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Louise lowered herself into a chair next to a speckled Fors for strays

“I’ve begged her to join a progra up that junk All I can do is come by when I can and make sure she a

nd the kids are okay”

You could report her to social services, I thought, but kept quiet Louise ht have viewed it as a betrayal, rather than a way to help Tanya Besides, if Aunt Louise wasn’t volunteering to raise the kids, ould? And who knows if they would be better off in the system than under the care of their own mother? Fro with her aunt’s help

Managing? My inner devil’s advocate piped up You call that ? But I could see the other side too How is taking her away froe that?

I squelched these thoughts and continued questioning the aunt

“Were you here last Wednesday?” I asked “Can you tell irls?”

“I was here, but I didn’t get here ’til late I come over and had to call 911”

“Tanya OD’ed?”

“No She didn’t take her insulin She was fallin’ out, like she was high, but it was cause o’ not taking her meds So I call 911 and ith her to the hospital”

I wondered if that was true or just a story for the irls?”

She shook her head “I guess it was a bit after nine And I didn’t see no girls If they was here, they was downstairs in Rochelle’s room But there’s no way to know for sure”

“Why’s that?”

“Even if they came home before dinner, whenever that was, if they was downstairs, they coulda left any tih the basement door”

Damn Scratch one alibi