My uncle got out of prison, and the whole family shut the door on him—except for my mom, who hugged him as if someone else were to blame.

she sobbed, her voice breaking, as she pulled him into her arms in the middle of the street.

My mother’s tears glistened like diamonds in the harsh sunlight, and for a moment, I forgot about the whispers that followed Ramiro everywhere he went. The rest of the family was nowhere to be seen, of course. My grandmother had taken to her room, refusing continue reading …