"That's a wonderful tree, Ruiz!" exclaimed his mother, and promptly taped it to the living room wall.

His father snorted and grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the couch. He swatted Ruiz out of the way, like a pesky mosquito or maybe a fly. Ruiz ran and hid in the thin slice of space between the stove and the wall in the kitchen. There was barely room there to cover his ears.