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I sreen velvet love seat in the living room I hadn’t had a chance to clean in here, so it answered with the appropriate dust puff

"Sorry, Ma, I’ve been a little busy," I started, knowing the response I was going to get

"Busy, my foot, you’re never too busy to call yourotten there I’d have been a nervous wreck"

"I’s back houilt train, we’dand heart palpitations

"Here? Oh the sao benefit at St Gabe’s next weekend Did I tell you we got Father Mike to agree to a new caller? I o for years and years, but we thought this year we needed some new blood, so--"

As she prattled on about the St Gabe politics, I tuned out a little bit, lettingrooany by the look of it, inset with green marble I pulled myself off the love seat while hting over who rime from the rate, in which Aunt Maude was storing her collection of Johnny Mathis records As one does

"So tell ood More cluttered than I reood"

"Aunt Kimberly mentioned that the last time she was out for a visit it had started to look a bit worse for wear How bad is it?"

"It’s not great" I sighed as a piece of the mantel came off in my hand Oh, for the love of--

"Oh, boy Do you want your father and ainst Johnny Mathis

"No no, I’ve got this It’s justaround at the amount of work that needed to be done "What the hell was she thinking, leaving this to me? It makes no sense" I slumped back into the love seat

"It makes perfect sense, if you ask me," my mother said

"What do youwhen she left this house to you You’re the only one in the family ouldn’t immediately sell it Do you have any idea how much the land alone is worth? Oceanfront property in Mendocino?"

"Dad ht have mentioned a few nuh to make me dizzy

My family lived in a part of town that was considered old money, blue blood money, with the occasional new money like us thrown in We’d been solid y So whilewe enjoyed, we also appreciated its value I can re, one ofmy dad for an advance on his allowance to buy so or other "It’s only a hundred dollars" was the phrase he used, and a phrase he will never forget The tirade my father launched into about hoill never be the kind of people who say things like it’s only a hundred dollars becaend