Now the cancer was back and this time it was bad and strong. Within three months of its diagnosis I lost my best friend in the world when my mom died... I think for the next few months I walked through life like a zombie. I was heartbroken. Steve was there for me and kind and since I was adopted of course I was to stay with him. He cut back his hospital hours and made himself more available to me. And we had a sweet lady down the street who babysat me when he couldn’t be home. He did keep. He found her in the Drawing room, “I saw Cassie,” he said.“Oh?” Maria replied non-comittally.“Strip,” he said, “You know what I have in mind for you.”“I am sure I cannot imagine,” Maria exclaimed.“You can join your daughter in the village,” he said, “Go and tell Jessica you will take her place.”“What do you mean?” Maria asked.“Exactly that,” James explained, “Strip.”Maria stood her ground.“Don’t then, let Jessica rot in the negro hell,” he suggested, “You choose.”James left Maria and returned. She knew she had to do at least that she told herself. “I got something to tell you two” she began as she and her two sisters sat and ate. They looked up and looked at her with “great” curiosity. She has news they thought. Now that’s new. They nodded their heads and smiled too. Wow, each thought simultaneously, their sister has some news. “Is it” and her one sister paused a moment before going on to ask “like exciting?” the one sister asked, sounding facetious. “Is it Trisha?” “Yeah, I think. Mister three hundred pounds and every bit of it fat, wouldn’t get married until he was thirty five, so he had a lot to say.Grace did manage to find a blind pig and married just after Beauty School.The only sibling in my family who actually made a name for herself was Marianne ... the youngest ... She always said, “Well ... I could see where you all went wrong.”“Grace ... I wasn’t hiding in my closet. I was dressing.”I have no idea how women think ... there isn’t a lick of sense in a single one.