Life After Life A Novel by Jill McCorkle

Author:Jill McCorkle
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Literary, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9781565122550
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: 2013-03-26T04:00:00+00:00

Notes about: Mary Grace Robertson

Born: November 19, 1912 Died: April 1, 2007, 7:45 p.m.

Watts Nursing Home Holderness, New Hampshire

It was a cool and rainy week, with no promise of spring anywhere to be seen, the yard of the low-budget home void of any life—a mud field with only a few tire tracks leading in. I sat with her every now and then, nothing formal, my own need to find those Luke had requested I seek out—those he called the lost and forgotten. I had asked to be called when they thought she was near the end, and she clearly was, her extremeties mottled and cool to the touch. Her roommate, separated by a curtain, cried incessantly. Her belongings included a large unopened tin of Poppycock popcorn, a Christmas bow still on the top of the can, and a crocheted throw made by a group at the local Unitarian Church. Her dentures were wrapped in tissue and in her drawer, along with an old family Bible. Her name is scrawled almost illegibly in the family tree at the beginning. Mary Grace Robertson. Daughter of William and Elizabeth. Born in Portland, Maine. And there was a wallet-sized school photo—in color but clearly of another time, perhaps the seventies, given the bushy cut of his red hair and the tinted aviator glasses. On the back someone had written: Pete age 15. No one working there knew who he was or anything about her, other than she was a charity case, someone abandoned to a clinic like a baby left at an orphanage, years ago, her mental state never any clearer or more reactive than it was at the time of her death. Her eyes opened only once during my last visit, first filling with what seemed recognition and then closing with a long sigh. After a day of trying to hold her hand, she finally clasped her fingers around mine and squeezed and then when the roommate fell asleep and the room was silent, she died. Think how many people die all alone, Luke had said when listing the many rules and guidelines he wanted me to follow. Never forget that single fact. Never forget how important it is to be there. Never forget those people. So what is there to remember? Charity gifts. Her full given name in that nearly illegible scrawl, cool gnarled fingers like roots holding on, the kind of night that can almost convince you spring will never come again. But it will. Once upon a time there was Mary Grace Robertson—daughter of William and Elizabeth—born into this world on November 19, 1912, in Portland, Maine.

[from Joanna’s notebook]

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.