The Shoebox With My Name On It

We barely had enough for ourselves.

I had no idea where my father was.

Then, suddenly, there were three of us.

One evening, Mom brought home a thin girl clutching a plastic bag of clothes.

« This is Tessa, » Mom said.

« She’s your sister now. »

That was all the explanation I got.

Tessa got the bed by the window, the larger slice of pie, and the red winter coat I had begged for.