In my family, the words "I love you" are
never said. It's not that we don't love each other. we just show it without saying it. I help my sister
learn her multiplication tables, and I collect my
baby brother's vegetables from under his chair. My mom puts oatmeal raisin cookies in my
lunch, and my dad takes me to the tractor-pull

exhibitions. Then the puppy came, and I don't think I'd
ever heard "I love you" so much "Where's my
lovey-dovey Shadow?"Last night, after my mom and dad squished
the covers under my neck, I murmured, "I
love you." When their silhouettes froze in the
doorway, I suddenly hoped they hadn't heard me.
thre
I imagined my heart beating through the covers. and I twisted away so my blanket shielded my eyes

Say
The next day, Dad came home early and
shouted, "Where's my boy?"I bit the inside of my
er;
lip and continued playing Go Fish with my sister
ter
as Shadow scampered in and out of Dad's legs.Dad sat down on the floor, hugged me
tightly, and said, "No, here's my boy." Then he
said, "I love you, Jonah."And
she practically held his aluminum dog bowl while

Shadow scattered food all over the kitchen floor.Mom would croon.