Family Travel / 29 -- Conclusion

“Everyone dies sometime,” And then the nurse asked, “Are you afraid?”

“If she’d asked me,” Aunt Gale said, “I would have said, ‘Of course not, honey. You’re going to be fine.’ I would have lied. But she asked the nurse and the nurse was so honest and your mother was calm so I asked her too, ‘Sandy, are you afraid?’”

My mother said, “I’m not afraid.”

My mother said, “I’m not afraid. But I’ll miss Jonathan.”

My aunt said she’d be sure to tell me that.

My mother said, “Please promise me.”

And my aunt promised.

Then the nurse wheeled my mother to the operating room.