NOT my aunt.
I was largely offline this last week because I was in Florida with my family for my aunt's 85th birthday. She's a rockstar.
We celebrated her big day over a large lunch on Easter. Sitting at the table together, we saw an ambulance pass through the parking lot of her complex, followed by two police cars. "What's going on?" someone asked.
"Meat wagon," my cousin (her son) responded.
"Huh?" I was confused.
"You're in a senior community. People drop like flies around here. One a week," he explained between bites of honey-baked ham.
My sister and I exchanged an uneasy look. Um, isn't it a bit awkward to talk about death when the reason we're together is to mark someone's advanced age?
The meal continued and mercifully, the topic changed. Until we got to dessert.
Just as my aunt prepared to blow out her candles, her partner (who had run over to their other place to fetch ice cream from their other condo) came through the door and said, "Guess what?"
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I usually expect those words (especially when uttered at a birthday party) to introduce an exciting/surprising/generally positive follow-up statement.
So we all looked up in anticipation. "The ambulance?" he continued, gesturing over his shoulder to a unit down the way, "It was here for Karen. Turns out she died last night."
Awkward silence.
Followed by blowing out the candles.
Pretty sure we can all guess Auntie Fran's wish.
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