In the Sevi family's master bedroom, Sonia was fast asleep in Martha's arms. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, the tip of her nose flushed as well. The tear tracks on her cheeks had long since dried, but the sneeze welling up inside her, she instinctively sucked back. Now she slowly blew out a transparent snot bubble, like a little piglet.
Martha felt both heartache and amusement. She wiped her daughter's face clean with her sleeve, tucked the blanket snugly around her, and tiptoed out of the room. After a while she came back, carrying a basin of hot water and a thermos. The new towel grew scalding and water‑swollen in the hot water; wrung dry, it was warm and toasty, as if it carried the weight of a mother's love.
When the hot towel lightly covered her face, the sleeping Sonia suddenly opened her eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"
