![]() ![]() Carefully creaking open the window, trying not to make any noise, Caitlin slithers out onto the roof. Burying her face in her pillow, Caitlin smiles a little.Ī few hours later, as Caitlin is dipping in and out of a doze, she hears little plinks against her windowpane, which means Rosie is awake. She’s looking at Caitlin, and her mouth is askew, and Caitlin realizes that she’s not angry or disapproving, just thoughtful. ![]() Tonight, when Caitlin closes her eyes, instead of seeing a scowling ancestor or terrifying monster, she sees Janey Solomon. Mother told her she’d understand when she was older. It doesn’t seem fair that boys are greeted with celebration, but that everyone cried when she came sliding into the world on a river of salt and blood. Vanessa once asked Mother why everyone cries for girls. And so she balls her fists, licks the briny tears off her lips, arches over at the waist, and screams like she’s being slaughtered. ![]() The room is so full of noise that she calculates nobody will hear her if she scrunches up her face and yells as loud as she can. Nina blurs, then sharpens, then blurs again as tears spill down Vanessa’s face, gathering at her upper lip and jaw, dripping onto the already damp and salty straw. She glances at Nina, who has hidden her face in her hands. Surprised, Vanessa feels her eyes fill and tears slide hotly down her cheeks. Everyone at the birth is supposed to weep if it’s a girl, and now everyone is dutifully crying. ![]()
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