Perhaps Anne was punishing herself when she sat down on the cold floor. She felt responsible for not being at home on the night when her grandmother had left this world. But when she thought about their last conversation, she wondered if her Oma had told her to go spend the night with her friend in order to protect her from seeing death there in their own dining room. Life is for the living, she had told Anne, and then she had kissed her goodbye. It had felt like a true goodbye and Anne had stopped for a moment before she left the room. Maybe I’ll stay, she had said, but her grandmother had
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