Janice isn’t in when I get to the office, so I take Rose’s cookbook out and flip to somewhere near the middle. Next to an illustration of a hand chopping what looks like celery, it reads SIMPLE SAUCE.In the margin, in Rose’s delicate handwriting, is a list, with no date:• bring this sauce to Mother to cheer her up• have someone fix the leak in the bathroom• buy a new dress• be happyMy mind travels back to what Rose’s life may have been like at that time. Husband still gone at war; sad, but with a will to change, to be in good spirits in spite of it all. Still, there are some doodles that look like teardrops, as if she was lingering on the last word: happy.For the better part of the morning, I follow Rose’s lead and make my own list. Between answering phone calls and sending out some faxes for Janice, it slowly forms.• find jane• help bell• go to paris (with theo?)I look at it and almost crumple it up. Nearly all the items are basically unattainable. What now?Around lunchtime, Janice puts her hand on my shoulder and notices my list.
