“And she didn’t leave anything for Mom or Aunt Linda,” Dani murmured in horror. Her gum’s cinnamon scent woke a mild nausea in Carmen. Didn’t know she was gone until a nurse told me.”ĭani shook her head slowly, chewing. She kissed my hand right here,” Mario tapped his left knuckles, “and said, ‘life, mi amor, can never truly be stopped.’ Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Kept calling me ‘Tony.’ And then, she just decided it was time. She thought I was Grandpa for the last hour. Mario rubbed a finger along the box’s velvet lid. She’d named it Shakira, because the name echoed its Latin, Pachira Aquatica, and because she’d always loved naming things. Its braided woody stems were thought to bind together good fortune, giving it the nickname ‘money tree.’ Its tropical origins made the plant difficult to overwater, the nursery staff had assured her. She’d admired its oblong leaves, like flattened emerald canoes. Did she hint that this was coming?”Ĭarmen had bought the small potted tree the day after they returned from their honeymoon. When they were alone, Carmen said to Mario, “You were there when she died. The King Street Station clock face reflected on the table’s surface in an artificial moonrise. Through the open windows, a clear sky shone over Pioneer Square. When your lunch arrives, they’ll knock before they enter.” He slid the box to Mario, who’d seated himself between Carmen and Daniela at the head of the table. You’ll have as much time as you need to yourselves. She hasn’t assigned the grafts, so the distribution will be your responsibility. She’s bequeathed her skills in teaching, public speaking, psycho-social techniques, and gardening, to name a few. Hoffman set the box onto the glossy tabletop. “Could we see the graft tiles?” he said softly. Mario squeezed Carmen’s hand, then Dani’s. Thus far, no one had noticed her sway when she walked, but much longer without food, and the dizziness would become obvious. Unless she was secretly saving up, how did she afford an extraction?”Ĭarmen shifted in her chair, praying she hadn’t bled through onto her seat and wishing for water so she could take her iron pill. “Living in that tiny place after Grandpa died. “She was never rich to begin with,” Daniela said. It’s just her memories,” Mario said, eyebrows raised. They’re a refined amalgamation of all memories and experiences related to specific fields or areas of expertise.” “As you may know, memory grafts are a practical-application variety of memory extraction. I believe she felt her memories could safely be left to the care of the third generation, that is, the three of you.”Ĭarmen was relieved to see that both her siblings were likewise surprised by the news. She chose not to inform the family beforehand. The attorney was holding a velvet-covered box in his open palms as he explained, “Maria Elena had these memory grafts discreetly extracted prior to her death. Carmen would have expected a gold necklace or tarnished antique, maybe some money or a secret family recipe card, but she’d never dreamed her grandmother would try to immortalize herself through an inheritance like this.
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