At 12:01, Nell scoops up her daugh­ter from the clos­et floor, brush­es a dust bun­ny from her hair, and whis­pers “Lani” in her ear. Navigating rules and whis­pers, Esther reach­es each mile­stone. When she recov­ers, Esther tells Tommy she’ll work at the club under three con­di­tions: 1. Nell whis­pers, “Shut the hell up,” and spends the night of her daughter’s funer­al in the broom closet. ~Michele Alouf lives in Richmond, Virginia and holds a mas­ter’s degree in cre­ative writ­ing from Harvard Extension School.