My mother was inside, still in her coat, one baby pressed to her shoulder, the other lying in the crib. Mom looked up when I came in and started crying, her eyes dropping from my face to my leg.
“Arnie…”
“Mom? What happened? Where’s Mara?”
Mom looked away from me. She kept saying the same words.
“I’m so sorry, Arnie. Mara asked me to take the girls to church. Said she needed some time alone. But when I got back…”