Chapter 36

The old woman flinched, whirling around. When she saw it was Latisha, she visibly relaxed and brought out a half-eaten piece of bread she'd been hiding, taking a bite in front of her.

Latisha stared at her, then reached out and took the woman's hand, shaking her head to signal that she shouldn't eat it.

"You want some?" the woman asked, eyeing Latisha's expensive clothes.

Latisha set the cake box on the ground and signed: *Mrs. Dashiell, don't you remember me? It's Latisha.*

The old woman stared at Latisha's fingers, which seemed to dance like butterflies in the faint glow of the streetlight. After a long moment, she looked up at Latisha's face, her voice trembling. "... Latisha?"

Tears welled in Latisha's eyes as she nodded. *It's me. What are you doing here?*

"You're all grown up."