She signed, MY DOOR TOO.

“Yes,” I told her.

“Your door too.”

PART 11: A Quiet Schoolroom

By spring, the house looked less like a museum and more like a place a child lived.

Paper crafts appeared on the kitchen counter.

Pearl’s boots stood by the back door.

A bright chart near the refrigerator displayed choices she had made herself: apples or pears, green pencils or blue, garden or library.