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going to play along and find out where the rat was hiding. “I’m fine, Aunt Catherine, thank you for asking. It’s very nice of you to come by. May I get you something to drink?”
    Aunt Catherine was obviously pleased with Natalie’s manners, and the usually cold light in her eyes warmed up ever so slightly, melting some of the ice she normally exuded when talking to people she considered inferior. “Some tea would be wonderful, Dear, if you have any. Let me get straight to the point, Natalie, there is something I want to ask you.”
    Natalie led the way to the small kitchen and removed oil paints, extra canvas and a bowl of cat food from the table, before she went to the stove to boil water for tea. She saw Aunt Catherine shake her head out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing. She was often amused when the old lady became outraged by her lack of manners and organization, but today it didn’t seem so funny -- in fact, it was downright annoying. How dare she come into other people’s houses and pass judgment on them, even silently?
    “Tea will be ready in a few minutes, Aunt Catherine. Now, going back to what we were talking about before…what is it you want to know?”
    “The gallery that caught fire last night – was your work in there?”
    Natalie knew Aunt Catherine better than that, and knew the old lady wasn’t just concerned about some works of art.
    “A wealth of local talent was in that building, Aunt Catherine.”
    “I didn’t ask that, Natalie. I asked if your paintings were there.”
    “Why, yes, Aunt Catherine. The work of several months is now completely gone, with nothing to show for it. I guess you’ve always been right – art is a flaky thing, here one day and gone the next.”
    “That’s nonsense, child. Art is a beautiful thing and its vulnerability is what makes it priceless.”
    It wasn’t just Aunt Catherine’s words that sounded foreign – her face also looked more relaxed and human. Natalie was at a loss. Catherine seemed to have captured her niece’s confusion, and smiled with sincere affection – something she had never done before.
    “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this morning, Natalie. If art is what drives your inner passion, then your family should support you. You are different than the rest of us, and even if your lifestyle has offended our sense of decorum at times, you are not a bad person. And as Lakeisha said, all of us have hidden qualities.”
    “ Lakeisha ? Isn’t she your housekeeper?”
    “Well, she is my baby-sitter, really. Not officially of course, but I think your mother is afraid I am not able to care for myself any longer.”
    Natalie detected both humor and sadness in Aunt Catherine’s statement, and didn’t know what to make of it, so she held her peace and sealed her lips.
    “My paintings are gone, Aunt Catherine. I just took them down to the gallery two days ago, when I went to dinner at my parents’. Mrs. Wilson wanted them there in advance so I took most of them.”
    “Mrs. Wilson is surely insured, Natalie.”
    “She is, she already told me so, but it’s not really the money I’m so heartbroken about. This was my chance to showcase my work to others, and prove that I am not all that bad after all.”
    As hard as she tried, Natalie couldn’t control hot tears from rising up to her eyes and escaping down her cheeks. She wiped them quickly, but it was too late – Aunt Catherine had already seen them, and quickly pulled out an ironed white kerchief from her handbag which she handed to Natalie.
    “There, there, Sugar. It will be alright. You are the new talent Mrs. Wilson was so proud to show off, aren’t you? You can paint again.”
    Natalie wasn’t sure whether her tears were coming from pain or from shock. What had happened to Aunt Catherine? She dried her tears and looked up at the unfamiliar kind face of a lady she didn’t know, and she could barely utter a few words. “Thank you, Aunt Catherine.”
    Aunt Catherine