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marched downstairs, I knew Tannie was in big trouble, even though it was sort of nice of her to make us toast and juice for breakfast.
    “Aunt Britannia! You are not our personal alarm clock! And your walker is NOT for banging — it’s for walking!” Mom had never before bossed Tannie like that.
    Tannie looked hurt and her voice got quiet. “You have so much to do by yourself, Grace. I thought I would fix breakfast this morning. I didn’t want you girls to be late — that’s all.”

    Mom raised her eyebrows at Tannie. “I do not need you to put yourself in harm’s way by doing crazy things with your walker. I don’t need that kind of help.”
    Tannie looked at Mom for the longest time without saying a word. We all just stood there. I saw Butt’s tail swishing under the sofa.
    Finally, Tannie spoke. “Grace, we all need help sometimes.”
    After that, we all stayed quiet. Butt stayed under the sofa and wouldn’t come out. I looked out the living-room window and wondered if I had missed the school bus yet. In the serviceberry bush outside the window, I spotted three brown birds with black masks and red-tipped wings.
    “Look, Tannie! What are those birds? They’re feeding each other!”
    “Oh, Jenna! What a good eye you have for birds. That’s the cedar waxwing. What a loving, gentle bird, one of my very favorites. Add the waxwing to your list right away!” I did add the waxwing to my life list. I watched the family of three waxwings take turns feeding one another berries. Would we ever learn to be loving and gentle like they were?

I hoped it would be different, but that night as soon as we walked through the door, it was still like everybody had stopped even trying to learn to live together. Mom rushed to the kitchen so she could fix supper. Tannie started back to her room to watch TV. Butt and I played paper football on the floor.
    Halfway down the hall, though, Tannie turned back and asked Mom, “Grace, do you need some help with supper?”
    Mom answered, “No. I can do it myself. But thanks all the same.”
    Tannie stood there watching Mom until Mom looked up from chopping an onion.
    “What?” Mom said in sort of a snippy way. “I said I can do it.”
    Then Mom tried to sound nicer. “You should go rest, Tannie. After supper and after I vacuum, I’ll help you with your shower.”
    Tannie leaned on her walker and didn’t say a word. She pushed her walker, one slow step at a time, all the way back down the hall and into the bathroom.
    I heard Tannie start the shower. I looked at Mom.
    Mom kept chopping onions; she must have heard it, too, but didn’t look up.
    I heard a big bang in the bathroom.
    Mom dropped the knife and flew down the hall.
    “Grace, all right, I could use some help,” I heard Tannie call out, but pretty quietly.
    “Tannie! Tannie, I’m coming!” Mom yelled. She dashed into the bathroom. Butt and I ran down the hall behind her.
    I didn’t expect to hear what I heard next.
    Mom started laughing. “I’ll say you could use some help. You’re in a pickle, Tannie. Here, let me help. Oops. Oops. Oops. Come back, here.” I heard an awful lot of banging. Had Mom dropped Tannie?
    “Here, let me help you, Grace.” The banging didn’t stop. Had Tannie dropped Mom? The laughing didn’t stop. What could be so funny?
    I pushed the door open just to see for myself. I didn’t knock.
    There was Tannie in her birthday suit, sitting on her special shower chair. There Mom was right with her — apron, clothes, shoes, and all.
    They both kept dropping the slippery soap. Every time Mom almost caught the soap, it escaped like a game of keep-away.

    Mom reached again for the soap. It shot out of her hand, hit the wall, and then landed in Tannie’s lap. Tannie tried to grab it, and it slid right through her fingers. Tannie and Mom were laughing so hard, they were red in the face. Mom had to lean against the wall to keep from falling herself.
    Tannie saw me in the doorway and said,