Forever | Judy Blume Book

And then, on page forty-two, next to the line “I want to grow up and be me and not have to pretend,” a scribble: Me too, S.K.

Clara turned the pages faster. The margins were a conversation across decades. On page one hundred and two, a newer, shakier handwriting—a different shade of purple, maybe a different decade—said: “Still pretending. But it’s okay.” forever judy blume book

S. Kline. Sarah Kline.

She looked at the moving sale’s address. Her mother must have lost the book in a move, or loaned it to a friend who never returned it. It had traveled for thirty years, only to find its way back on the eve of a house being torn down. And then, on page forty-two, next to the