rounding to the opposite side of the car. She dumps her backpack onto the floorboard and slides in next to Auggie. “Hi. I’m Lexi.” She forms the letter L next to her right cheek, where she has a dimple that matches mine, then sweeps it across her cheek with a smile. It’s the first time I’ve seen her use her sign name since Penny passed, and my heart warms at the sight. Only someone in the Deaf community can give you a sign name.

Auggie beams at her, all signs of exhaustion gone in a blink. “I like your shirt.”

She glances at the neon tie-dye BCHS T-shirt we made for freshman orientation. “Thanks! I made it. Well, kind of. Mom helped me.”

He glances at me quizzically and puts his ears back on. “Miss Clio?”

“Yeah. She’s my mom.”

One side of his mouth quirks up into a small smile. “I like your mom.”

Lexi scrunches her nose at me. “Yeah, she’s pretty great.”

I pull out my phone and point it at her. “Say that again. I want it on record for when you change your mind later.”

She sticks out her tongue and rolls her eyes. “She’s really annoying, too.”

I put the car in drive and pull away from the curb. “What was your high/low of the day?”

It’s a thing we’ve been doing for years. Penny started it when Lexi was in Kindergarten. We’d talk about the highs and lows of the day and problem-solve the lows. Sometimes there was no solution to be found, but it always helped to talk it out. These little traditions help me keep her memory alive.

“What’s that mean?” Auggie asks.

“High low?” Lexi says. “It’s the best part of your day and the worst part of your day.”

I glance in the rearview at Auggie, his expression contemplative. After a short silence, he finally says, “I don’t get it.”

I flick the turn signal and pull onto the interstate. “Tell us yours, Lex. Maybe that’ll help.”

“Ok. So, my high was when we had a pizza party in math class.”

“I like pizza,” Auggie says.

“And my low was when I broke my favorite pencil, and that made me sad. Your turn.”

“I gots sad today, but then Miss Clio gave me a hug, and it made me feel better. Maybe Miss Clio can give you a hug, too. She gives really good hugs.”

“There’s nothing better than a hug from your mom when you’re sad.”

Shit.

I see the disaster coming from a mile away, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. My grip on the steering wheel tightens. My throat constricts.

Auggie sniffles. “I don’t have a mom.”

It takes everything in me not to pull over onto the side of the road and give him one of my really good mom hugs, but I don’t have to because Lexi is right there without hesitation.

I hear the sound of her buckle unlatching as she moves into the middle seat and secures that one instead. When I look back in the rearview again, she’s sliding her hand into his and squeezing.

“Your Uncle Noah’s pretty great, too,” she says.

I hold back my snort. Now’s not the time to argue the matter.