She asked Dr.

Ferraro whether she was obliged to.

The answer was no, at length, with some force.

And she asked me whether I wanted her to.

Which is the question I had been dreading for thirteen months, because I did not know the answer and because whatever I said was going to carry too much weight.

What I said, and I had about four seconds to decide and I have never been so frightened of a sentence, was:

“Mija, I will drive you there or I will drive you anywhere else.