, passed in that silen

soner in my

a fl

ital room, but

t kind of

her Kowalski, had just under

late sixties, r

n, Polish-Americ

he loved her daughter, my mot

vering in a dif

n, she

' t Esther

s me.

mehow, inexplicably,

nto focus throug

ll of antiseptic, the slig

e bust

ou' re awake. How

ther' s voice, raspy

," I

ed. This was

uld feel Esther' s ha

lling, electri

a newspaper on t

, or rather Esther'

ree months befo

t-and-run. Be

other' s body, and

han

to save m

to stop

ination, solidified within

es was goi