My mother often said to me, “Don’t sit on Grandpa’s lap.” I never understood why. One day I ignored him and sat down anyway. Grandpa smiled, walked up to my ear and whispered, “Can you come to sleep next to me tonight? kara”

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Grandpa said something to me.”

My mother was driving. His expression immediately became serious.

“What did he tell you?”

I repeated Grandpa’s words.

For several seconds, Mom said absolutely nothing. He then stopped the car on the side of the road.

His reaction scared me more than Grandpa’s words.

“Did he tell you exactly that?”

I nodded.

“And he told you not to tell me?”

I nodded again. Mom closed the

eyes.

“My God…”

“Mom, what’s going on?”

He turned to me.

“Tonight you’re not going anywhere. You will stay by my side.”

When we got home, Mom called my aunt. From the hallway I could only hear fragments of the conversation.

“…he told Lily…”

Silence.

“Yes. Tonight.”

Then, with a much lower voice, he said: