“Why’d she move all the way to Florida anyway?”
“Everyone her age does.”
“But that community is weird.”
“Well, it’s over now.”
“Yeah, but why’d she want to be buried there? Why didn’t she let us take her home again?”
“Her new friends asked her to make the arrangements near them.”
“So she inconveniences her children just to make it easier for strangers?”
“I guess they went to see her more often than we did.”
“Whatever. How much is this going to cost anyway?”
“She had most of it taken care of through a pre-arrangement plan. But they said there were some extra charges of about $1000. We can split that. Right?”
“Sheesh, Donald! I guess I can, if you really expect me to.”
“I don’t know any reason you shouldn’t. We agreed a long time ago to divide her expenses as evenly as possible. So sheesh yourself, Libby. At least it’s not the full $10,000 it could have been.”
“You always treat relationships like they’re some kind of business accounting thing. No wonder Susan left you.”
“Don’t go there. I’m sure you don’t want me to bring up Rick, do you? Or George? No, I thought not.”
“Well you’re the one trying to make all the expenses equal when you know our incomes aren’t equal.”
“I make more because I work more. You could have done as well if you’d tried harder.”
“I tried damn hard and you know it. It’s just that women don’t get the same breaks and opportunities as you men do. I’m living paycheck to paycheck, while you have enough left over to build a fat savings account.”
“No. I have some savings because I don’t waste money the way you do. Between what you’ve been given by Mom and what you’ve gotten from your husbands, you’ve had as much or more than I have. So don’t try to poor-mouth me. It’s just that I don’t spend every dime and then some.”
“Our needs are different. So there. I’d like to see how well you could handle all I’ve been through.”
“Oh, you’ve had problems alright. I’ll admit that. But you’ve brought most of them on yourself through making bad choices.”
“Leave a little more room, please.”
“I’m just going with the flow.”
“I don’t care. Don’t follow so closely.”
“And you don’t be a back-seat driver.”
“I’m just not ready to be killed or crippled. Okay?”
“There! See? As soon as I backed off and made a space, someone pulled into it.”
“I knew you’d be an ass the whole way if I rode with you. I should have come in my own car.”
“That crappy little thing wouldn’t have made it the entire way.”
“Well maybe I’ll be getting something better soon.”
“Oh no you don’t. I get the Cadillac when this is done.”
“Nuh uh. She promised it to me.”
“But that wouldn’t be fair. It’s the last valuable thing left because you already got everything else. Plus, I made most of the payments till it was paid off.”
“It was her last request.”
“Only because you talked her into making it.”
“You wouldn’t go against a dying wish, would you?”
“Yes. Definitely. She always gave you more. So me getting that car will make up for a little of it.”
“She wanted to give me something nice since I’ve been sending her money to take a cruise every year.”
“So what? That was only $500 once a year. I’ve been paying her rent at that place for years, and that’s $500 every month! But you did the cruise thing because it looks more like a gift than just paying rent.”
“There you go with your theories again.”
“It’s not theories. You know it’s true. You always got anything you wanted just by crying. But I couldn’t get away with doing that. Do you remember that one time I tried it? She spanked me and said, ‘There, now you have something to really cry about!’ But you, as soon as you began to whimper she’d give you whatever it was you wanted just to shut you up. Yeah, I see you smirking. You know you can’t deny it.”
“Give it a rest.”
“I’ll never forget that time with the cookies.”
“What cookies?”
“When we were about ten. She went to the bakery and bought us each two cookies. You gobbled both of yours right away. But I just nibbled on my first one and was going to save the second one for later. Once yours were gone you began crying and pointing at my second cookie. That’s when Mom said, ‘Why aren’t you sharing with your sister? You’ve got two, give her one!’ Then after she gave it to you I saw you laughing as you ate it. Gah! That was so unfair. And that’s how she always treated you better. You always got more. Well now it’s over and there’s no one left to treat you special.”
“Let me out!”
“What?”
“I don’t want to ride with you any further. I’m not going to listen to three more hours of this.”
“Are you crazy? You can’t get another ride out here. We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“What do you care? You just said there’s no one left who cares what happens to me. So now I know how you feel, don’t I?”
“I didn’t mean that I don’t care. You are my sister, after all. I only meant that Mom’s not going to be around to spoil you, and I’m sure not going to do it.”
“So you don’t care!”
“That’s not caring. You don’t have to spoil someone just to show you love them. Yes, you’re a pain in the, well, you’re a lot of trouble. But we’re family. We’re the only ones we each can really count on when everyone else has turned against us. Now that Mom’s gone we only have each other.”
“You still were rude. And that wasn’t an apology.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
“Well?”
“I’m sorry I was rude.”
“And.”
“And I’m sorry I said you don’t have anyone left to care about you. I still love you. You make it hard, but yeah, I still do.”
“Fine. But I’m not riding back home
with you. Oh, I know; I’ll take the Caddy.”
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