Our Kind-of Vacation by Harper Lee Morgan (Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal)

Hem and I pretend we're on vacation when Mama's out looking for work.

We walk along the water as if we're going to hop in our very own boat, our long wooden paddles moving us quickly and soundlessly through the canal.

We pass the lady with the messy ponytail sleeping on the  bench every morning, her head resting in the same spot, and her legs curving around her dusty black backpack.

I moved closer to her today, stepping into the shade of the palm tree.

Her eyes snapped open, wide and round and full of fear, as if I had just walked into her house without knocking.

And then I realized . . . I had.