“Still.”
She held it up.
“Then arrest me.”
Aaron laughed.
She took the daisy and carefully placed it inside a book she was carrying.
“What are you doing?”
“Saving it.”
“For what?”
“Later.”
She looked at Aaron.
“Will you keep it?”
He shrugged.
“Sure.”
“Promise?”
He nodded.
“I promise.”
She smiled.
That was the afternoon.
Nothing dramatic.
No warning.
No final speech.
Just a sister, a brother, a mother, and a little yellow flower.
I didn’t know I was watching one of the final ordinary moments of my daughter’s life.
Chapter Four: When the House Became Different
Mary’s condition worsened.
There were more hospital visits.
More medication.
More nights when I slept beside her because she was afraid.
Aaron changed too.
At first, he became extremely attentive.
He sat beside his sister.
He brought her water.
He watched movies with her.
He did homework in the hospital room.
He made jokes when she looked frightened.
Then something changed.
He became quieter.
He stopped inviting friends over.
He stopped talking about college.
He stopped complaining about school.
He spent hours sitting outside Mary’s room.
I once found him there at two in the morning.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
He shrugged.
