Vigil Part Nine

Germaine opened the door and shook his head.

“Really?” I said. “Do you know how long my flight was?”

“Sorry, Stephen. Even the doctors thought this was the real thing.”

“This makes nine false alarms, Gerry. Nine.”

“You didn’t have to come.”

“Bullshit. I have to be here. We all do. Who does this? What kind of person stipulates deathbed attendance as condition for inclusion in  her will?”

Germaine looked at the floor. “Well, you know how she was. Is, I mean.”

“Who else is here?”

“Everybody. Sal drove all night.”

“Well, it’s easy for you. You live here.”

“Easy. Right.”

 

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  1. Joy Pixley

    Ouch, what a difficult situation you’ve put your characters in, well done! Nine false alarms would drive anyone crazy. I like how we start out sympathizing with the siblings who have to fly all that way, only to be reminded of how horrible it must also be to live with her on a daily basis.

  2. Nobbinmaug

    Maybe if her family paid more attention to her, she wouldn’t have to falsify her impeding death and stipulate deathbed attendance in her will. Loneliness will drive people to some crazy shit.

  3. David Stewart

    Great last line. I know how much harder it is for the relative who lives close, even though I’ve always been the one who lives far away. There is so much day to day stuff that they do that goes unrecognized and unacknowledged sometimes.

  4. msjadeli

    Sounds like aversion and angst every which way. I wonder if the person with the will has always been such a pain in the neck to her family? Or maybe they’ve driven her to get vindictive? I like the way questions remain as to what’s really going on.

  5. Nan Falkner

    Stipulating that all of you need to be present if you want to inherit anything. What a demanding person she is. Living near the demanding woman would be an exercise in a horror movie. She may or may not be leaving anything worthwhile to all that go along with this demand. I wouldn’t want the old lady dictate to me the conditions of being a recipient to maybe nothing – I’ll pass!

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