To Mom's for Christmas dinner. James has come with me, but we're stiff. My mother has just had new white carpets laid in her house. White. Why on earth would a person choose white carpets? For Christmas, my stepfather gets her a cordless iron that turns itself off. She says, 'I hope it didn't cost too much.'

I've offered to put together the traditional basket of cheeses and preserves to bring to Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick's. Later she says the basket looks nice. 'You're good at that,' she says. 'You're not as stingy as I am.'

It shocks me sometimes. Not the fact that I love her, but that I forget.

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Last modified on August 1, 2006  | © Telegram 2005