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“Hey, little man,” I said, rubbing his head.
He bounced up. “Hey.”
Miranda kissed him on the cheek, and he looked shyly up to her.
I turned to Miranda. “Why don’t you invite Ava and Harriet to spend the day here. We can all go to the beach, and Mannie can play with Ava.”
I turned to Manuel. “Would you like that?”
“Yeah. I’d love to go to the beach.”
“Where’s Sherry?” I asked.
“She’s not here.”
“And your mother?”
“She’s here with Trent.”
I frowned. “Where are they?”
“In bed.”
“Have you eaten?”
“I had some chips,” he said.
I placed my arm around his shoulders. “Come on, let’s have eggs and bacon. And then we’ll go to the beach.”
His little face lit up as though it were Christmas. Miranda wore a sad smile as she looked between Manny and me.
She helped me prepare the breakfast, and Manuel followed us around,
happy to help in any way.
We ate silently and hungrily. Manuel wiped up the remains of his food with a piece of bread.
“Did you eat dinner last night?” I asked.
He bit his lip and gave an unconvincing nod.
“Was Sherry here?”
He shook his head.
“You were here alone?” I asked, my voice rising slightly.
“No. Tammy and Trent were here too.”
“And they didn’t feed you?” I asked.
“I had some chips, chocolate, and ice cream.”
I stared at his little hands. He looked skinnier than before.
“Where’s Sherry?” I asked.
“Tammy sent her home.” He stared at me, his dark eyes glistening. “She cried.”
