IT WAS LIKE SHE WAS FINE one sec, then she just started coughing and the next thing I know, she’s dead.” Stevie, unaccustomed to a tie, pulls at his collar as we stand next to the open casket at Werner’s Funeral Home, gazing down on our tiny great-aunt. “Maybe it was one of your scones.” I look at him in horror, guilt punching my stomach with a cold fist. “Was she eating a scone when she started coughing?” I whisper. “No. But I was. Maybe she inhaled a crumb or something. It wasn’t my fault, that’s for sure.” “Of course it wasn’t, sweetie.” Aunt Rose sniffles, patting her son’s arm, then blowing her nose with an astonishing honk. “But those scones were awfully crumbly, Lucy. You should put in a little sour cream next time.” “Boggy choked on a scone?” Iris asks, giving me a sharp look. “No! She didn’t choke on anything, right, Stevie? You were with her.” Stevie shrugs, then scratches his ear. “We were watching Matlock. She said that old dude was still handsome, I’m eating the scone, she starts coughing, and then—”
What do You think about The Next Best Thing (2010)?
