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Doris clean up before I
left, but she shooed me out the door. I made my way through town again. Yep,
not much had changed. I don’t know if that was comforting or discouraging to
me. Either way, I was just happy to get back on to the highway without anyone
noticing me.
    I walked into my aunt’s new room, she had
been moved out of the ICU. I found her giving beauty and fashion tips to the
nurse, who was taking it like a champ. As soon as she noticed me, she turned my
way. “Now look at my beautiful Ella Lu here, this is how a proper southern lady
dresses and puts herself together. You would do well to follow her example.”
    I just shook my head and looked at the
sweet little nurse. “Don’t worry; tomorrow I’ll be here in jeans and a
t-shirt.”
    “You will do no such thing, Ella Lu
Eaton.”
    I just winked at the nurse. She smiled and
happily exited.
    I walked over to my aunt’s bed and kissed
her on the cheek. “How did you sleep last night?”
    She waved over all her wires and tubes.
“How can anyone sleep with these on? I told them it was unnecessary, but they
refused to take them off.”
    I didn’t even try and argue with her. I
just sat down. She immediately handed me a list. I took it from her, and I
began to read its contents. It was a list of all the things she wanted me to do
for her. It included everything from gifts to buy to decorating her Christmas
trees.
    I looked over to her in confusion. “Can’t
all of this wait? We still have three weeks until Christmas, and you’ll be home
well before that.”
    “No, Ella Lu, I’m already behind and you
know what is expected.”
    “What about Doris, can’t she do some of
this? I want to spend as much time as I can with you.”
    “Ella Lu, you know I love Doris,
but this is not her forte. I will not trust this to anyone else, do you
understand?”
    I saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Do not sass and ma’am me, Ella Lu.”
    “I love you, Aunt Lu.”
    “I love you more than air, Ella Lu.”
    I spent the rest of the morning watching
her horrible soap operas. I rarely watched T.V., so I was surprised these shows
still existed. Thankfully her lawyer, Mr. Howard, saved me early in the
afternoon. He brought lots of paperwork for us to sign, so much so my hand
began to cramp up. In a matter of an hour, I had become a very wealthy woman. I
had no idea how wealthy my aunt truly was. She always used to tell me people
were nice to her because she had more money than the Queen of England; I
realized now she wasn’t joking.
    After the marathon signing session, Mr.
Howard clapped his hands. “All that’s left to do is to take you to Kaysville
First National to sign their paperwork that adds you as a cosigner to your
aunt’s accounts. And we need to file the power of attorney with them.”
    I looked at Aunt Lu with wide eyes. Going
to the bank was not part of the deal. I knew why she kept her money there. It
was a reminder to the Jacksons of the power she held, but I didn’t want any
part of that.
    “Don’t look at me like that, Ella Lu.
They’re expecting you there this afternoon. I want this settled today.”
    “Can’t they just fax me the paperwork?”
    “Not in this case,” Mr. Howard
interjected.
    I knew my aunt would refuse any procedures
until this was a done deal, but the last place in Kaysville I wanted to go was
that blasted bank; the one owned by Brady Jackson’s daddy.
    Mr. Howard got up and looked at his watch.
“I have an appointment set for four p.m. with a Mrs. Gayle Wells. If we leave
now, we should make it in plenty of time.”
    I hesitated, and then Aunt Lu gave me her
look. I just shook my head. I did not like this one bit. I kissed Aunt Lu on
the cheek and followed Mr. Howard out.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow, sugar,” Aunt Lu
called out in her sweetest voice.
    The whole drive over I kept praying that
Mr. Jackson wouldn’t be there. I didn’t know much about what happened in
Kaysville anymore, but I knew he was still alive