The girl sometimes wondered if it would ever stop raining. The only sort of fresh air her family got was from open windows, but now that the storms were rolling in nearly every day, water would pour in from every direction. Ivanka had already caught two colds in only six months; her mother had to spend time in hospital because of how terribly she had gotten the flu. The girl and Miklos, her husband, were the only ones unaffected so far.

She walked the streets under an umbrella, still trying to sell flowers and magazines, and found herself stopping in front of the Hoover Repair Shoppe. Dare she enter and face the awkwardness of seeing the busker's father again? She didn't think her heart could take that, along with her husband's renewed indifference. Besides, dwelling on him would only lead to pain nowadays.

The busker had stopped sending her letters months ago.