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August 8, 2007

Wednesday

Today's theme: Secrets.

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The grocer noticed, but thought little of it, as Laura’s purchases slowly shifted from grits and ensure, to Healthy Choice meals and expensive designer coffees.

The pharmacist noticed, but thought it was good news, as the number of prescriptions she was picking up slowly declined.

Her children noticed she’d stopped calling; she stopped pressuring them to come visit her and Grandpa.

Her priest noticed, with concern, that she was barely coming to mass, and had quit confession altogether.

Finally the Social Security Administration noticed. “Could her father really be 122 years old?” they asked.

Laura went to see her priest.

Posted by: kipp at August 8, 2007 1:35 PM · Permalink

He said I could tell.

“You can tell anybody you want to. But,” he said, “nobody will believe you because you’re just a little kid and I’m a big man in the church. You’ll be punished because they’ll think you’re a liar.”

So I kept the secret for 20 years.

I was 28 when I finally told Mother. Her first words were, “How can you accuse him of that? He’s such an important man of the church.”

He’d been right all along.

I collapsed.

Mother nudged at me with her shoe. “Your sister said the same dirty lies about him.”

Posted by: Barb at August 8, 2007 1:46 PM · Permalink