We just saw her Thursday,I mutter,and now we have to spend a perfectly beautiful August afternoon at St.Catherines hospital with creaky old aunt Amelia .Did anyone ask me what i wanted to do this afternoon?.of course not.does anyone ever?you don't want to go so you Brian ?.

Nope.

Wrapping the cors around the vacuum,mom promise,it'll just be a short visit.She loves seeing you kids. 

Brian pulls at the fringe on his cutoff shorts and says, seems like she's already dead.

Mom ,did you hear that? A whole sentence! Well this calls for a celebration.like a crazed bird,i chirp , Come on ,Brian let's go outside and pick some flowers to take to aunt Amelia.

He shrugs and follow me out to the yard ,where I pick a bunch of daisies.

Mad at the flowers?Brian asks.

No,why are you asking me that?.

He demonstrates a ferocious yank ,like rescuing a drowning swimmer .

He's right it's not the flowers fault .and he's right about old aunt Amelia,too.Theres something creepy about her.for one thing,she never smiles .maybe it's because her false teeth might fall out.shes older than the earth's crust,at least eight six.shes not actually my aunt,she's mom's because she's Grams older sister.but she's sourpuss and not at all like my sweet grandma ,who passed away when I was nine .how come the sour  ones live longer,just the way pickles last forever,but sweet cucumber turn mushy in the veggie bin ?

Dad doesn't like her much , either,but he used to say ,be patient with the old girl,shel .she's got one foot in the grave.

I wonder when the other foot will follow…

Aunt Amelias hospital room is hot enough to boil lobsters.shes shrunk to the size of a withered old child ,and the hospital bed looks hugely white around her. mom plants a kiss on her walnut face ,but I'm not about to do that , because she smells like vitamins,wich I hate especially the big ones that get stuck going down.

Hand me my glasses,Shelby constance,she says in her raspy old voice, so I can better see your face .as If she could see much at all .her eyes are dim and cloudy mon says she's afraid to have cataract surgery.

I ease the glasses onto her nose ,and one spidery hand comes out of the covers to straighten them . Ah .yes . don't let that frown freeze on your face , she warns Where's the boy ?…….

Continue……