“Who was that anyway?” I asked crankily.

The dignified woman was a highly esteemed elder of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and a relative of Haregewoin’s late husband, I learned. She honored the household—nay, the neighborhood—by her visit.

I should have given her more of the love seat, evidently.

Sara led Mintesinot back into the house. Sobbing, he tucked the cookies deep inside his shirt, to protect them for his dad.

Excerpted from There Is No Me Without You, (c) 2006 Melissa Fay Greene. Reproduced with permission of the publisher, Bloomsbury USA/Walker & Co. All rights reserved.